Kimchi, not for me

tolerance (ACCEPTANCE), noun; willingness to accept behaviour and beliefs which are different from your own, although you might not agree with or approve of them
intolerant (DISAPPROVING), adjective; disapproving of or refusing to accept ideas or ways of behaving that are different from your own

I was unaware of the possible anger my last post might have inspired until this morning. When I became aware of it, I realized that there were a few things I need to say in regards to it. So here goes.

I have heard a lot about how it is wrong to be intolerant, but I find it interesting that such instructions/commands are, in themselves, intolerant of the person holding the original offending intolerant viewpoint. Let's just discuss homosexuality, because that is the beginning of what my friend's post was about. A Christian says, based on specific passages in the Bible, that homosexuality is wrong. This statement, in and of itself, is considered intolerant, simply because it expresses disapproval. How much intolerance, then, do Christians and Christianity receive (in the form of criticism and disapproval)? Christians also get a lot of heat because they belive in absolute truth (and I think this issue is very much related to the idea of tolerance). Word on the street is that there's no such thing as absolute truth - yet again, contradictory, because the statement "There is no such thing as absolute truth," is a statement expressing some kind of absolute. So either one must say "The only absolute truth is that there is no absolute truth" which would make the speaker look like a moron, as they are attempting to affirm and deny the same thing at the same time, or simply say (which could, in some situations, in some times, for some people be more accurate and closer to the heart of the matter), "I disagree with you and what you say offends me."

Back to the issue of homosexuality, if I say that homosexuality is wrong, does that mean I hate/despise/want to limit the civil rights of all those persons living a homosexual lifestyle? No, it doesn't. Morally, I think homosexuality is wrong. Yes, I do. However, I do not know exactly how I feel about the role of the State in making it legal or illegal. The issue with gay marriage for me though, is not whether or not it's right. Obviously, I don't think it's right. My issue is with the State - is it their responsibility/right? (And by "State" I mean the national government...confusing, but I'm too lazy to go back and change it now.) Is it the responsibility of the national government or state governments? It also has very much to do with the whole idea of legislating morality, and that just brings us to yet another difficult fight-producing issue! Some could argue that most all laws, to some degree, legislate morality - but I'll stop there. That's a topic for another day, I think.

The purpose of this post is to say that yes, I am aware that I hold some very unpopular beliefs. I am aware that I have, in all liklihood, offended quite a few people that I love dearly. However, intolerance comes in a variety of packages. And even more to the point, I'm getting a new perspective on the whole fight. The point of my friend's post (as I understand it) can be summed up in one of the sentences from the last paragraph...he says, "If any of the above seems far-fetched or absurd, just remember that previous generations would have viewed the advancement of homosexuality just as offensive and morally degenerative. The truth, as I see it, is that the fabric of this nation's morality is torn." He is concerned about the moral direction the nation is taking.

I have much to say - about how entertainment-focused (obsessed?) the States seems to me, and how it scares me, and how there are horrid things going on in the world, and how it seems ridiculous for so much time to be spent debating issues that, while important, would quickly fade to the background in the face of such larger issues of...oh, genocide - famine - (Sudan and North Korea were the first countries I thought of). I don't want to be one of those people that minimizes issues by comparing them with tragedies...that's not the point. I'm just saying I think it's easy (at least it was/has been for me) to live a very sheltered life, and feel very passionately about things that, in the big scheme of things, don't matter a whole lot. See, I'm saying a lot - but I don't want to. I haven't thought it out enough to really make sense yet. We'll see. So, please forgive me if I came across as angry, condescending, or arrogant. I assure you it is an error of word choice, and not indicative of the attitude of my heart. So...tell me what you think?

Ah - someone said the comment system wasn't working...I'm going to try to fiddle around with it and see if I can figure anything out. But if the comment thingy isn't working, just email me (teresa.tucker@gmail.com). That's all - good evening!