The Intolerance of the “Tolerant”

If there is one characterization that those who is Christians like to throw out, it is that we are intolerant. We are intolerant if we believe:

• homosexuality is wrong,
• homosexual marriage is not actually marriage,
• transgenderism is a mental illness,
• those who abort their babies are murdering human beings,
• sex outside of marriage is a sin,
• recreational drug use is harmful, and,
• just about anything else that has its roots in biblical values.

Perhaps you are aware that this past summer, Disney released a new Pixar movie in the Toy Story lineage – this one featuring Buz Lightyear. From the get-go, this movie has been enveloped in controversy as it featured a kissing scene between two female characters.

As the movie is an animated feature, and a children’s movie to boot, there was no reason to introduce this kind of controversy into the mix. The ONLY reason they were determined to do it is that Disney is all in on the “woke” agenda and wanted to make a point.

Sadly, it seems that they were not content with simply pushing their immoral agenda. When people started criticizing the gay kiss inclusion, Chris Evans, who voiced the Lightyear character, called the critics “idiots.” He said, "The real truth is those people are idiots." He then went on to say further, "There's always going to be people who are afraid and unaware and trying to hold on to what was before. But those people die off like dinosaurs. I think the goal is to pay them no mind, march forward and embrace the growth that makes us human."

Well, first of all, calling your potential customers idiots is probably not a good marketing tactic. Now, besides being against the scene itself, those who object are being personally insulted.

I don’t know how many times I have heard those who don’t like people who hold Christian values refer to Christians as “intolerant!” In fact, it is quite a common theme. I find it very interesting, though, that the ones who are quickest to call others intolerant are, themselves, the most intolerant of all.

Personally, if I find immoral behavior distasteful, I don’t have any problem saying what I believe, but I don’t go around personally insulting the people who disagree with me. At the very most I will simply have a discussion with them where we both share what we believe and give reasons for it. Beyond that, if it is some company and I don’t like what they are selling, I just won’t do business with them.

 

But that is not the way these folks operate. It is not enough for them to simply state their beliefs and then go about their business, they also feel the need to destroy those who disagree. That is the height of intolerance.

What we actually have, here are the values of two different religious faiths playing out in life. The Christian faith promotes individual freedom of conscience. Every person is free to believe what they want. This does not mean that every belief is true or right, only that people have a right to be wrong if they want. The worldview of the Naturalist, however, places an emphasis on the priority of the collective. With this belief foundation, individuals who are out of step with the collective are seen to be subversives who must be destroyed.

The Naturalists, though, have a problem. For Christians, the Bible, with its values, is seen as an objective authority source given by God. Naturalists, on the other hand, don’t have an objective source for their beliefs and values. It is the ones who are able to obtain the power to get their way who get to decide what that looks like – and if they have that power, they also feel justified in crushing those who disagree.

In the case of Chris Evans, calling his critics idiots was a power play. He was hoping to shame and silence those who disagree with him. This would allow his point of view to rule. All it really did, though, was to demonstrate his intolerance – a core element of his religious (naturalistic) belief system.

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Freddy Davis is the president of MarketFaith Ministries. He is the author of numerous books and has a background as an international missionary, pastor, radio host, worldview trainer, and entrepreneur. Freddy is a graduate of Florida State University with a BS in Communication, and holds MDiv and DMin degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a popular speaker, particularly on the topic of worldview and its practical implications for the Christian life. He lives in Tallahassee, FL, with his wife Deborah.

You may also contact Freddy at Leadership Speakers Bureau to schedule him for speaking or leadership engagements.

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