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[EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

This brings up a point..
I would like to know how you guys define intolerant.  There has been
much ado about this group or that sect being intolerant, so I would like
to know how exactly you define it.  Is it a personal thought bias?  Is
it actively going out verbally trashing the intolerant sect, like on an
email list?  Is it physically going out and doing harm?  What is
intolerance?

Here are my thoughts:

Tolerate...to tolerate something means you really don't like it, but you
live with it.  You can tolerate someone, their ideas, their culture,
etc. To tolerate someone, you have to be in proximity to that
person.  You have to be 'stuck' with them, no escape.  It is easy to
tolerate people on an email list, because you are not living with them
or near them and you can always just unsub or turn the computer off or
delete the message.  To be tolerant of someone means that you tolerate
them,,,,you don't react to them, you are as neutral towards them in your
actions and as your thoughts allow, even though you personally don't
agree or approve of the other person.

To become tolerant, to have tolerance, one must have contact with
another.  If you have always been in a homogenous group in your own
neighborhood, school, workplace, etc. then you have had no opportunity
to be 'stuck' to learn tolerance...and it must be learned...one
must learn the process of opening one's own mind to that which is
strangely, conversely, or irritatingly different, open the mind, 
understand where the other person gets their beliefs, and try to come to 
some sort of peace so that the inner conflict doesn't eat you up....
IMO, one is not being tolerant if they speak(or write) ill of someone or
something.  One can only claim tolerance if they 1. are in close contact
with another 2. Have a natural dislike or fear  3. Overcome that dislike
or fear to the point where one can remain neutral in their actions(they
can still think ill, but must not act upon it)

I'm gonna pick on Lynn cuz I know she can take it..
I know that Lynn lived in the inner-city of Philly for almost 2 decades,
I think..  I think it is safe to say that she lived with or in close
proximity to drug users, gangs, and those that shared a
different culture and world view, to include those decent folks who just
love living with no yard and in a building with 50 other people or more.
 I seriously doubt Lynn has ever lived near or worked with surfer
dudes, those youth of the surfing culture, therefore she would not know
whether or not she is tolerant of that.  She's probably not familiar 
with kill the haole....or living within a community of nudists or 
witches, or Mormons.  Or, perhaps she is tolerant of the gangs she is 
familiar with, but not tolerant of other gangs.  What if she, for 
example, was so tolerant of gangs, developing a live and let live 
philosophy, that one day a new, violent, racist gangbanger moved into 
her building and threatened her physically, threatened her children, her 
peace.  What does she do to learn to tolerate them, or does she?  If she 
is being terrorized by someone who hates her because she is different 
and wants to do her harm, what does Lynn do to still be considered 
'tolerant' of his beliefs and actions?  Is it possible to live and be 
tolerant in those circumstances-when the other person is intolerant of 
you?  Does going to the police to complain mean she will be labeled 
intolerant?
And where do you draw the line for stating 'history' like reminding 
folks of the Crusades and the Inquisition, and actually speaking ill of 
 to denigrate something?  Is that intolerance?
A lot of people ASSUME that atheists are neutral, but very often, they 
can be so ANTI-FAITH that that in and of itself is intolerance.  One may 
be extremely tolerant of say Muslims because they had a Muslim roommate 
in college, but they make be intolerant of Indians and Pakistanis from 
anger that they own so many businesses here.
So I'll be curious as to how y'all think of tolerance, and specifically, 
I would like you to define intolerance.  At what point is is "ok" to not 
be tolerant?  Is it ever acceptable?  For me, it is when my survival or 
my family's survival or way of life is threatened.

Bev


> > Lynn, many times on this list I have read your statements about
> > "Christians trying to wipe out anyone who isn't Christian".

--
"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from
the government and I'm here to help.'"  Ronald Reagan