For a study guide, see page 27.
rights leader Mahatma Gandhi rec- ognized rightly that the language of tolerance often implies a dynamic of superiority and inferiority: from my position of privilege, I get to decide whether to tolerate you—or not. Being tolerated is better than being the victim of intolerance, but it falls far short of full acceptance and affirmation. If I have a different skin color or a different political affilia- tion or a different sexual orientation than you, I don’t want you merely to tolerate me. I want you to recognize and welcome me for who I am.
SHUTTERSTOCK W
hat do you think of when you hear the word “tolerance”? Perhaps your local school has
a zero-tolerance policy for drugs or violence. Perhaps you know some- one with a high tolerance for pain or a low tolerance for alcohol. Some people consider tolerance a virtue, a quality to be praised. Other people equate tolerance with anything-goes permissiveness. The word is much debated and opinions differ, as the quotes in the sidebar show (page 21). How we feel about tolerance also depends on whether we’re on the giving or receiving end. Indian civil
A complex history Throughout history, there have been attempts to legislate tolerance, but the results are mixed. The Edict of Toleration issued by the Roman emperor Galerius in 311 ended persecution against Chris- tians. We might not be believers today had it not been for this edict. But subsequent imperial laws went further. Christianity was promoted and the practice of other religions was forbidden. Tolerance for Chris- tians quickly became intolerance for others.
On our own shores, the Maryland
Toleration Act of 1649 prescribed fines or even imprisonment for using offensive language against members of other Christian groups. Doubt- less this was intended to ensure that people of differing beliefs could live together peacefully, without the fear of being verbally abused by oth- ers. This legally enforced tolerance extended only to Christians, how- ever. The punishment for denying the Trinity or the divinity of Jesus
What is tolerance? ?
“Tolerance is the positive and cordial effort to understand another’s beliefs, practices, and habits without necessarily sharing or accepting them.”
Joshua Liebman, rabbi and author
“Tolerance is another word for indifference.” William Somerset Maugham, British playwright and author
“Tolerance is giving to every other human being every right that you claim for yourself.” Robert G. Ingersoll, American social activist, orator
“Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one’s own beliefs. Rather it condemns the
oppression or persecution of others.” John F. Kennedy, U.S. president
“I have seen great intolerance shown in support
of tolerance.” Samuel Taylor Coleridge, English poet, critic and philosopher
“The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we
are in the majority.” Ralph W. Sockman, United Methodist pastor and author
“Human diversity makes tolerance more than a
virtue; it makes it a requirement for survival.” René Dubos, microbiologist, experimental pathologist, environ- mentalist and humanist.
“Tolerance is a very dull virtue. It is boring. Unlike love, it has always had a bad press. It is negative. It merely means putting up with
people, being able to stand things.” E.M. Forster, English novelist
“Toleration is good for all, or it is good for none.” Edmund Burke, Irish philosopher
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