Monday, April 10, 2006


Christians Sue for Right Not to Tolerate Policies - Los Angeles Times --
Via the Los Angeles Times, Christians sue claiming that tolerance policies violate their freedom of speech.

I can't help but think some of their tactics are counter-productive.

Evangelicals have been suspended for wearing anti-gay T-shirts to high school, fired for denouncing Gay Pride Month at work, reprimanded for refusing to attend diversity training. When they protest tolerance codes, they're labeled intolerant.


Now, I'm not saying I am against homosexuality, just that if I were, instead of these things, I would do things such as start the idea that wearing a blue or some other color ribbon signifies opposition to homosexuality, participate in diversity training in a half-assed manner where I fulfill the general requirements but in a manner that makes it obvious to all that I think it is a joke, and similar methods.

At the end, the article notes the basic source of tension: "The open question is what constitutes harassment, what's a sincere expression of faith — and what to do when they overlap." Can someone express opposition to homosexuality (or evangelical Christianity or abortion or feminism or a host of other issues and positions) without it being labeled intolerant or harassment?

In the end, diversity isn't about accepting others as equals, it's giving voice to people who are quite possibly (and some instances almost certainly) wrong. Diversity is a great thing even though (and perhaps because) it guarantees rights for people who are clearly in error, and if you don't understand why that is good, you won't ever understand my worldview.
(6:21 PM)

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