The New Church of "Tolerance"
"I don’t really think it’s possible for us to not behave religiously to some extent. Even if you don’t worship a traditional God or go to church, you’re still buying into certain groups and belief systems largely on faith... you end up creating alliances with other people who share those values and then also defend those beliefs against other people. We all do it, but as with every human behavior, it has a lot of benefits, but it also has a lot of costs." - Mark Manson
From the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition to 9/11 and the jihadist movement, countless atrocities have been committed by fundamentalists and adherents alike in the name of organized religion. This has led many to claim that without religion, the world would enjoy far less violence and know greater peace.
Possibly due to this disillusionment, religious affiliation has fallen to an all-time low in the United States. This week, Gallup published polling data showing religious membership had fallen to just 47%, the lowest number since they began asking the question over 80 years ago.
Religion has undoubtedly caused its share of conflicts throughout history, but it has also been a source of meaning, hope, and joy for millions across the world. The community aspect of religion creates a vehicle for members to support and care for one another, build relationships, and create a sense of belonging based on shared beliefs and identity. Faith-based charities regularly help the poor and disadvantaged, including those who most often fall through society's safety nets or go unnoticed.
“In the West, we have been withdrawing from our tradition-, religion- and even nation-centred cultures, partly to decrease the danger of group conflict. But we are increasingly falling prey to the desperation of meaninglessness, and that is no improvement at all.” ― Jordan B. Peterson
Human beings are social creatures, and while religion in all its forms may not be perfect, without it we will still seek a sense of belonging and form tribes around shared beliefs. And make no mistake, without religion, extremist fundamentalism will still emerge to stoke group conflict and in some cases, even violence.
Last week, we discussed how these new fundamentalists have taken over our culture through "tyranny of the minority," and we have discussed at length the problems this ideology has caused in regards to censorship, cancel culture, and societal division in American culture.
For some in this "Church of Tolerance," intentions are pure and come from a place of love and not wanting others to be bullied or left out. But unfortunately, for many, it is not about tolerance at all, it is about fundamentally reshaping society, redistributing power, and moving away from the values promoted by Western Civilization.
It is no longer good enough for marginalized groups to enjoy the freedom to express themselves in society (i.e. homosexual marriage and gender identity). Now everyone, even those with sincere religious objections, must not only accommodate for this expression but also praise and celebrate it or risk being labeled bigots.
In a free society, people should have the right to express themselves as they see fit. However, no one's rights should supersede or be prioritized against the rights of anyone else. If you have a religious objection to homosexual marriage, you should not be compelled to bake a cake in participation of a ceremony that violates your conscience. If you aren't gender fluid, you shouldn't be forced to adopt labels such as "cis," begin your introductions with our own, obvious pronouns, and walk on eggshells afraid of facing serious societal consequences from accidentally misgendering others.
This is not to say that we should be cruel to those who live life differently than we do and intentionally denigrate them. However, in a free society, you and I must be free to live our lives consistent with our own conscience without having to compel others to participate in our own life journeys. It is in this basic idea that our society has strayed.
We have overcorrected. We have reached a point in time where the United States Congress has stricken references to fathers, mothers, sisters, and brothers -- and in fact, all gender pronouns in order to show "solidarity" with the trans community. We are modifying our own language and labeling individuals as hateful or bigoted if they do not want to go along with the never-ending accommodation.
We are not making progress if we are pulling one group of Americans out from their status as outcasts and immediately replacing them with another. That is not justice and it is not love. It is retribution. It is revenge. It is seeking to subjugate those who were once viewed to be among the class or tribe of subjugators.
We were all taught growing up that two wrongs don't make a right. It is just as true now. If you would like to change hearts and minds, compassion, outreach, genuine friendships are more likely to achieve that end than scolding, shaming, and public feuds that foster mistrust, disdain, and loathing.
