Spring Break
Column: The virus of intolerance
Dylan Polk/Columnist
Issue date: 9/4/08 Section: Opinions
It's hard out there for a Christian.
Whether or not people admit it, it's hard to remain steadfast in any given faith when you're met by opposition, or even if you're brought down by the faith itself.
Not long ago, I read a message my younger sister had posted on Facebook.
While walking through the quad at Illinois State, she noticed a couple of women holding a sign that read, "Hell is horrible. No warning is too harsh." A crowd had gathered, and curious as my sister is, she just had to hear what the women were saying.
My sister was horrified to learn their message, one not far off from the Westboro Baptist Church's old adage: "God Hates Fags."
The women were berating all of Illinois State for their sins.
"God hates you."
Really now?
Intolerance is a disease. It trickles down through a family, passed on through generations and ignored by those smart enough to let it go.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for intolerance. Sadly, it will always be there. People will always be bigoted and there is really no way to change them once and for all.
However, as Christians, it should be expected of them to accept others. After all, God is love (I John 4:8). Any self-respecting Christian should live by this message, as well as the one taught by Jesus in Matthew 22: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
A popular misconception is that all Christians are war-mongering, bigoted, pious blowhards who condemn anyone who thinks differently.
I can assure you, anyone who abides by that sort of attitude is not Christian.
It blows my mind how people can take a message of tolerance and twist it into a message of hate.
But it's that message of intolerance that makes the rest of us Christians look bad.
Because of people similar to those who my sister encountered, parts of society create this twisted, perverted image of Christians that paints a completely inaccurate picture of all Christians.
In a similar manner, people will see a Muslim extremist fly a plane into a building and immediately think all Muslims are calling for the death of America and all its citizens. That is not true.
Intolerance, like a virus, multiplies itself and fills the brain with messages of hate until an individual is isolated within a tiny, self-built box of loathing.
And don't think intolerance is only limited to the religious. It's tragic, really, to think about those who despise the religious because of a few outspoken nuts who have practically raped the true message of the faith as it was.
Intolerance is flung on both sides like some juvenile mud fight. Both sides are guilty of harboring at least a hint of intolerance, even if it doesn't reach all followers of some given school of thought. It's a shame people have to face intolerance, and it's even more disappointing that their arguments fall on deaf ears.
All I can say is beware of intolerance to avoid catching it. Be safe. Be intelligent.
Dylan Polk is a senior journalism major. He can be reached at 581-7942 or at DENopinions@gmail.com.
Whether or not people admit it, it's hard to remain steadfast in any given faith when you're met by opposition, or even if you're brought down by the faith itself.
Not long ago, I read a message my younger sister had posted on Facebook.
While walking through the quad at Illinois State, she noticed a couple of women holding a sign that read, "Hell is horrible. No warning is too harsh." A crowd had gathered, and curious as my sister is, she just had to hear what the women were saying.
My sister was horrified to learn their message, one not far off from the Westboro Baptist Church's old adage: "God Hates Fags."
The women were berating all of Illinois State for their sins.
"God hates you."
Really now?
Intolerance is a disease. It trickles down through a family, passed on through generations and ignored by those smart enough to let it go.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for intolerance. Sadly, it will always be there. People will always be bigoted and there is really no way to change them once and for all.
However, as Christians, it should be expected of them to accept others. After all, God is love (I John 4:8). Any self-respecting Christian should live by this message, as well as the one taught by Jesus in Matthew 22: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
A popular misconception is that all Christians are war-mongering, bigoted, pious blowhards who condemn anyone who thinks differently.
I can assure you, anyone who abides by that sort of attitude is not Christian.
It blows my mind how people can take a message of tolerance and twist it into a message of hate.
But it's that message of intolerance that makes the rest of us Christians look bad.
Because of people similar to those who my sister encountered, parts of society create this twisted, perverted image of Christians that paints a completely inaccurate picture of all Christians.
In a similar manner, people will see a Muslim extremist fly a plane into a building and immediately think all Muslims are calling for the death of America and all its citizens. That is not true.
Intolerance, like a virus, multiplies itself and fills the brain with messages of hate until an individual is isolated within a tiny, self-built box of loathing.
And don't think intolerance is only limited to the religious. It's tragic, really, to think about those who despise the religious because of a few outspoken nuts who have practically raped the true message of the faith as it was.
Intolerance is flung on both sides like some juvenile mud fight. Both sides are guilty of harboring at least a hint of intolerance, even if it doesn't reach all followers of some given school of thought. It's a shame people have to face intolerance, and it's even more disappointing that their arguments fall on deaf ears.
All I can say is beware of intolerance to avoid catching it. Be safe. Be intelligent.
Dylan Polk is a senior journalism major. He can be reached at 581-7942 or at DENopinions@gmail.com.
The Daily Eastern News encourages on-topic, civil discussion on its articles posted online. It is our policy not to screen comments before they are posted or edit them after they are posted. However, we reserve the right to remove comments that are off-topic, malicious, libelous or include excessive foul language. The DEN also reserves the right to turn off all comments on any story it deems necessary.
Comments violating copyright law will also be removed.
Users who repeatedly violate this policy will be banned from commenting.
If you have any questions on our comment policy or wish to report a comment that you feel violates these standards, please e-mail a link to the article to our Online Editor at DENNews.com@gmail.com.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 12
J
posted 9/04/08 @ 9:45 PM CST
Unfortunately, your quotes of John 4:8 and Matthew 22 exemplify the problem. You've taken two verses and used them to show what your particular belief in the Bible is. (Continued…)
GSane
GSane
posted 9/05/08 @ 11:07 AM CST
Thank you, Mr. Polk! And to follow up on J's post: Old Testament - Gods Laws; New Testament - God's fulfillment of the Laws, AND a testament of His love for us, which pretty much what God is all about. (Continued…)
Scott C
S.C.
posted 9/05/08 @ 12:38 PM CST
Personally, I think this God you speak of is a spiteful Deity, who shows love only for those who revel in his image. If we decide to have our own free will, we will wind up burning in Hell for worshiping the Devil, no matter the religious beliefs we have. (Continued…)
Jade Polk
posted 9/05/08 @ 3:04 PM CST
J - you can't take the Bible out of context. And you can't pick and choose which things to believe in the Bible. You do or you don't. You can't pick these verses over here and be like oh look these are true but set out another set and say they're false. (Continued…)
J
posted 9/05/08 @ 7:28 PM CST
Jade Polk,
As I stated earlier, I'm not trying to bash anyone's God or their belief, however I did point out and am still saying, that the Bible is extremely vague and contradictory. (Continued…)
Jack Palance
posted 9/05/08 @ 7:41 PM CST
Arguing involves rational thought. Those that believe in God and the bible are irrational in their thought. (That's because believers are arguing a point that can neither be proven or unproven). (Continued…)
GSane
GSane
posted 9/05/08 @ 11:52 PM CST
Christians are not looking for personal self-justification. They aren't supposed to be, anyway. Just know, Jack Palance, that God loves everyone, and that's a fact that does not need a Bible verse to back it up. (Continued…)
cmo2
posted 9/06/08 @ 7:40 PM CST
Boy, Jack, looks like we struck a nerve. Nimrod? Nut-job? You've proven Mr. Polk's point wonderfully. I don't believe that I said "as well as I do" - please don't put words in my mouth. (Continued…)
J
posted 9/06/08 @ 11:23 PM CST
cmo2,
My point of John and Mark writing the Gospels, were that they had to be in their 70's or 100's at a time when people lived to be 30. In Luke 1:1-4, the author admits to being an interpreter and not an eye witness. (Continued…)
GSane
GSane
posted 9/07/08 @ 1:18 AM CST
J, I'm afraid you took at least one verse (Isaiah 45:7) out of its Biblical context. Try not to fall into the trap so many people (including Christians like myself) fall to by simply reading one verse and taking it literally as-is. (Continued…)
Post a Comment