Tolerance verses Self Destruction

Elder Russell M. Nelson:

"Tolerance is a virtue much needed in our turbulent world. But we must recognize that there is a difference between tolerance and tolerate. Your gracious tolerance for an individual does not grant him or her license to do wrong, nor does your tolerance obligate you to tolerate his or her misdeed. That distinction is fundamental to an understanding of this vital virtue."

"Now may I offer an important note of caution. An erroneous assumption could be made that if a little of something is good, a lot must be better. Not so! Overdoses of needed medication can be toxic. Boundless mercy could oppose justice. So tolerance, without limit, could lead to spineless permissiveness."

"The Lord drew boundary lines to define acceptable limits of tolerance. Danger rises when those divine limits are disobeyed. Just as parents teach little children not to run and play in the street, the Savior taught us that we need not tolerate evil. “Jesus went into the temple of God, … and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers” (Matthew 21:12; see also Mark 11:15). Though He loves the sinner, the Lord said that He “cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance” (D&C 1:31)."

"Real love for the sinner may compel courageous confrontation—not acquiescence! Real love does not support self-destructing behavior."

*Source:  Nelson, Elder Russell M., "What is Tolerance", April 1994 General Conference Address, LDS.org online.

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Sometimes in life we have to protect ourselves, by drawing boundaries of what is and isn't acceptable behavior from others.  

Tolerance verses self destruction. 

Your boundaries may be different from mine.  

That is okay. 

Here is how I feel we should play:  I respect your boundaries, and I expect you to respect mine.  (If I intrude on your boundaries let me know--I cannot know where the fence line is if I can't see it!)  However if you don't respect my boundaries, then you don't respect me.

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"Real love for the sinner may 

compel courageous confrontation—not acquiescence! 

Real love does not support self-destructing behavior." 

(Elder Russell M. Nelson*)