Platitudes and Tolerance

After writing this post, the thought crossed my mind that I could have titled it "Zero Tolerance for Platitudes," but that it would have been far too cheesy. But I still had to share it with you. Sorry.

Platitude. An ugly word with an ugly meaning, I've always thought. I recently saw the word platitude defined as follows:

a trite, meaningless, biased, or prosaic statement that is presented as if it were significant and original.

Webster's dictionary defines it this way:

1 : the quality or state of being dull or insipid
2 : a banal, trite or stale remark

These definitions make sense to me, as I've always heard the word used in a negative light. But the other day I heard someone use it in a positive way. Quoting a statement that was un-insipid, relevant and quite true, the person then happily called it a platitude, almost as if to give the quote a compliment. Maybe they meant to say homily, which was much more what the statement was, I thought.

Anyway, in church yesterday, our pastor was talking about how important it is for Christians not to get sucked into the mentality that Christianity is fine for us at home, and fine for Sunday, but we need to leave it in it's place, and not take it into real life with us, to school, to the office, etc. To not get stuck saying, well, this is what I believe, but it may not be true for you. The truth is, our pastor said, Christianity is true for everyone, whether they know it or not, as difficult as that is to swallow in the "tolerant" world we live in. I agree with this statement, but it sounds so outrageous to our habitually, or should I say blindly tolerant culture.

I think tolerance is the new "morality" in the vacuum left now that truth has been declared nonexistent. There is so much talk of problems like racism and bigotry in our culture. Since absolute truth doesn't exist, there is no moral standard to tell me, "Every human being was created by God in His own image and therefore has dignity and value, so I should treat them as I would want them to treat me." No, if absolute truth does not exist, then the other person is a pile of atoms and cells just as I am, so if I don't like them, who says I have to? Tolerance does. Tolerance is the new god. In the absence of truth, and hence a moral code, society has to force people to act on the Golden Rule while telling them it doesn't exist. Because if it existed, that might offend somebody.

Of course as a Christian, I don't advocate being ugly to people, regardless of race, class, lifestyle or what have you, but I cannot say that I value anyone simply because I am a nice person, or because I am "tolerant." I value all people ultimately because God does, and He commands me to as well.

Sadly, most churches in America sheepishly give people options, to be believed if one feels comfortable believing, rather than the Truth, to avoid being considered "intolerant." I think that is why the church has become so irrelevant in the culture. The American church in general has made itself trite, insipid and banal. A platitude.

(this post seems a little rough. I am trying to put my thoughts together more coherently, but for now, I am just posting it anyway.)