Resolved: Jesus Preached Tolerance

I know that it can be difficult objectively arguing a position about which one feels passionately, but I look forward to a reasoned discussion about this subject. It is important to note the distinction between the two statements, "Chritianity is a tolerant religion" and, "Jesus preached tolerance. " There are so many flavors of Christianity I think it is fair to say that they represent different interpretations of the Bible. Since Paul was one of the most prolific writers in the New Testament, having written thirteen of the thirty-nine books, much of the interpretation of what Christianity is can be directly linked to the interpretation that the apostle Paul outlines in his letters. Paul was not a tolerant person. Having changed his path late in life, he was very zealous in outlining what he thought the course of the church should be. Although it is understood that he perceived his believes to be of divine inspiration, the facts remain that he never once met Jesus in the flesh, never once heard him preach, and never once asked Jesus what he meant. So, though it can be said that Christianity (or at least some applications of Christianity) are not tolerant, and some will even boast that it is thus, it can not be said that Jesus preached intolerance based on the application of the people who say follow him. Instead, we must look to the words of the man himself, and for the purpose of this discussion I have stipulated that the red-letter editions of bibles accurately represent the words of Jesus. A good test of tolerance[1] is to determine whether a person can stand for something to happen different than it has always been done. The intolerant mind stands on a dogma that likely existed long before the person was able to form their own thought and now, with their reliance on dogma, the intolerant still have difficulty forming their own thoughts. The original purpose for the rule or procedure has been lost to posterity, but at the same time it has gained some mystical authority. Many of the rules and regulations in the Old Testament were, arguably, necessary when they were written, in order to ensure the survival of the tribe. But when Jesus was confronted with these outdated laws[2] he rebuked the Pharisees for focusing on trivial things (like how to wash a pot, et al) and forgetting the important things. He said it wasn't what a person ate that made them unclean, but how they acted. And what is Jesus most central teaching about how we should behave? That we should love one and other, including our enemies. That we should take care of each other, even if we disagree[3]. Another test of tolerance [1] is whether a person has a permissive attitude towards others or prefers to force them into a lifesyle 'for their own good. ' The intolerant seem to think it is their venue to stop others from living in a way that does not live up to their dogma, but that is not what Jesus said. Jesus taught that we were not meant to shun or despise others or to persecute them for their actions. Even if their actions negatively affected us we were to forgive them without resistance[4] and love them anyway. Jesus specifically said that we were to love those with whom we disagreed or that who had wronged us, because "Even a bad man loves his friends. "[5] Forcefully proclaiming how the world should act based on their interpretation of the Bible is not in accordance with the words of Jesus. One of the most egregious displays of intolerance, picketing the funerals of fallen soldiers because they do not agree with the lifestyles that others choose, is most definitely not in accordance with Jesus' words. This type of grandstanding is anathema to Jesus, based on his words. He said that acting out in public like that, proclaiming one's faith in public or declaring that one represents the moral authority of God, is hypocritical. He said that people who do that have their reward[6]. To instead store up reward in heaven, apostles are charged to be like the lillies of the field[7] meaning roughly they should not sweat the small stuff. God will take care of it. It is not the place of man to judge man, but rather to focus on being the best person one can be. According to Jesus, the energy it takes to be intolerant of others takes away from the energy one should be using to focus on being a better person[8]. “Christianity might be a good thing if anyone ever tried it. ” ~George Bernard Shaw[1] Definition of tolerance from round one. [2] Mark 7[3] Luke 10:30-37[4] Matthew 5:39-42[5] Matthew 5:44-48[6] Mathew 6:5-8[7] Matthew 7:3-5