Christians are misunderstood
Dear Editor,
Narrow-minded. Intolerant. Stagnant water. These words are stapled on the foreheads of Evangelical Christians in today’s society because they are unwilling to accept the equal validity of all world views. For the most part, this portrayal is based on a misunderstanding of the meaning of open-mindedness and tolerance. Traditionally, these words describe a person who considers the evidence for all views and is able to respect others who hold differing views. An open mind does not prevent a person from making a commitment to a certain belief.
However, in the context of today’s culture, these words have come to describe a person who accepts all viewpoints as equally valid and does not believe in any definitive truth. But, as seen in Mr. Jim Lenahan’s letter, this tolerance only seems to cover those views that do not claim absolute truth. In effect, it’s acceptable to be intolerant of the Christian world view under the guise of open-mindedness because Christians are intolerant. Does that seem logical? In order to clarify what I mean, here’s a short example:
Suppose two students, John and Courtney, investigate the evidence for the existence of God. After searching, John concludes that there is no God while Courtney decides to believe in God. Simple logic follows that both atheism and theism cannot be true because those conclusions are inherent opposites.
Naturally, they should not be expected to recognize the equal validity of each other’s claim. Instead, John and Courtney should be expected to respect each other’s decision even though each one believes the other is mistaken. After all, both students approached the investigation with an open mind, considered the options, and drew a rational conclusion. Now if Courtney respectfully shows John the evidence supporting the existence of God because she believes she holds the truth, is she being narrow-minded or intolerant? Or is she simply making a case for what she believes? In the same way, is a Christian necessarily narrow-minded for giving the evidence for his/her beliefs to others that hold differing world views? Does commitment to a certain world view imply close-mindedness?
When Christians are deemed narrow-minded, the automatic assumption is that they have not investigated other world views. This broad generalization stereotypes the entire faith and prevents the open-minded investigation of it. As I stated two weeks ago, Christianity, Islam, Humanism, and other world views should be examined based on the validity of the faith rather than the virtues of the followers. Only then will true open-mindedness be achieved.
Sincerely,
Sam Rauschenberg
Junior, Economics
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Feb 17 2006. Filed under Opinion.
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