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MineralMan

(147,576 posts)
Fri Mar 1, 2019, 10:53 AM Mar 2019

Is Tolerance a Good Thing?

If you're saying WTF? to this question, perhaps you're thinking too quickly. Let's take a closer look:

The Roman Catholic Church has been quite tolerant of its priests sexually molesting children for decades, or even centuries. It has not condemned nor punished them, even when that behavior was discovered. Instead, it often just moved offending priests to another place, where their behavior was not known. Tolerance of evil deeds is not a good thing.

I tend to criticize religious organizations and people who do things that are not considered to be acceptable. Does that make me intolerant of religion? It does not. It makes me intolerant of bad behavior. So, I openly criticize religious groups which tolerate child sexual abuse or prohibit women from exercising their reproductive rights. I am intolerant of such behaviors. I freely admit that.

I do not criticize religious organizations who do not promote such things. In fact, i don't even mention them, because I don't care what deities people worship or what doctrines they follow, unless such deities and doctrines result in unfair treatment of people who are not part of that faith tradition.

Tolerance, like most characteristics, is not always one thing or always a good thing. I do not tolerate racism. I do not tolerate government officials who use their offices to create profits for themselves. I do not tolerate priests who sexually abuse children, nor their superiors who tolerate such priests.

I am tolerant of most things that do not harm anyone. I am intolerant of things that do harm people unjustly. So, I'm neither tolerant nor intolerant on a general basis. Tolerance is not one thing, nor is it always a positive thing. Intolerance is also not one thing, nor always a negative thing.

I am intolerant of societies which limit the beliefs of their members. I am intolerant of intolerance. I am intolerant of anyone who harms others who are innocent of doing harm. I am intolerant of any organization or group that is intolerant on general principles of people outside of that organization or group.

Everything is relative. We too often forget that.

Before we discuss the nature of words like tolerance, we need to define them quite clearly. Otherwise, we waste a good deal of our time.

60 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Is Tolerance a Good Thing? (Original Post) MineralMan Mar 2019 OP
Yes, I agree with that and we also need to pay attention to context marylandblue Mar 2019 #1
Yes. Comparing fundamentally dissimilar things wastes time. MineralMan Mar 2019 #2
I can't think of anything that is universally good. Act_of_Reparation Mar 2019 #3
70% Dark Chocolate? MineralMan Mar 2019 #4
Chocolate haters are irrational and the allergic need conversion therapy marylandblue Mar 2019 #5
I must disagree with you, in the most emphatic terms, about dark chocolate. MineralMan Mar 2019 #6
I must, it seems, agree with you on this matter. guillaumeb Mar 2019 #10
A number of posts in this room of 'religion' I 'tolerate'. sprinkleeninow Mar 2019 #7
Milk chocolate is an abomination and those Voltaire2 Mar 2019 #8
Heretic. Act_of_Reparation Mar 2019 #17
Is unconditional tolerance a good thing? guillaumeb Mar 2019 #9
What confusion is that? MineralMan Mar 2019 #11
The confusion evident in your original post. guillaumeb Mar 2019 #12
Which you didn't read, apparently. MineralMan Mar 2019 #13
That is, I believe, the first time you have qualified tolerance or intolerance MineralMan Mar 2019 #15
If you read the actual posts, guillaumeb Mar 2019 #16
Correction. trotsky Mar 2019 #18
The intolerance directed at theists is directed against them because they are theists. guillaumeb Mar 2019 #20
The existence of just one non-persecuted theist in China completely disproves your position. trotsky Mar 2019 #27
A failure in logic. guillaumeb Mar 2019 #32
As you are entitled to your (completely wrong) opinion. trotsky Mar 2019 #42
There's also the fact that non-theists are persecuted for the same reasons Major Nikon Mar 2019 #40
It's all about trying to tie the intolerance of the Chinese government to atheism, of course. trotsky Mar 2019 #43
Don't forget how the Boston Atheists blackballed a Trump humper Major Nikon Mar 2019 #45
So all intolerance is equally bad, but it's universal, so marylandblue Mar 2019 #19
No, but by recognizing the universality, guillaumeb Mar 2019 #21
Either it is all equal, or it is not. If it is all equal, then you have an amoral philosophy. marylandblue Mar 2019 #22
I disagree. guillaumeb Mar 2019 #23
You never actually argue for that position. marylandblue Mar 2019 #24
All human behavior has a cause. guillaumeb Mar 2019 #25
Not all behaviors are truly universal. marylandblue Mar 2019 #26
Your opinion. guillaumeb Mar 2019 #29
Are you not taking the opinion that "intolerance" is universal? marylandblue Mar 2019 #31
I am taking the position that intolerance can be found among every group of humans. guillaumeb Mar 2019 #33
Just be clear, do you think intolerance is also found in all individuals? marylandblue Mar 2019 #34
Yes to the first. guillaumeb Mar 2019 #36
You said intolerance is found in all groups. How.did you mean the term? marylandblue Mar 2019 #37
It is a confusing term. guillaumeb Mar 2019 #38
Well the two types of intolerance are not the same. marylandblue Mar 2019 #39
We agree. guillaumeb Mar 2019 #47
Yeah, but so what. It's not an endpoint, it's a marker. marylandblue Mar 2019 #48
But that begs the question. trotsky Mar 2019 #44
If your religious doctrine commands intolerance and you follow it... Major Nikon Mar 2019 #41
And if 100% of theists agreed with this interpretation, guillaumeb Mar 2019 #46
The assertion doesn't require you agree with it in order to be true Major Nikon Mar 2019 #49
Your assertion is simply that. guillaumeb Mar 2019 #55
It's a statement of fact Major Nikon Mar 2019 #56
You have a unique defintion of the word "fact". eom guillaumeb Mar 2019 #57
Your assertion is evidence of a personal opinion Major Nikon Mar 2019 #58
Once again, you reveal yourself. guillaumeb Mar 2019 #59
The whole idea behind posting is revealing something, Gil Major Nikon Mar 2019 #60
Does a church doctrine require 100% agreement to be harmful? marylandblue Mar 2019 #50
Tolerance is work. You'd have to pay me to do that and I wouldn't be happy. hunter Mar 2019 #14
When I practiced Catholicism, I never met or heard about priests molesting children... real Cannabis calm Mar 2019 #28
Welcome to DU. guillaumeb Mar 2019 #30
Pathetic. Voltaire2 Mar 2019 #53
The Southern Baptists have their own MineralMan Mar 2019 #35
Well, it's not like such priests were advertising what they were doing. MineralMan Mar 2019 #51
Seriously? Voltaire2 Mar 2019 #52
I think what makes the RCC scandal is that it was a well organized network marylandblue Mar 2019 #54

marylandblue

(12,344 posts)
1. Yes, I agree with that and we also need to pay attention to context
Fri Mar 1, 2019, 11:06 AM
Mar 2019

Since this is the religion group, we should look at religious intolerance, where religion becomes the basis for violence or abuse. Topics like political intolerance would be more appropriate in General Discussion.

MineralMan

(147,576 posts)
2. Yes. Comparing fundamentally dissimilar things wastes time.
Fri Mar 1, 2019, 11:13 AM
Mar 2019

While politics and religion sometimes get entangled, that is most often not true.

MineralMan

(147,576 posts)
4. 70% Dark Chocolate?
Fri Mar 1, 2019, 11:29 AM
Mar 2019

I guess not. Some people hate chocolate and others are allergic to it.

So, you're right, I suppose.

marylandblue

(12,344 posts)
5. Chocolate haters are irrational and the allergic need conversion therapy
Fri Mar 1, 2019, 11:40 AM
Mar 2019

So chocolate is in fact a universal good. However, although I tolerate dark chocolate, milk chocolate is better

MineralMan

(147,576 posts)
6. I must disagree with you, in the most emphatic terms, about dark chocolate.
Fri Mar 1, 2019, 11:44 AM
Mar 2019

But, I'll try to do it politely, so as to appear to be tolerant.

sprinkleeninow

(20,546 posts)
7. A number of posts in this room of 'religion' I 'tolerate'.
Fri Mar 1, 2019, 02:03 PM
Mar 2019

You, I have no need of tolerance.

Ooh. 😍

Miz Googly Smilies

P.S. Milk chawklit also does it for me. 🍫

Voltaire2

(14,703 posts)
8. Milk chocolate is an abomination and those
Fri Mar 1, 2019, 02:30 PM
Mar 2019

who adhere to that abomination are stained for life.

80% or nothing.

MineralMan

(147,576 posts)
15. That is, I believe, the first time you have qualified tolerance or intolerance
Mon Mar 4, 2019, 11:37 AM
Mar 2019

Last edited Mon Mar 4, 2019, 12:16 PM - Edit history (1)

in that way. You use the word intolerance, without any qualifying adjectives, very frequently, and appear to consider any type of intolerance as a negative human reaction to things. Clearly, it is not always negative. You might want to consider qualifying your broad-brush statements to paint a clearer picture.

guillaumeb

(42,649 posts)
16. If you read the actual posts,
Mon Mar 4, 2019, 08:44 PM
Mar 2019

such as the posts about the intolerance exhibited by the Chinese Government toward theists, you might come to the conclusion that the intolerance is a bad thing.

It is always helpful to read the posts, and sometimes the entire article that is linked to.

And considering that most who read the posts exhibit no such confusion, I am confident that the majority understand the point.

trotsky

(49,533 posts)
18. Correction.
Tue Mar 5, 2019, 08:55 AM
Mar 2019

The factually correct statement would be:

"...the posts about the intolerance exhibited by the Chinese government toward theists AND atheists..."

Please state facts, not your spin that you use to promote your agenda.

Thank you.

guillaumeb

(42,649 posts)
20. The intolerance directed at theists is directed against them because they are theists.
Tue Mar 5, 2019, 07:05 PM
Mar 2019

Thus your own spin is revealed.

trotsky

(49,533 posts)
27. The existence of just one non-persecuted theist in China completely disproves your position.
Wed Mar 6, 2019, 08:44 AM
Mar 2019

Here's 8:

https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2018/09/22/pope-francis-recognizes-chinese-bishops-ordained-without-papal-approval

Those men are theists, and are tolerated by the Chinese government. You have been humiliated once more. You must enjoy it, is all I can conclude.

trotsky

(49,533 posts)
42. As you are entitled to your (completely wrong) opinion.
Thu Mar 7, 2019, 08:48 AM
Mar 2019

Doesn't make it any less wrong, though. But do keep humiliating yourself - I greatly enjoy it.

Major Nikon

(36,900 posts)
40. There's also the fact that non-theists are persecuted for the same reasons
Wed Mar 6, 2019, 11:34 PM
Mar 2019

So one can logically disprove it both ways. Meanwhile this blatant error is excused through either ignorance of what “logic” means or gaslighting.

trotsky

(49,533 posts)
43. It's all about trying to tie the intolerance of the Chinese government to atheism, of course.
Thu Mar 7, 2019, 08:50 AM
Mar 2019

It's his only weapon to try and neutralize discussion of intolerance by religious people.

Major Nikon

(36,900 posts)
45. Don't forget how the Boston Atheists blackballed a Trump humper
Thu Mar 7, 2019, 08:59 AM
Mar 2019

So the intolerance of atheists is clearly a much bigger problem than you are letting on.

Meanwhile atheists vote D at about the same rate evangelicals vote R, but we have those who want to demonize the former while simultaneously claiming religion has zero to do with the intolerance of the latter. Very telling that.

marylandblue

(12,344 posts)
19. So all intolerance is equally bad, but it's universal, so
Tue Mar 5, 2019, 09:13 AM
Mar 2019

we can't stop all instances of intolerance? All we can do is complain about it, point out other instances of intolerance and ask other people what we should do about it?

guillaumeb

(42,649 posts)
21. No, but by recognizing the universality,
Tue Mar 5, 2019, 07:07 PM
Mar 2019

we are not likely to make a logical error and blame religion, or atheism, for what all humans do.

marylandblue

(12,344 posts)
22. Either it is all equal, or it is not. If it is all equal, then you have an amoral philosophy.
Tue Mar 5, 2019, 07:33 PM
Mar 2019

If it is not all equal, then why is it not?

guillaumeb

(42,649 posts)
23. I disagree.
Tue Mar 5, 2019, 07:38 PM
Mar 2019

No one here is arguing that tolerance must be the response to any action or we would not be posting here.

What I argue against are reductionistic type arguments that equate theism with violence. Or that blame theism as the major cause of violence. That reveals nothing but an agenda against theism.

marylandblue

(12,344 posts)
24. You never actually argue for that position.
Tue Mar 5, 2019, 07:56 PM
Mar 2019

Maybe you think you are, but you are actually arguing for an even more reductionist position that reduces all human behavior to just random human behaviors that are caused by a thing called "tribalism" which is said.to be a universal human trait like breathing.

guillaumeb

(42,649 posts)
25. All human behavior has a cause.
Tue Mar 5, 2019, 07:58 PM
Mar 2019

There are very few random responses.

But recognizing that some behaviors are universal allows one to avoid blaming behavior on any particular subset of humans.

marylandblue

(12,344 posts)
26. Not all behaviors are truly universal.
Tue Mar 5, 2019, 08:11 PM
Mar 2019

Not all humans are intolerant, and for those that are, they are not all intolerant in equal measures. And not all intolerance has the same negative outcomes. And not all instances of harm can be explained by a single parameter called "intolerance," or by a single human trait called "tribalism."

marylandblue

(12,344 posts)
31. Are you not taking the opinion that "intolerance" is universal?
Wed Mar 6, 2019, 06:48 PM
Mar 2019

And further that, if it is universal, then neither religion nor atheism, can cause or worsen "intolerance?"

guillaumeb

(42,649 posts)
33. I am taking the position that intolerance can be found among every group of humans.
Wed Mar 6, 2019, 06:59 PM
Mar 2019

And that any assertions as to what causes intolerance are assertions about human behavior and psychology.

marylandblue

(12,344 posts)
34. Just be clear, do you think intolerance is also found in all individuals?
Wed Mar 6, 2019, 07:47 PM
Mar 2019

And another clarification. Is intolerance found in equal measure in all groups?

guillaumeb

(42,649 posts)
36. Yes to the first.
Wed Mar 6, 2019, 07:51 PM
Mar 2019

I have no tolerance for Nazis. I am certain that there are very many ideas and behaviors that you do not tolerate.

We all have things that we do not tolerate.

But we can also learn tolerance for others.

As to groups, how do you mean the term?

marylandblue

(12,344 posts)
37. You said intolerance is found in all groups. How.did you mean the term?
Wed Mar 6, 2019, 08:00 PM
Mar 2019

I'm not trying to be cutesy here. I am trying to understand what you are saying before I comment.

guillaumeb

(42,649 posts)
38. It is a confusing term.
Wed Mar 6, 2019, 08:03 PM
Mar 2019

I tolerate behaviors as long as the behaviors are not destructive to others. Nazism is a destructive philosophy. Violence directed at others is destructive.

But tribalism implies that we see ourselves as an "us", as opposed to all outside the tribe, who are "them". And intolerance is an aspect of tribalism.

marylandblue

(12,344 posts)
39. Well the two types of intolerance are not the same.
Wed Mar 6, 2019, 08:16 PM
Mar 2019

One is based on a philosophical objection to violent behavior and the beliefs that lead to violence. That doesn't seem tribal.

The second is based on not tolerating members of other groups simply because they are members of a different group. That seems more tribal.

marylandblue

(12,344 posts)
48. Yeah, but so what. It's not an endpoint, it's a marker.
Fri Mar 8, 2019, 06:48 PM
Mar 2019

If individuals or groups engages in one type of intolerance but not the other, or they have them in different degrees, why do such differences exist?

trotsky

(49,533 posts)
44. But that begs the question.
Thu Mar 7, 2019, 08:55 AM
Mar 2019

Who defines when a behavior is "destructive to others"?

Fred Phelps' church thinks people are in danger of hell if they are homosexual or if they support LGBTQ+ rights. In other words, it is their *religious belief* based on *faith* (which by your definition is equally as valid as yours) that homosexuality is "destructive to others."

Therefore, you have now justified the intolerance of Westboro Baptist Church.

Way to go, g. Doing the lord's work for sure.

Major Nikon

(36,900 posts)
41. If your religious doctrine commands intolerance and you follow it...
Wed Mar 6, 2019, 11:38 PM
Mar 2019

there is no logical error in blaming the religion itself. Pretending otherwise is just as foolish as pretending atheism has doctrine.

Major Nikon

(36,900 posts)
49. The assertion doesn't require you agree with it in order to be true
Fri Mar 8, 2019, 06:49 PM
Mar 2019

Just as those who use religion to promote hate don't require your acknowledgement.

Major Nikon

(36,900 posts)
58. Your assertion is evidence of a personal opinion
Wed Mar 13, 2019, 05:53 PM
Mar 2019

...and nothing more.

Everyone has an opinion, but some are more relevant than others. How relevant yours are greatly depends on your personal credibility. Given your propensity for logical fallacies and holding on to bad ideas even after your errors have been pointed out, your personal credibility suffers greatly. Just sayin'

Major Nikon

(36,900 posts)
60. The whole idea behind posting is revealing something, Gil
Wed Mar 13, 2019, 06:40 PM
Mar 2019

I get you feel the need to insert one of your trademark canned replies, but this one is even more lame than most of the rest which for you is saying something. But yeah, you do reveal something by repeating gibberish, even if it's only your propensity to do so.

marylandblue

(12,344 posts)
50. Does a church doctrine require 100% agreement to be harmful?
Fri Mar 8, 2019, 11:48 PM
Mar 2019

If only 80% of Southern Baptists believe LGBTs should be denied jobs, is it still a discriminatory idea with harmful effects?

hunter

(38,930 posts)
14. Tolerance is work. You'd have to pay me to do that and I wouldn't be happy.
Sat Mar 2, 2019, 09:40 PM
Mar 2019

Same with intolerance. What a grind.

If something doesn't spark joy it's just cluttering up your life. Think of this as an expansion of the Marie Kondo method beyond mere stuff.

:evil grin:

More useful words are "acceptance" and "celebration."

Do I celebrate gay marriage? Yes, I do.

Do I accept anti-gay marriage religious bullshit? No, I do not.

Do I celebrate separation of Church and State? Yes, I do.

Do I accept prayer in public schools or at public meetings? No, I do not.

It works on matters of less importance also.

Do I accept obnoxious television advertising as a means of paying for certain kinds of programming? No, I do not. My television plays DVDs and Netflix. That's all it does.

real Cannabis calm

(1,124 posts)
28. When I practiced Catholicism, I never met or heard about priests molesting children...
Wed Mar 6, 2019, 05:26 PM
Mar 2019

I am sure sexual abuse is not isolated to only the Catholic Church. Other religious and social organizations are just as guilty; but sensational sexually provocative scandal about perhaps the world's largest, organized Christian organization presents an easy target that sells newspapers and other media. The early Roman Catholic Church was a political war-machine and actually deserves more criticism than the modern Church.

guillaumeb

(42,649 posts)
30. Welcome to DU.
Wed Mar 6, 2019, 06:46 PM
Mar 2019

The abuse scandal deals with a small number of priests, but compounding the scandal was the subsequent cover-up.

MineralMan

(147,576 posts)
51. Well, it's not like such priests were advertising what they were doing.
Sat Mar 9, 2019, 11:34 AM
Mar 2019

How would you have met any of them, or heard about them? Child sexual abuse by priests was carefully covered up and hidden for decades and even centuries. The victims didn't tell, for the most part, and those who did were hushed up or not believed. Now, we know better.

Of course there has been child sexual abuse by ministers of other denominations. We're hearing about that, too, and some of us knew about it long ago, just as some Catholics knew about it in their church.

Here's the question: Does it matter whether it was just in one church or something that happened on others, too? The abuse was bad enough, but the cover-up by church leadership was even worse, since it allowed such things to continue over a long period of time. We're only now learning just how widespread the problem was and how well it was hidden.

Voltaire2

(14,703 posts)
52. Seriously?
Sun Mar 10, 2019, 07:37 AM
Mar 2019

There is now an astounding mass of evidence that the RCC has been systematically protecting its pederast priests around the world for decades, probably centuries. The numbers of victims are staggering. This is not about an easy target or newspaper sales. This is about a huge institution, by far the largest religious institution in the world, with a history that goes back 1800 years, that has been routinely engaged in almost incomprehensible depravity.

marylandblue

(12,344 posts)
54. I think what makes the RCC scandal is that it was a well organized network
Sun Mar 10, 2019, 09:55 AM
Mar 2019

Last edited Sun Mar 10, 2019, 12:04 PM - Edit history (1)

Bishops would send offending priests to other bishops when both bishops knew they were child abusers. It's not that they just fired a priest and let him quietly find another job, they deliberately sent him to another place which knew they were getting a problem. The priests themselves networked with each other, giving vulnerable children gold crosses as gifts to let others know the child has already been groomed. The church operated its own treatment centers that themselves became hangouts for abusers to continue their activities, and again with knowledge of the bishops.

So while other denominations and institutions have their individual abusers and coverups, none we know of so far had these highly active extended networks.

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