Wishy-Washy Jesus

Q: I keep thinking about Fitz’ comments about which Jesus you know and the “wishy-washy Jesus” whose followers that whatever people believe is OK (sic). I’m having trouble reconciling those thoughts with my beliefs in religious freedom and tolerance. Wouldn’t more tolerance be good, especially in terms of today’s topic? Is it tolerance versus acceptance? If so, how do you balance those?

A: Tolerance. Now there's a popular word in the common vernacular these days. It's a tough one, though. According to Dictionary.com, it means a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry. Taking that into consideration, what do you do with the person that believes differently than you do? Should you give that person the right to believe however they want to, be permissive about their beliefs? Yes, I believe that's fine. Anyone can believe what he/she wants. We don't have to force them to believe what we believe. However, that does not make an alternate truth that someone else believes to be equally true as the truth (which we believe is found in Jesus Christ, the way the truth and the life - John 14:6). There can only be one truth. Two opposing things can not be true philosophically. For example, you can not have someone who is a married bachelor. Each of those elements - married and bachelor - have a truth to them that can not be combined to the other without a violation of their inherent definitions. Along the same lines, two sets of beliefs that are contradictory to one another can not both be true. One has to be true, and the other false. As Christians, we believe Jesus to embody that truth. If another set of beliefs contradicts Him, then we believe it to be false. If that is intolerant, then Jesus was intolerant since He was the One that made the claim to be the truth. If someone wants to believe to be true what we believe to be false, they have that right. We do not, however, have to accept it as truth.

So, out of respect for the individual, we should let everyone choose for themselves what they want to believe, right? I would answer that with a no. Out of respect and love for the individual, wouldn't we want what is best for them? Let me make a ridiculous example to illustrate: If we have a loved one that believes that drinking a mixture of plutonium and acid will help them to live forever, and we know the truth to be that it will kill them - and rather rapidly - would we not want to tell them the truth? Of course we would. So if we know the truth, why would we be OK with our loved ones - and people we don't know, for that matter - to believe in and live with untruth? We shouldn't be. So while it seems to be more caring for the individual to allow him/her to believe as he/she wants, it is far more caring to them to show them what real truth is. Jesus didn't call us to be tolerant and accepting, but He did call us to love.