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Thanks for the reply. When I think about what Christian tolerance means, I envision being able to respectfully listen to what another person believes without ridiculing, mocking or disparaging them. Then, in turn, I can talk about what I believe and we can delve into the proofs we both have that bring us to our conclusions. I like that you mentioned the Lord Jesus Christ because, as you said, He was NOT tolerant of certain things and He made it clear that we can ONLY be saved through faith in Him. What He WAS tolerant about was in allowing people the right to believe or not - He did not force anyone to receive Him as the Messiah. But, I think you will also agree, He IS the only way, truth and life and NO ONE comes to the Father BUT by Him. So being tolerant doesn't exclude knowing and standing up for what is true because it matters for all eternity.

You mentioned almost converting to Mormonism, so you probably have an idea about what they believe about Jesus. Though I can be tolerant towards their right to believe what they want, I will not give approval for their false doctrines. There are certain truths that are nonnegotiable - truths that we KNOW make up what it means to be a Christian and that God has made clear in Scripture. And the LDS version of the Bible, I would hope, is not one that you would "tolerate” to one degree or another.

I welcome discussion on doctrines of the faith and think we should all be able to dialog with each other without rancor and hurt feelings. We should be confident enough in our positions on doctrines to be fully able to defend them if asked. Like Paul told Timothy, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (II Tim. 3:16,17) and Peter said, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience" (I Peter 3:15,16)

I hope you have a good weekend.

You and I agree to the point that we are redundant. ;-)

I can tell that you would have had the same internal response to the guy I was talking about that I did. And for the same reason. your second sentence is what I expected, but was shocked by the use of the “liberal” MO.

And regarding Mormonism, I used to give to Saints Alive in the 80’s. I almost became a Mormon back in the day because I was an agnostic and just assumed it was another “Catholic-like” big church. I educated myself and became a very extroverted opponent. That said, I played in a bar band that was all Mormon except for me.

Think about that for a sec: A Mormon bar band. ;-)

And I very much appreciate your last paragraph. We are on the same page. EVERY SINGLE THING I do has a back story of my faith in Jesus. It’s why I see this world almost as if it were the Matrix. And it is important to not just believe, but know WHY you believe and be ready to defend it. I do it daily on a liberal web site both to share the Good News and sharpen my skills. They even challenge me in ways, sometimes, that force me to go back to the bible. Some of them are VERY well educated in the bible and church history. It makes me “battle hardened”.