An Orthodox Perspective on Tolerance
And a
servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach,
patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps
will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may
come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken
captive by him to do his will. (2 Timothy
2:24-26)
We are
bombarded with the message that we are to be tolerant of the beliefs and
practices of others. “Tolerant,” however, has come to mean “accept and condone
without question or reservation”; failure to practice this form of tolerance
makes one intolerant and a hater. These assertions are addressed especially to
those from traditional Christian backgrounds who acknowledge that the truths in
Scripture are absolute, not relative, as secular and liberal society views
them. It must be noted, too, that when entirely secularized people refuse to be
tolerant of “traditional values,” they are called progressive, open-minded and
enlightened, anything but intolerant; while traditional Christians are
considered deluded, superstitious, brain-washed, and ignorant. (This is so
despite the fact that – in all ages – living a Christian life requires a
concerted effort and personal dedication – a clear choice. Just ask the Virgin
Mary and the Martyrs.)
The
common thread between the dogmatic secularists and the traditionalist
extremists is their “all-or-nothing” attitudes; they are two sides of the same
coin. For Orthodox Christians, neither side is right.
As with
every generation since Adam and Eve, amorality and immorality abound; in our
time, however, they are cheered and championed as never before. Instead of
being places to avoid, Sodom and Gomorrah have become “the place to be.”
Meanwhile, as during Old and New Testament times, the faithful trying to live
according to the Gospel are harassed and mocked by the unfaithful. So how does
an Orthodox Christian deal with this situation? The same way God has dealt with
us forever, by going beyond tolerance to love, and, at times … tough love.
In many
moral controversies today, such as “open-marriage,” assisted suicide, abortion,
so-called mercy-killing, and “gay marriage,” some argue that we should accept
conduct that, in the Old Testament, was punishable by death. A few
pseudo-Christian extremists go around the country saying that 9/11 and other
tragedies are our punishment for accepting these behaviors, and that those who
practice them should die because God hates them! (God does not hate anyone!
Hatred is the province of Satan and his demons, who want us all to hate. Anyone
who hates is not of God, as St. John the Theologian makes clear: “He who does
not love does not know God, for God is love” [1 John 4:8]). God loves us;
however, like any parent, He does get angry when His children do
self-destructive things. While He repeatedly sent the Hebrews into exile for
rejecting Him, He never completely wiped them out. (Just ask Noah, Jeremiah,
Daniel, and so forth.) He would have spared Sodom and Gomorrah for ten
righteous people (Genesis 18:32–33). We of the “Christian Era” have launched
Crusades in which the crusaders killed as many Christians as infidels, and have
spent centuries torturing, maiming, and imprisoning people, all in the name of
Christ. We make nukes, napalm, anthrax, wipe out whole species which He
created, and kill each other with impunity – yet He lets us live. He Himself
said,
“If a
wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My
statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not
die. None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered
against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live. Do
I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord God, “and
not that he should turn from his ways and live?” (Ezekiel 18: 21–23).
Despite
all we’ve done, He sent His Son to save us. (This is why we say, “Lord have
mercy” so often.) Since He still loves us despite our moral failings, we must
do likewise with others, lest we be like the unforgiving servant
(Matthew18:21–35).
That
being said, St. Paul also warns us to avoid being led away by strange
doctrines, but to hold fast the Gospel as Christ delivered it to him and the
Apostles, and as he delivers it to us. We do well to follow St. Paul here, and
not the “enlightened” scholar who “corrects” the interpretation of the Bible to
make it fit modern mores, claiming that St. Paul and the Evangelists obviously
intended what the scholar intends, despite what we see in the Bible (see Mark
7:6–8 and 2 Corinthians 11:1–15). Saint Paul says: “Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8–9). One Christian group has
posters that say, “Do not put a period where God put a comma... Christ is
still speaking.” The Orthodox Church agrees, but as St. Matthew relates in Chapter
5:17–19, Christ tells us,
“Do not
think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy
but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away,
one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches
men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and
teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
A similar
point is made repeatedly by Saint Paul, especially in Galatians 6: 6–12:
I marvel
that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of
Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who
trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an
angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to
you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone
preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still
pleased men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. But I make known to you,
brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For
I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the
revelation of Jesus Christ.
Christ
doesn’t condone our sinful acts, and His tears in Gethsemane were as much for
our lack of true repentance, as they were for Himself. This is little different
from a parent crying when his or her child chooses to drink, do drugs, act
irresponsibly, befriend the wrong people – in essence, take the wrong path: the
parent cries because he or she loves the child, but hates what the child is
doing and, though it may alienate the child, the parent will not condone his or
her actions. John the Baptist preached publicly against Herod, but did not hate
him. The Apostle Paul often castigated those he wrote (especially the
Corinthians), but he did so in love. Most importantly, Christ repeatedly
chastised the Pharisees, Sadducees, chief priests, elders, scribes, laypeople
and even the Apostles (mostly Peter) for their false views; but He never
stopped loving them. We are to do likewise.
God did
lay down how He wants us to live, and what conduct He will not accept. As
Orthodox Christians we are to witness to the manner of living contained in
Scripture, and not self-righteously denounce others, as the Pharisee did the
Publican in the parable (Luke 18:9–14), nor as the Pharisees did to the man
born blind (John 9:13–34), nor as the Pharisees’ denounced Christ, for Christ
Himself said:
“Judge
not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.
Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good
measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your
bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to
you.” “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not
perceive the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother,
‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do
not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank
from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in
your brother’s eye” (Luke 6:37–38, 41–42).
We do not
determine whether someone is going to hell or not! We do not get to condemn the
person for his or her beliefs! Christ alone has that authority (John 5:22–30).
To prevent misunderstanding: while the hierarchy can exclude those who refuse
to accept the Church’s teachings from the care of the Church (excommunication),
the excommunicated person is not condemned; God is the only one who makes that
decision: “Those who are outside, God judges…” (1 Corinthians 5:13). The
excommunicated are simply removed from the community, just as any disruptive
person is from any group. Saint Paul tells us how to handle those who refuse to
accept what Christ teaches: “If anyone does not obey our word in this epistle,
note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet
do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother” (2 Thessalonians
3:14–15). We are to witness to the truth sternly, resolutely, humbly, in the
same way Christ witnessed to it on earth. As President Lincoln once said: “With
malice towards none, with charity for all.”
This
applies chiefly to personal relationships; when it comes to anti-Scriptural beliefs
and standards being codified in law or government regulations – especially in
this country of free speech and beliefs – we can and must state the truth,
still following St. Paul’s admonition from Ephesians, yet never wavering until
the truth wins out (either by vote or court decision or the Second Coming).
Archbishop
Iakovos, of thrice-blessed memory, exemplified this when he marched with the
evermemorable Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at a time and in a region where it was
unquestionably politically incorrect to call for equal rights for black people,
and supporters were hated with a demonic passion. Our witness to the truth,
however, must be made with respect, as the Prophet Daniel respectfully greeted
Nebuchadnezzar with “O King, you are the King of Kings,” and then proceeded to
state what God desired firmly and humbly (Daniel 2:36–45). As in all things, we
Christians must not only speak the truth; more importantly, we must live it, as
the renowned ascetic Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the Gospel at all times,
and if you must, use words.” Don’t give fire-and-brimstone exhortations; those
turn people off. Christ wants people to flee sin … not other people.
We commit
sins regularly, yet Christ still loves us. He refuses to condone the sin, but
He still loves us; we are to love others the same way. In this way, we are
beyond “tolerant”; we are Christian.
Let love
be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly
affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to
one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who
persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep
with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your
mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own
opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight
of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with
all men (Romans 12:8–10; New King James Version).
Daniel
Manzuk
Reader,
St. Panteleimon Church, Summit, Illinois
