HGTV And Tolerance

As many of you likely know HGTV canceled a television show featuring the Benham brothers, twins who have made millions restoring and fixing up houses and “flipping” them. The show was supposed to feature the both of them helping others learn how to fix up and then flip houses, but before it could even air it was canceled. Why? Because they are Christians who have openly expressed their beliefs. First they oppose abortion and they are for traditional marriage as opposed to gay marriage. Wow, now there's a shocker. Two conservative Christians who happen to believe what they have been taught all their lives, and what most Christians actually believe but are afraid to come out and say. So my question to you o gentle reader and to HGTV is this; What does their religious views have to do with teaching others how to flip houses? Not sure I see the connection.

But alas the left wing media took offense and outed them trying essentially to make them look like some kind of monsters and pressured HGTV not to air the show. So much for tolerance.

Perhaps it's a lack of understanding of what the word “tolerance” actually means. From the dictionary: “Tolerance is a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry. a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward opinions and practices that differ from one's own.

interest in and concern for ideas, opinions, practices, etc., foreign to one's own; a liberal, un dogmatic viewpoint.”

Funny it doesn't say a thing about us agreeing on anything. To quote “The Princess Bride” “ you a keep using thata word, I donna think it mean what you think it do.” What we actually have here is a serious lack of tolerance for those who think or speak differently from what is considered politically correct.

My cynical side that this is little more than a publicity stunt done by HGTV to try to boost their ratings. Perhaps they noticed what happened with AE over Duck Dynasty or how well Chick Fillet did after they were outed, I don't really know but I am very hard pressed to believe that HGTV had no clue as to what they believed before they even started filming.

So some of you might be thinking so what? The brothers themselves aren't really bothered by it so why should you be? It's because it's starting to look like that the only freedom of religion that you can have is one that you have to sacrifice on the altar of political correctness in order to make it in the business world especially if you are in the service industry.

Everyone who pays attention knows about the bakers and photographers who refused to give services for gay weddings,citing their religious beliefs, and what happened to them as they were dragged into court, but I wonder how many of you know that this has happened over 600 times in the last couple of years as various groups, mostly gay and lesbians, as well as some atheists, have gone after Christians and Jews for various reasons over their faith. Tell me something my left leaning friends, why not go to someone else who will provide a service for you rather than showing them, said offending businesses, the same kind of intolerance you feel is being heaped on you? You will get a lot further in getting support for your cause if you show the kind of compassion and mercy that you felt you were denied years ago.

This is where the hypocrisy of the left comes in. Thirty years ago a gay man or woman was risking a lot by coming out of the closet. Many Christians were not very accepting and some openly suggested the AIDS was a direct act of God to kill homosexuals. Gay people were looking for tolerance and acceptance that seemed to be lacking yet over time, and it has taken time, many who were once against homosexuality, never mind gay marriage, have come to accept it. Yes there are still a large number of people, Christians and Jews, who still disagree with the “gay lifestyle” but for the most part it has become a live and let live situation. Gay marriage is already accepted in about 15(?) states and will likely gain acceptance in all the rest before to much longer, yet those very people who wanted tolerance and equality are now attacking the very people they wanted acceptance from in the first place.

Apparently you folks on the left haven't learned a thing.

At some point in time the political winds will shift against you, as it has in the past, and when it does all those people that you have hammered and made martyrs, all the lack of love and tolerance you have displayed is going to come back and bite you in the backside. It's like watching what happened in Northern Ireland between protestants and Catholics one would kill the other because the other had killed the one. It wasn't until they actually sat down and talked that things calmed down and that's the whole point of this.

If all your going to do is try to intimidate and silence Christians and Jews instead of engaging them in open , honest discussion, showing the mercy and compassion and real tolerance that you once so dearly desired ,than you will have a massive fight on your hands that you will eventually lose once the political winds change again.

What I want to see is real tolerance. Tolerance that accepts that others view the world differently and most likely always will. Tolerance that learns that the best approach is always going to be with mercy and love not threats and lawsuits or government intervention.