The New Tolerance

Tolerance is a word that is commonly used today to mean something it was never intended to mean. Today, when you hear the word tolerance it most likely is used in the context of acceptance and approval. But this is not what the word was intended to mean.  Staying true to its meaning, to tolerate means to “put up with error.”  Toleration, in its purest sense, refers to the ability to “live with” something we don’t approve. In order to tolerate, we must first disapprove, dislike, or disagree.

I don’t tolerate steak. I tolerate brussell sprouts.

I don’t tolerate chocolate. I tolerate coconut.

I don’t tolerate air conditioning. I tolerate high temperatures and humidity.

I don’t tolerate the smell of chocolate chip cookies baking. I tolerate the smell of cigarettes.

Paul Copan states it well, “We tolerate what we disapprove of or what we believe to be false or erroneous.” If disappointment or dislike didn’t exist then we would not have a need for toleration. To quote Copan again, “It is because real differences exist between people that tolerance become

What’s So Great about Christianity

“It is the little whisper, if we will hear it, that our science even today rests on religious foundations.” Though not a common thread in Christian conversation, this statement is just one example of the author’s assertion that science, philosophy and mathematics are interwoven, and belong, within Christianity.