Saturday, March 28, 2009

The Best Way is Tolerance

Or is it?

"What is culpable is when those whose life is different and who abhor the deeds of the wicked are nevertheless indulgent to the sins of others, which they ought to reprehend and reprove, because they are concerned to avoid giving offense to them, in case they should harm themselves in respect of things which may be rightly and innocently enjoyed by good men, but which they desire more than is right for those who are strangers in this world and who fix their hope on the heavenly county." City of God, Book I, Chapter 9

Plainly, living one's own life in peace and isolation without regard to the actions of those around you, is not the answer. At least from Augustine's point of view. As a great example, I remember Lot and his tolerance of his neighbours in Sodom and Gomorrah.

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