I've been thinking recently: is it more loving to tolerate someone doing what you consider evil because it makes them happy, or to try with all your might and use all means possible to stop them doing that evil thing because you love them and thus don't want them to be doing something which will ultimately do them more harm than good? More specifically, and put into a christian context, is it more loving for us to tolerate other people and the fact that they are not christian and thus not saved because they are happy that way, or to not tolerate this at all and use every weapon in our arsenal to bring them to christ? I read this same thing as an analogy once of if someone is crossing the road and a bus is about to run them over and whether is it more loving to tolerate that they're going to die or to push them out of the way. What do you think?
Over the past year i have been thinking about similar things...
I have come to the conclusion that i don't like tolerance at all! Permit me to explain...
I would argue that if you change the word 'tolerance' for 'acceptance' then it gives a much better (in my opinion) understanding of how to act and resolve situations in line with how i beleive Jesus would!!!
Taking your example above... I think its not a question of 'do i tolerate the evil or get rid of the evil in a person'... I think the answer is 'how can i accept the person'. If all people are made in Gods image... then all people are 'good' or you could say 'sacred'. However, people choose to do things which are not in line with their 'goodness' or 'sacredness'.
However, as Jesus followers i believe we should always look for the good or sacredness in every person and accept them for who they are... people made in Gods image. This however does not mean we should 'tolerate' sin/evil... but through acceptance and love challenge peoples behaviour etc...
The first step is always aceeptance and love - which builds freindship - which creates a platfrom for being able to challenge someones behaviour. The process of seeking the good in all things and reedeming them! See Romans 8!
yes I've discovered recently that stuff is often paradoxical for example, you may be unable to do something, but pushing yourself to do it will only result in failure and frustration whereas acceptance that you can't do it often leads to you actually doing it. I think it could be similar here. If you initially accept the person's evils and love who they are, it will do more good to them than launching at them as a starnger about how terrible they are. You need to both accept them and tactfully work on saving them. Of course, you reach murkier territory if not doing what you consider evil, carrying on with this analogy, would make their life worse.