Sunday, June 29, 2008

Do I really have to respect your opinion?

Ever hear someone accuse a Christian of being “intolerant” because he or she has been vocal about expressing Biblical convictions about this or that social or moral issue? Does that accusation carry any weight? I have 2 major reasons why it doesn’t.

1. Freedom of speech doesn’t guarantee you freedom from critique. There is a prevalent misconception in society today regarding people’s rights in public discourse. In the U.S. the first amendment guarantees us “freedom of speech”. This means anybody can say whatever they want without the risk of physical or otherwise coercive measures to silence or censor them. However, equal opportunity to speak your opinion does not mean that all opinions are equally valid. That is, not all opinions are equally true or justified. Opinions are usually some type of positive claim to knowledge or truth and as such the need to be supported by reason, evidence or experience. Is this just “my opinion”? Haha, no, it is the necessary requirement of a knowledge or truth claim.

For example, if I have the opinion that the sun revolves around the earth and you think that the earth just spins and revolves around the sun… those opinions are not equally valid, they are subject to certain lines of evidence. However if I were to say Paul McCartney was the best Beatle, and you favored John Lennon then we would have a difference of opinion because it is a matter of preference, not truth. The first is an objective truth the second is a subjective preference. Tolerance comes into play in both cases, but it does not involve respecting the opinion, but respecting the person.

Voltaire defined tolerance when he said

“I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to
say it.”
When we are talking to people, it is important to separate the ideas that are being expressed from the people that are expressing them. We have obligations to treat people kindly and respectfully even while we challenge their opinions or ideas.

2. The Intolerance of Tolerance.
It is important to clarify the definition of tolerance because many get it wrong. Many would hold that if someone simply says that you, or something you do, is morally wrong, that you are being intolerant. Let's just see how self-defeating that definition is.
a) If you say someone or something is wrong then your “intolerant”
b) Being intolerant is bad (some think it the worst of vices!)
c) Therefore if you call someone intolerant you have just accused yourself because you are saying that being intolerant is wrong and of course saying that someone else is wrong is intolerant! See how easily that definition collapses on itself? Don’t let anyone get away with abusing the terminology at your expense and squelching your courage to speak the truth as it is found in Christ.
Be salt and light in your spheres of influence; who else is going to do it?

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