From Tolerance to Forced Acceptance

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"Tolerance" or Forced Acceptance

"The frustrating thing is that those who are attacking religion claim they are doing it in the name of tolerance. ... Question: Isn't the real truth that they are intolerant of religion?" President Reagan asked the Ecumenical Prayer Breakfast, Aug. 23, 1984

The Democratic Party has officially weighed in with a new party platform that delivers a healthy dose of pro-abortion, pro-homosexual propaganda. The party that so often preaches tolerance apparently has no tolerance for the more than seventy percent of Americans who believe marriage ought to remain the union of one man and one woman, and neither do they have any tolerance for people who believe that abortion kills an innocent human life. Key elements of the Democratic platform include endorsing radical anti-AIDS initiatives and other programs that encourage promiscuity, calling for the passage of "thought crimes" legislation, dropping the "Don't Ask/Don't Tell" policy in favor of full inclusion for open homosexuals in the military, and defeating the marriage protection amendment. It appears that more and more the Democratic Party is running to the Left while Americans are leaning to the Right. The question is whether the Republican Party, which is the primary beneficiary of conservatives' votes, will produce a platform and a convention speaker line-up that will counter the pro-abortion, pro-homosexual policies favored by the Democrats. FRC will have lobbyists at both conventions to remind our political leadership of the values held by millions of American families, like yours. Family Research Council Washington Update July 20, 2004

The Liberal Version of Tolerance Commentary by Matt Friedeman Alas, liberalism -- true generous, abundant, broad-minded, kind and gentle liberalism -- is dead. In its place are those who talk tolerance, but practice quite the opposite. No place is this more apparent than on the college campus. ...Schlafly had hardly begun before she was shut down for the evening by the gays, the lesbians, the "peace" activists, the Democrats -- the "tolerant."

Click here for a report on a rally against "Virtue Terrorism."

The Intolerance of Tolerance By Gregory Koukl - Probably no concept has more currency in our politically correct culture than the notion of tolerance. Unfortunately, one of America's noblest virtues has been so distorted it's become a vice. See http://www.worldviewweekend.com/secure/cwnetwork/article.php?&ArticleID=900

"If children prayed together, would they not understand what they have in common, and would this not, indeed, bring them closer, and is this not to be desired? So, I submit to you that those who claim to be fighting for tolerance on this issue may not be tolerant at all. When John Kennedy was running for President in 1960, he said that his church would not dictate his Presidency any more than he would speak for his church. Just so, and proper. But John Kennedy was speaking in an America in which the role of religion -- and by that I mean the role of all churches -- was secure. Abortion was not a political issue. Prayer was not a political issue. The right of church schools to operate was not a political issue. And it was broadly acknowledged that religious leaders had a right and a duty to speak out on the issues of the day. They held a place of respect, and a politician who spoke to or of them with a lack of respect would not long survive in the political arena. It was acknowledged then that religion held a special place, occupied a special territory in the hearts of the citizenry. The climate has changed greatly since then. And since it has, it logically follows that religion needs defenders against those who care only for the interests of the state. ... The churches of America do not exist by the grace of the state; the churches of America are not mere citizens of the state. The churches of America exist apart; they have their own vantage point, their own authority. Religion is its own realm; it makes its own claims. We establish no religion in this country, nor will we ever. We command no worship. We mandate no belief. But we poison our society when we remove its theological underpinnings. We court corruption when we leave it bereft of belief. All are free to believe or not believe; all are free to practice a faith or not. But those who believe must be free to speak of and act on their belief, to apply moral teaching to public questions. I submit to you that the tolerant society is open to and encouraging of all religions. And this does not weaken us; it strengthens us. ... You know, if we look back through history to all those great civilizations, those great nations that rose up to even world dominance and then deteriorated, declined, and fell, we find they all had one thing in common. One of the significant forerunners of their fall was their turning away from their God. ... Without God, there is no virtue, because there's no prompting of the conscience. Without God, we're mired in the material, that flat world that tells us only what the senses perceive. Without God, there is a coarsening of the society. And without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure. If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under." Ronald Reagan Prayer Breakfast, 1984

The Center for Decency (Now the National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families) Monday, May 20, 2002

From Tolerance to Forced Acceptance

Recently, Elliot Chambers, a student at Woodbury High School near St. Paul, Minnesota was suspended for wearing a sweatshirt bearing the slogan "Straight Pride." His statement was in response to the school's campaign in which they established "Safe Zones" for students to discuss same sex attractions with a teacher or counselor. Students were promised these discussions would be free from any disapproval of homosexual, bisexual or transgendered behavior.

Woodbury High School is not alone in its effort to introduce programs advocating homosexuality under the guise of "safety," "tolerance" and "respect." Increasingly, schools across America are initiating similar programs. One reason is that there is federal money available for this instruction. Under the Safe and Drug Free Schools Program, Title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and the recently passed "No Child Left Behind" Act there are millions of dollars available for educators to develop programs designed to combat drugs and violence. The section of the program devoted to education about prejudice, intolerance and hate crimes goes beyond racial and religious tolerance to also include the category of "sexual orientation."

The brochure outlining the violence education portion of the Safe and Drug Free Schools program is called "Preventing Youth Hate Crime. That publication says: "Prejudice and the resulting violence can be reduced or even eliminated by instilling in children an appreciation and respect for each other's differences." As the program is further described, we learn that some of the "differences" they want our children to learn to "respect" include homosexual, bisexual and transgendered behavior. In the resources section of this federally funded publication, "Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays" (PFLAG) and another homosexual advocacy group are listed. No resources are listed which hold that homosexuality might be a problem for our children.

School districts across the country are being pressured by civil liberties groups to adopt both "non-discrimination" and "anti-harassment" policies. Citing federal law about overall "sexual harassment," the ACLU and others lead school districts to believe that they must specifically use the term "sexual orientation" in these policies or they are open to suits.

While we are compelled to love all people, that does not mean that we do so while compromising the truth. It is this love for others that motivates us share the truth despite the cultural pressure to remain silent, for we know that the truth is what sets men free. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says; "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God..." Silence is not an option. Where and why do we think this agenda will stop before all morality is redefined under the "free sex" movement when its advocates encounter little or no opposition? We must reclaim the area of education as one that teaches truth not ideology!

The Center for Decency is a 17 year-old non-profit organization based in Dallas, Texas that exists to defend families and children from the harmful effects of pornography and the sexualized messages of the culture. We work on both the educational and legislative fronts to advance moral truth against the prevailing efforts to remove all moral boundaries from sexuality and the promotion of this message.

For more information on this and other issues affecting our culture visit our website at www.centerfordecency.org To contact the Center for Decency regarding an issue in your community or offer feedback please contact us at info@centerfordecency.org

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