On Friday, the son of well-known Christian pastor Rick
Warren took his own life after suffering for years from mental illness. Matthew Warren was 27 years old and,
according to various reports, had suffered from depression and suicidal
thoughts for a long time. After spending
“a fun evening together” with his parents on Thursday, Matthew apparently got
up Friday morning and shot himself.
First of all, my heart goes out to Rick Warren and his
family. Speaking as one who has lost a child I
know full well the pain and devastation they are feeling right now. Even their intense faith in the Lord can’t
alleviate that pain in just days. May
God comfort them all as only He can and guide them through their anguish.
The reason I’m writing this today is because of the utterly
disgusting things I’ve been reading online that are being directed against the
Pastor Warren, his family and his faith by hateful people throughout the
country. Warren is being attacked because
of his faith, his Biblical stances on social issues, and is being accused of
simply being a bad father. And the
attacks are coming from people on the left.
“RickWarren your son died due to your anti-gay hate toward
gay people including your son..—“ wrote one person on Twitter. There is no evidence to suggest Matthew
Warren was gay but that hasn’t stopped
haters from pronouncing it in their quest to vilify Rick Warren. That person is not alone in his
accusations. “Son of Saddleback Church
pastor Rick Warren has committed suicide. Place your bets on when its
discovered he was gay. Religion Kills”
wrote another.
“Trust me, I AM being as charitable as I can be about
hateful bigoted Pastor Rick Warren's obvious failure with his own son!” posted
yet another. “I would've committed
suicide if my dad was Rick Warren too.”
How cold hearted do you have to be to be “tolerant of others”
and spew such hate at the same time? The
pain of losing a child is nearly unbearable.
It’s a physical ache in your chest that tears your entire world
apart. Despite stances on social issues
(such as gay marriage and homosexuality) that liberals may disagree with, Rick
Warren is a human being and a grieving father whose son shot himself in the
head. Can there be no compassion and “tolerance”
for that?
One of the main reasons I could never be more liberal in my
views and opinions is for that simple reason – that many liberals preach
tolerance and understanding but only if you agree with them. If you disagree with their views they are
some of the most intolerant and hateful people in the world. Rick Warren lost his son. It has nothing to do with politics, religion,
homosexuality or gay marriage. It has to
do with a man who was obviously (and historically) mentally disturbed and who
decided that ending his life was his only option. And there is absolutely no excuse for anyone
berating or vilifying his father over it.
It is unconscionable to me that anyone could be that hateful.
In related news – people on the left in England are
celebrating the death of Margaret Thatcher.
I watched a news clip about it this evening and liberals in England are
in the streets, popping champagne corks, holding signs and dancing because the
Iron Lady is dead. One man said her
death will probably be “celebrated around the world.” Most of those I saw in the video clips were
young people, in their 20s. Those kids
don’t even know who Margaret Thatcher was except what they’ve been taught in
their liberal classes in school.
They
have no idea that Maggie Thatcher was, for 11 years, the best thing that had
happened to Great Britain in years. She
strengthened the economy, created jobs, and made England one of the most
powerful nations in the world once again.
England was so much better off under her watch than it had been – and than
it is today. But these kids are merely
spewing the things they are taught by the liberal labor party of the day. It’s truly sad. (One of the kids spewing the hatred for Lady
Thatcher had an orange Mohawk haircut. Yup
– people are going to really pay attention to him and take him seriously…)
The liberal reaction to Margaret Thatcher’s death is simply
more evidence of the great intolerance of the left, despite what they preach to
others. Maybe, when I see real tolerance
of people with opposing positions, I will be more open to their ideas. But I doubt I will ever have to worry about
that. Intolerance and hatred are rampant
on the left and they prove it every day.
Perhaps they need to look up the definition of “tolerance.”
Tolerance is only a weapon to silence the opposition. Probably no concept has more currency in our politically correct culture than the notion of tolerance. Unfortunately, one of America's noblest virtues has been so distorted it's become a vice.
ReplyDeleteThere is a modern myth that holds that true tolerance consists of neutrality. It is one of the most entrenched assumptions of a society committed to relativism. This approach is very popular with post-modernists (left wing socialists), that breed of radical skeptics whose ideas command unwarranted respect in the university today. Their rallying cry, "There is no truth," is often followed by an appeal for tolerance.
For all their confident bluster, the relativists' appeal actually asserts two truths, one rational and one moral. The first is the "truth" that there is no truth. The second is the moral truth that one ought to tolerate other people's viewpoints. Their stand, contradictory on at least two counts, serves as a warning that the modern notion of tolerance is seriously misguided.
Most of what passes for tolerance today is not tolerance at all, but rather intellectual cowardice. Those who hide behind the myth of neutrality are often afraid of intelligent engagement. Unwilling to be challenged by alternate points of view, they don't engage contrary opinions or even consider them. It's easier to hurl an insult, "you intolerant bigot" than to confront the idea and either refute it or be changed by it. "Tolerance" has become intolerance.
The classical rule of tolerance is this: Tolerate persons in all circumstances, by according them respect and courtesy even when their ideas are false or silly. Tolerate (i.e., allow) behavior that is moral and consistent with the common good. Finally, tolerate (i.e., embrace and believe) ideas that are sound. This is still a good guideline.