It’s the commonly accepted understanding and the epitome of political correctness: intolerance equates hate. In order to be a caring individual you have to be totally tolerant of whatever behavior, choice, or lifestyle those around you choose to exhibit. The ”live and let live” attitude demands it — or does it? You cannot be intolerant and be loving at the same time — or can you? Not only is this thinking logically flawed — in fact, often, love demands intolerance.

Consider these common situations:

• A 4-year-old child who is beginning to test the waters of independence wants to cross a busy street without holding mommy’s hand. “I do it myself,” he protests. According to this PC thinking of our day, any loving mom should allow her child to choose for himself. Just because she thinks holding mommy’s hand is the best way for a 4-year-old to cross the street, a caring mom would not force her belief on her child.
• A 13-year-old is sick of school and wants to quit going. His dad believes that a good education is the best way for him to have a chance at a secure future. The government agrees  – to the point of forcing the child to either go to school in his district or go to school in juvenile hall. How intolerant of society to force their archaic “norm” on this 13-year-old. After all, it’s a new era and, hey, Bill Gates was a drop-out — just ask all the other drop-outs who have turned out to be at least half as successful and see what they say.
• A 25-five-year-old just celebrated her birthday with a few friends, a few beers, 3 or 4 mixed drinks, and a couple of shots at their favorite club. She decides she’ll drive home. She is spotted and stopped. After failing a breathalizer, she is arrested and taken to jail. Not only has her right to live life the way she wants been infringed upon, her freedom has been taken away. What kind of hate-filled, intolerant society would limit her choices in this way?

In each one of these situations, really caring for the other individual’s well-being commands the mother, father, policeman, to force their will upon the unwilling individual. In other words, love DEMANDS intolerance.

But what about a situation that is not so life or death? Consider this: Your 30-year-old roomate decides to quit paying his portion of rent, utilities and groceries. He just becomes a total moocher. You believe that he should honor his original agreement and decide that if  he can’t pay what he agreed to pay, he can’t keep living there. So you serve him with an eviction notice. How intolerant of you! Why can’t he live out his new belief that he deserves to live freely – without obligations? Instead, you force your belief system upon him. Now you’re one of those intolerant haters – a mooch-aphobe, if you will.

Let’s take it to the extreme: How dare God say to us “Thou shalt not…” anything! Who does he think He is to tell us what to do? It’s not what He thinks – it is what He is – an all-knowing, all-sufficient, totally loving God who infinitely cares for His creation. He knows the end from the beginning – the consequence before the action – so He says, “Don’t.”  But it’s NOT because He wants to inhibit man’s freedom as an intolerant diety, it’s because of the basis of His character: “God is love.” His love DEMANDS that He forewarn us of the consequence of sin, and that He instructs us to avoid such consequence – i.e., “Thou shalt not.”  Then, He dispays that love the same way the mother of the 4-year-old would: He says to His child, “Walk with Me and hold My hand.”