Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

I had an experience to day that got me to thinking about narrow-mindedness and tolerance and the extremes of both.

A friend of a friend that lives in Jackson, MS posted a comment on Facebook. I have been unfriended as a result of my own comment, so I dont remember word for word what was said, but I can convey the gist of it.

She expressed her dismay because someone opened a psychic business in her neighborhood. She indicated that several others have opened up around town and she didn't understand why people would seek answers from 'those' people instead of the Lord.

Several comments followed and the conversation moved into how psychics are fakes and phoneys and are out to swindle folks out of their money. They are able to read people's body language and take advantage of vulnerable people going thru times of trouble for their own profit. She also commented that when she worked in a restaurant, how one of 'those' people would come in the restaurant and would be rude to the staff and looked *evil*.

Really? She just went there?

I have been friends with this person for several months and have read many comments from her about church, god this, and jesus that. Its facebook. It's her Facebook page. Its her opinion. Its all good. I allow people their delusions, just as I expect my friends to allow me mine. If I disagree, I just keep on scrolling to the next person's status update and soon enough I'll forget about the one before it and it's all good.

But this particular status, I couldn't let go by without comment. I found her derogatory use of quotes around "those" people offensive because in a way she was talking about me. It made me feel that I was the ignorant one because I didn't worship at the cash cow she attends every Sunday.

So my reply was "those" people are everywhere, possibly even on her facebook page, and finished by saying that "those people" have been around a lot longer than the Baptists.

I could have went a lot further. As far as the restaurant comments, I've worked enough after church crowds to recognize uptight, rude, high-maintenance, stingy, and self righteous wolves in sheep's clothing. The same people that dropped of 10% of their gross income in the church plate, and then left less than that for a tip.

I also know enough pagan practitioners that are the kindest, most thoughtful, beautifully spirited people I have ever met.

So, back to narrow-mindedness and tolerance, and the extremes of each.

Narrow-mindedness is looking at the world with blinders on. Its where one's ideals are a square peg and the world is a hole. Its when someone completely dismisses any inkling of a philosophy or world view does not exactly line up with their own along with the people that go with it.

I know people that identify themselves as a Christian and are stable enough in their beliefs to understand that not all the world thinks just like they do. They have the mental capacity to allow others the latitude to cultivate their own beliefs and maintain a healthy respect in spite of the differences.

Then, I know people that believe anything. They follow the latest spiritual fad until the next one comes along and off they go on that path. No foundation. No grounding.

So how much is too much, and how little is to little when it comes to tolerance?

What is the 'perfect' Christian? Whoa. Now that is a topic that could fill a volume of books and consume years of study. ... No, not really. One could take every dot and tittle from the Bible and measure how obedient one is to the letter of the law. But if one really looks closely, to live a life that strict, it would be hard to tell the difference between a Christian and the Taliban. Not going to go too much into that. Read for yourself and draw your own conclusions. One can go as far as they want in that direction, but we are products of our culture. We dress, eat, trade, and worship according to our culture's standards, and not by Biblical standards. Some would like to think they do but that is only because they measure their standards against their neighbors.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. That is the balance. It is a mantra found in many cultures and faith systems as well as business practices. In Wiccan and pagan circles, it is rephrased as 'do as you will, but first do no harm'.

So listen, people. If I've said this once, I've said it a thousand times. It is the responsibility of the individual to find their own moral compass and follow it to the best of their conscience. Our moral compasses evolve daily as a result of life experiences. When an event occurs that challenge our moral compass, we evaluate the merits of it and either incorporate it into our moral compass or reject them. Even those we reject initially sometimes eventually are incorporated.

There are lines that we do not cross. Murder, theft, dishonesty and the like are all concepts that is condemned by our culture and in most cases never make their way into our moral compass, and rightly so. It goes against the golden rule. But when it comes to another's philosophy it should be a live and let live. And those that so easily and completely dismiss people that don't fit into one's own philosophy are weak and afraid and are not worthy of other's friendship.