There is no point in my saying it if someone else said it better and accurately captured my thoughts. The following quotes are from "Defending the Family in a Troubled World" by Elder Bruce D. Porter from June 2011 Ensign:
Until recently in our national history, tolerance referred to racial and religious non-discrimination. It meant civility in the political arena; in other words, respecting the right of others to express their views, even if we do not agree with them. It meant treating all people with decency and respect. . . . An extreme definition of tolerance is now widespread that implicitly or explicitly endorses the right of every person to choose their own morality, even their own “truth,” as though morality and truth were mere matters of personal preference. . . . Curiously enough, this new modern tolerance is often a one-way street. Those who practice it expect everyone to tolerate them in anything they say or do, but show no tolerance themselves toward those who express differing viewpoints or defend traditional morality.
And, from John MacArthur, "The Rise of Extreme Tolerance as the Supreme Virtue" in Christianity Today
In the secular realm, postmodernism's extreme tolerance has been foisted on an unsuspecting public by the entertainment media for several decades. A plethora of talk shows on daily television have led the way. Phil Donahue established the format. Jerry Springer took it to ridiculous extremes. And Oprah made it seem somewhat respectable and refined. Shows like these remind viewers daily not to be too opinionated--and they do it by parading in front of their audiences the most bizarre and extreme advocates of every radical "alternative lifestyle" imaginable. We are not supposed to be shocked or notice the overtly self-destructive nature of so many aberrant subcultures. The point is to broaden our minds and raise our level of tolerance. And if you do criticize another person's value system, it cannot be on biblical grounds. Anyone who cites religious beliefs as a reason to reject another person's way of life is automatically viewed with the same contempt that used to be reserved for out-and-out religious heretics. The culture around us has declared war on all biblical standards.
On occasion I've been on the receiving end of someone's extreme tolerance. It happened a number of times in academia. I got accosted by some ultra-liberal academic unhappy with my expressing my views. Usually, an apology later followed, but not always. I never accosted these people back. I was usually so surprised that a personal attack resulted from an academic discussion. We are all supposed to know how to separate ourselves from ideas. How else could we all get along after all?


I have no problem being tolerant of others in the traditional sense. However, I draw the line at "moral surrender" (extreme tolerance.)



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