FROM INTOLERANCE TO LOVE – AND FREEDOM
by
Vaughn E. James, JD, DD, Ph.D.
Professor of Law
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank you for having me here in
Back at Texas Tech University School
of Law in
Intolerance. A bad word.
Webster’s defines it as the “Lack of tolerance, especially of others’ opinions,
beliefs, etc.[; or] bigotry.”[1] Roget’s provides the following synonyms:
obstinacy; narrow-mindedness.[2] These definitions suggest that the opposite
of intolerance is “tolerance,” and that to demonstrate a lack of religious
intolerance all one has to do is tolerate the existence of people of other
faiths and religious persuasions. I beg
to differ. After all, “tolerance” is not
necessarily something good. Let me share
a personal example:
On January
3 this year, my doctors subjected me to an MRI and determined that I had two
tumors somewhere in my head. Two days
later, on January 5, they did surgery and removed those offensive tumors. On January 12th, they subjected me to a nerve
conduction test. That was one of the
most painful experiences of my life. For
two long hours I sat in a chair while the technician administered shocks all
over my body. In response to these
shocks, my limbs shot up in the air like they had minds of their own. The pain was excruciating! I gritted my teeth as I awaited each new
shock. I sweated although it was a cold
January day. I almost broke into
tears. But having been told the test was
good for me, I tolerated it. Painful,
nerve-wracking, sweat-producing; but I tolerated it. And at the end of the two-hour session, I
told myself that I would never willingly undergo another nerve conduction test. I had tolerated enough!
My experience back in January informs
me on the true meaning of tolerance: gritting our teeth, grinning and bearing
something because it may be for our own good.
In the religious context, I would tolerate the Muslims by acknowledging
they exist but have no desire or willingness to interact with them; I would
tolerate the Catholics by acknowledging their presence but would avoid them at
all costs; I would tolerate the Jews by acknowledging their existence but never
even speak to one; and the list goes on.
But, all things considered, this “tolerance” is as bad as “intolerance.” We need a better way! And that is why, in my Law and Religion class
back at Texas Tech University, I teach my students this simple truth: the
opposite of intolerance is not tolerance, but love, a love that leads to
freedom, a freedom that transforms a narrow-minded, hate-speech-filled adherent
of one faith into a compassionate human being bubbling over with love for his
or her fellow human beings regardless of their religious affiliation.
But what, we wonder, is that thing
called love? I ask, “What is love?” And I hear Paul of Tarsus saying in the
original Greek manuscript, “Love patiently endures all things – be they trials,
tribulations, humiliation or mere differences,[3]
that it is not easily provoked;[4] it
bears all things – that is, it makes allowances for shortcomings and
misunderstandings.[5]
“What is love?” And the Holy Qur’an points out:
Righteousness
does not consist in whether you face towards the east or west. The righteous man is he … who for the love of
Allah gives his wealth to his kinfolk, to the orphans, to the needy, to the
wayfarers and to the beggars, and for the redemption of captives …. Such are the true believers[;] such are
God-fearing.[6]
“What is Love?” And Bahá’u’lláh puts the question in the
context of religious freedom and says: “Consort with the followers of all
religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship.”[7]
“What is Love?” And I see the South African experience; I see
South Africans building what Jesse Jackson calls a Rainbow Coalition to bring
their country out of a dark past. I see
South Africans forming a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to deal with the
violence and human rights abuses that occurred in the country’s past and, that
this country could move forward, granting amnesty to people who had committed
heinous crimes in the past.
“What is love?” And I hear Bob Marley, the greatest
Rastafarian to have ever walked the face of the Earth, expressing the sentiment
in song:
One
love! One heart!
Let’s
get together and feel alright![8]
“What is love?” And I hear Jesus the Christ saying: “Greater
love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”[9]
These definitions of love indicate
that love is not the same as tolerance.
Indeed, in the context of religious liberty, love is the exact opposite
of both intolerance and tolerance. Love
appreciates differences in belief. Love
appreciates differences in modes of worship.
Love appreciates differences in methods of religious practice. Love appreciates all these differences, and
does not allow them to cause division and strife. And finally, love actively seeks out those
who are different and embraces them. Love,
then, is something to be desired.
But how, we wonder, do we demonstrate
this love? After all, it is easy to
speak of love, easy to claim to love, but how do we show that love? There are
many ways, I am sure, but today in
A few months ago, I was a panelist at
a Religious Liberty Symposium in
I couldn’t agree more. Planet Earth has seen too many wars fought in
the name of religion. Today, the
anti-Islamic feeling in many countries has gotten out of control. By the same token, religious discrimination
and suppression is far too rampant. And
unfortunately, while world leaders focus on other seemingly more important
injustices, those who suffer because of their faith find no solace
anywhere. With this in mind, the
widespread adoption of the recommendations put forth in
And here is the beauty of it all: if
we adopt this loving attitude, we shall march toward freedom. After all, the greatest prison we create is
the prison of our own minds. I once heard
this story, shared with me by my friend and mentor, Pastor Jansen Trotman of
the great Inter-American Division of Seventh-day Adventists:
Late
one night, a man determined that he needed some flour to prepare some bread for
his children. He considered going over
to his neighbor to ask for some flour.
He got ready to leave the house, but then began to think: “If I go to my
neighbor at this hour and ask for some flour, what will he say?”
“Well,”
the man told himself, “my neighbor will no doubt be angry and will chastise me
for showing up at his door at this late hour asking for some flour.”
Accordingly,
the man did not go over to the neighbor’s house. Meanwhile, his children got hungrier and
hungrier. He had the same debate within
himself, and again determined that he would not go seek the neighbor’s
assistance. As before, the children got
hungrier and hungrier.
After
having his internal debate several more times, the man finally decided to go
seek his neighbor’s assistance.
Convinced that the neighbor would be angry and would chastise him and
most likely not give him the flour, the man walked up to the neighbor’s front
door, pounded on it and shouted in a hostile tone: “Come on! Come on!
Open up and give me some flour that I may bake some bread for my
children.”
You see, the man was so convinced that his
neighbor would be unkind that he took pre-emptive action and was the first to show
actual unkindness. The same thing
applies in the realm of religious freedom.
If you believe that all Muslims are terrorists, when you interact with
them you will behave like terrorists yourselves. If you believe all Jehovah’s Witnesses are
misguided, when you interact with them, you will yourself behave in a misguided
manner. If you believe that all Seventh-day
Adventists are crazy, when you interact with them you will yourself behave as a
crazy person would. I could continue
with the list, but I am certain you understand what I am saying. Because of our preconceived notions – brought
on by our intolerance – we lose the freedom to interact lovingly with our
fellow human beings.
I say to you today in
God bless you,
[1] Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 3d. ed. (Cleveland: Simon & Schuster, 1997).
[2] Roget’s International Thesaurus, 5th ed. (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1992).
[3] I Cor. 13:7 (New International Version).
[4] I Cor. 13:5 (New International Version).
[5] I Cor. 13:7 (New International Version).
[6] The Koran, a Translation by N.J. Darwood (Middx: Penguin Books, 1968), p. 350.
[7] Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh (Haifa: Bahá’i World Centre, 1982), p. 92.
[8] Bob Marley, One Love/People Get Ready, 1977.
[9] John