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Is Tolerance a Threat to Truth?
The Tension Between Pluralism and Faith
Can you believe in absolute truth and yet tolerate error or deviations from said truth? I believe the answer is yes.
Tolerance doesn’t compromise the truth. It does, however, give others room to seek out the truth for themselves.
A person can believe in God, while not forcing others to believe in God. A person can be Catholic while respecting the right of someone else to be Protestant, Jewish, or Muslim. A person can vote for a particular candidate while accepting that others will vote for the opposite candidate.
You can live and let live. You can be tolerant. And you can do this without compromising your beliefs or convictions.
The exception to this, of course, is if your beliefs or convictions somehow obligate you to force others into conformity with your values or tribe. In that case, you have a problem — and so does the unfortunate soul who is about to be the victim of your authoritarian absolutism.
There are (and should be) reasonable allowances given to families and faith communities here. Parents should have the right to raise their children according to their values and beliefs. When the children reach adulthood, they can then make their own choices. And faith communities have the right to…
