You Ask Me To Be Tolerant

The cry of this current age is for tolerance. They want everyone to be "tolerant."  I suggest we stop and ask ourselves just what it means to "tolerate."  Looking at the Merriam-Webster Dicitonary we find the definition :
tol·er·ate
: to allow (something that is bad, unpleasant, etc.) to exist, happen, or be done

: to experience (something harmful or unpleasant) without being harmed


: to accept the feelings, behavior, or beliefs of (someone)

Interestingly enough, that last part of the definition has only been added in recent history.  Another online dictionary that I looked it up in said "to put up with."

Here's the problem. No one is willing to accept the "put up with" definition. They want everyone to ACCEPT what we do not agree with. They want us to embrace things which we don't agree with. I have no problem "tolerating" in the sense that anyone else is free to believe or do what ever they want to do with their lives (within reason) but that does not mean that I must embrace what they are doing and call it OK.  Allow it? Yeah... I can go with that... so long as it is not bringing harm to me. But when "tolerance" has been transformed to accept and embrace OR ELSE... now we have a problem. In the name of "tolerance" I am no longer tolerated! This is exactly where we are in the United States today. Especially when it comes to Christians. If we don't embrace the practices of other religions, then we are called "intolerant." If we do not embrace homosexuality, then we are intolerant. If I tell someone that Jesus is the only way to Heaven; I am called intolerant.  In reality, it is the Christians who are being discriminated against.

Just this week I have had four different occasions where people became very upset and even bash me for believing that Christianity is the only way to heaven.  The really ironic part of this whole thing is that if I am not mistaken, all four of these women would consider themselves to be a Christian. I gave the same response to all four, and now I post it here for all to see:

We must come to a conscious and informed decision as to who Jesus is. There are only two possibilities. Either Jesus was (and is) the only begotten Son of God...  Or he was not.
Either He is God... or he was the biggest liar or nut that ever walked the face of this earth. There are no other options. 

Before you lash out at me, consider this. The Bible says Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus made the claim himself. He further said that he is the way, the truth and the life and that no man comes to the Father but by him. (Through Jesus)  There are many other scriptures that could be given, but one is all we need for this argument. Either Jesus is right... that he is the only way; OR he is a liar.  Every thing you believe and do hinges on your decision of that question.  For if Jesus is telling the truth, then I CANNOT embrace another means to God. Right?
If I do, then I do not believe the Words of Christ.
It is that plain and simple. 
It is not just a matter of "putting up with" anyone. I can do that. I have friends who claim to be atheist. I have friends who are Muslim. I have friends from several religions and beliefs. Friends? Yes. Tolerate? Yes. Embrace their religion as another means to God? Absolutely not.
And this is why the world has a problem with those of us who are true Christians. We could never embrace another means to God, for to do so means we no longer agree with Jesus.

It's that simple.