Tolerant people make a peaceful society

Humans are usually intolerant with a pluralistic situation in which people of different social classes, culture, religions, and political affiliations are together, but continue to have their different traditions and interests. Intolerance happens to be the major cause of conflicts. But God is tolerant, because He is big-minded.

Tolerance is, first and foremost, the ability to accept and live with others irrespective of who they are. There are many things in life where people vary, and our acceptance of this diversity is vital to living together on a globalised planet. 

Tolerance promotes the free exchange of ideas, including criticism and debate of public policy in the interest of the people.

Being tolerant is difficult, but so is intolerance. Intolerance can lead to mental and physical health problems, not to mention broken relationships.

Tolerance is a strength

Tolerance is not a weakness. It shows inner strength to deal with different opinions and perspectives. One analyses the situation and take time to answer it. 

This quality also helps individuals to know their own weaknesses and positively be motivated to take right way forward.

Tolerance is a quality of long-lasting relationships. When a person is practising tolerance, they are practising endurance and patience. They are trying hard to put up with behaviours that they usually wouldn't put up with.

Tolerance is profoundly divine. God has revealed Himself in the Bible, and ultimately in Jesus Christ, as the most tolerant being ever. “God has ordained a world in which "conflict, idolatry, confrontation, and wildly disparate systems of thought, even about God himself, persist” (Don Carson).

God does not have to be tolerant. It's his prerogative to shut the whole thing down anytime he wants. 

First, God is tolerant for the sake of sinners; giving them time to repent (Psalm 130:3). In Jesus our sins were atoned for. In the end, God’s wrath will be satisfied, either at the cross or in the lake of fire. 

God tolerates man

econdly, God gets more glory in a world of differing ideas and disparate beliefs because against this background His beauty and worth is more clearly manifest. He tolerates man's wisdom to show His foolishness is wiser. He tolerates man's strength to show His weakness is stronger. That is how St Paul describes the mystery of the Cross (1 Corinthians 1:25).

God is fond of choosing flawed people with a bad past, a shaky present, and an uncertain future, for He alone gets the glory when they accomplish amazing things by His power. God demonstrates that He alone is the source of our salvation.

Tolerance is viewed by many in the Church as watering down the message of Jesus, but when we look at how Jesus interacted with sinners who were in need of salvation, we learn that tolerance toward sinners was key to how He reached out to them. 

For example, Jesus allowed a sinful woman to wipe His feet with her hair, kissing them, and pouring perfume on them while He ate at Simon the Pharisee’s house (Luke 7:36-50). He was not condoning her sins. He was just loving and giving her hope.

Tolerance as an act of faith

Tolerance is an act of faith. We must believe that people can change. They might represent different forms of religion, different forms of work, different forms of philosophy, but they are all children of God. 

There’s no place for arguing in religion. It is through mutual respect that we find common ground with others and discover strengths in different beliefs. Jesus calls us to build up a truly tolerant and inclusive society.

The world belongs to God, everybody in it belongs to God. God is in control, but He tolerates Satan and his schemes, because He wants us to learn that Satan’s way leads to misery and suffering. 

If we succumb to Satan’s attacks, we freely reject the grace offered to us by God. However, we have the free will to resist Satan and embrace a perfect personal relationship with God. So in the end, God is using Satan for good.

Tolerance in all we do

Jesus came to heal a world wounded by Satan. Let us try both to learn and to practice the virtue of Christian tolerance in all our endeavours, by remaining true to our conscience and beliefs while respecting the differences we encounter. 

Let us work together, in love and humility, on projects that transform humanity.