Tolerance is the New Intolerance

I was reminded today that Canada is a tolerant society. In other words, Canadians value broadmindedness and openness to others. On a side note, maybe this "openness" is why postmodernism was established so quickly as the norm in comparison to other Western countries.

I digress.

My realization is that this Canadian tolerance has evolved into something very different from its intended value. With the influx of immigrants into Canada (my parents included), I'm sure many Canadians had to become very comfortable very fast in welcoming different peoples' beliefs and worldviews. This welcoming through toleration was well-intended I'm sure.

But this tolerance has turned into something malicious in a growing number of circles, it is the new intolerance.

Let me explain. The very nature of tolerance is to be broadminded and not offensive to those with particular views. For example, if a person believes in buddhism, then that person has every right to not be disrespected for that particular worldview. But what if that buddhist was more particular about his/her views? Say, for instance, that buddhists believed that people are exclusively saved by karma. Then the postmodern, tolerant Canadian is faced with a problem: Do I maintain my tolerance in the face of their intolerance, or do I reneg my tolerance in light of their intolerance?

The unfortunate thing is that so many guise themselves under the banner of tolerance and start spewing rhetoric denouncing supposedly intolerant religions (i.e. Christianity). This, my friends, is the opposite of tolerance, or should I say: the new intolerance. In actuality, these people are only being tolerant to those that are likewise tolerant to their beliefs. They require reciprocity.

That, my friends, is not tolerance.

So why does this matter? It matters because there is a tolerance that is not simply a worldview, but an eternal reality. Jesus died so that we could be forgiven. No matter what kind of person, no matter what he/she has done. We are tolerated (though I'd rather use the word "loved") because we have been forgiven.

Actually, now that I think about it, this is something that is far greater than tolerance. It is, I believe, an act of forgivenness that arises from the greatest act of intolerance ever - Jesus' death on the cross. Maybe, then, it's not a matter of tolerance, but a single act of grace.

That's what we need in Canada (and the world). Not tolerance, but grace.