I read an article today that really makes sense.
It's in this month's New Era/Liahona, and is written by Elder Russell Nelson, "What Is Tolerance?" ( see http://lds.org/liahona/2011/03/what-is-tolerance?lang=eng)
He writes: "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."
He also says that: just as overdoses of needed medication can be toxic, boundless mercy could oppose justice, and "tolerance, without limit, could lead to spineless permissiveness."
He reminds us that the Savior "drew boundary lines to define acceptable limits of tolerance." and adds that "Real love for the sinner may compel courageous confrontation—not acquiescence!"
I did not understand this principle for many years. Maybe I didn't want to understand it, because it was easier to live with my spinelessness, in the name of forgiveness and tolerance, than to stand up for my own dignity and truth and to be fearless of the consequences of standing up alone.
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