Tolerance

I have found something else of which I am completely intolerant: Intolerance. I have had reason lately to devote some time to thinking about this, as I have been faced with some interesting folks who seem to preach tolerance with one side of their faces, and practice bigotry and judgementalism with the other.

Let me be more specific. Forgive me if I offend anyone, but I really have to believe in a God who loves all his children: White, Black, Yellow, Brown, pink with purple polka-dots. I really believe He loves you if you are Catholic, Mormon, Bhuddist, Islamic or Wiccan. I think He loves you even if you don't believe He exists. I certainly can't say I feel the same about people in general. Lots of people (mostly doctors) wish Midwives didn't exist; they certainly act like we don't exist, and I can't even for a second say I have any sort of feeling for them, except possibly contempt.

Ahh, but I digress. If I recall my New Testament study correctly (it has been quite a while...), Jesus really spent most of his time hanging out with the Sinners, the poor, the wretched, the great unwashed. He didn't chastise them for their station in life. In fact, it seems to me that most of the chastising that got done was directed toward those who should have known better and couldn't properly behave themselves--those who often thought they were "better" than others.

"Judge not that ye be not judged", is one of my favorite bits of wisdom from the scriptures. I think that means that if I am tolerant of others, and don't look down on them, or think ill of them, when it comes to the great judgement day, I will be looked on kindly by those who are required to evaluate my worldly behaviours. I like that idea. I try to live by that, some days I do better than others, but I really think I do try. I think you should try to meet people where they are in life, and accept them that way. Now, that doesn't mean you can try to educate, humor or cajole, even argue sometimes. But try to accept and love others for what they are, "sinners" just like me.

Now, I do confess there are some other things that I am intolerant of: Child molesters, people who abuse animals, people who take advantage of those in need or less fortunate than themselves. People who abuse the trust of the innocent.

But I know, that in THIS life anyway, there may not be justice. But I have to believe that there will be justice someday for all those people. I just hope not to be numbered among the intolerant. If I burn in Hell, at least it won't be because I was an intolerant, bigoted bitch. (After all, my ex-husband thought I was a pompous, arrogant, back-stabbing lesbian in need of therapy--that sounds like enough to send me to anyone's version of Hell, don't you think??)

In the meantime, I will happily prescribe birth contol pills to teenager, and married folks too. I will give follow up care to those who have had abortions, and I will be kind to doctors who are rude and abusive to me. We'll all get ours in the end....