The Christian Brand of Tolerance

Bernie Sanders

There are two types of tolerance; the genuine type that respects everyone, including those who embrace different worldviews, and the phony type that wears a mask of benevolence to hide the ugly face of fascism.

Liberty University demonstrated what real tolerance is all about by inviting Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vermont) to speak at its campus in Lynchburg, Virginia last week. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Liberty University, it's a Christian school that provides its students an education with a Christian worldview.

For those of you who are familiar with Bernie Sanders, Liberty University isn't exactly the place you'd expect someone like him to be welcome at. Why? Because Sanders is a socialist who demonizes capitalism and believes that government--big, big government--should control everything from the economy to the banking system.

In the world of Progressives and the Far Left, capitalism is the progeny of greedy, white European Christians who came to America for the sole purpose of expanding their big money empires. Leftists believe that those greedy white Europeans stole land that rightfully belonged to the Indians and then imported slaves from Africa and the West Indies to build their financial empires by forcing the slaves to work on their plantations and in their sweat shops under brutal conditions. 

While that's a part of American history, Jesus Christ never encouraged His followers to acquire slaves and exploit them for financial gain. In fact, the apostles commanded slave-owners to treat their servants with dignity and respect. 

The apostle Paul wrote this: "Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven." (Colossians 4:1) Those slave-owners who claimed to be Christians and mistreated their slaves, did so in opposition to what the Bible teaches, rather than in obedience to the scriptures. Nevertheless, the stereotype of the greedy, white Christian capitalist lives on, mainly because of ignorance and those who have an agenda to remake the United States into a Marxist nation.

Unlike Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders isn't a liar and he doesn't have a hidden agenda. When he promotes socialism, he means it because he believes in it, despite the fact that socialism has failed miserably wherever it's been tried. 

And it will always fail because it ruins incentive by discouraging poor people from succeeding via welfare and punishing successful people by confiscating their money. Why work when the government will support you? And why work hard when the government will punish your success?

Socialism was part of Sanders' message to Liberty students last week, and it must have been painful to listen to. Here's what Sanders also said to the students: I believe in gay rights and gay marriage...And the right of a woman to control her own body. (Abortion) Sanders also told students that he believed the United States was founded on "racist principles," which is code-speech for white European robber barons. 

Nevertheless, Liberty students listened to Sanders and applauded him at the end of his speech. No one threw eggs at Sanders or tried to shout him down or attempted to hijack the stage or held demonstrations outside. That's pretty impressive coming from a group that's continually mocked as racist and intolerant. The Liberty students may not have agreed with Sanders, but they allowed him to speak.

Liberty students demonstrated what true tolerance is all about, not the phony brand that in reality isn't tolerance at all, but rather intolerance. The Leftist brand of tolerance is really fascism in disguise. Fascists hate the First Amendment and loathe free speech. And they're experts at destroying those who don't share their totalitarian worldview by demonizing them as racists and morons.

Thus, actions do indeed speak louder than words. Just listen to what Christ said: "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them." (Matthew 7:15-20)

Indeed. We demonstrate true tolerance when we offer honor and respect to others, even to those who disagree with us. And we recognize false tolerance by those who are only friendly towards people who agree with their fascist ideology.