Tolerance

I'm a fan of tolerance and I have to admit that historically it has not been the strong suit of religions. In Europe, different flavours of Christian only decided to try to live together after failing to wipe each other out (and they tried pretty hard). Our modern culture of tolerance is the one unambiguous achievement of the secular left.

So what happens now that the secular left have become the country's biggest bigots themselves? And why has this happened? Some lefties have noticed that it is all going wrong and are disturbed. Foremost among them is Nick Cohen whose new book What's Left? asks what happened. Other journalists have their own tales of left-wing bigotry. If you really want to see the secular left cover themselves in muck, then check out the discussion boards of Richard Dawkin's new website. I've already been described as 'lying scum' there and I haven't even posted (although someone else kindly recommended Bede's Library).

The cause of the secular left's descent into intolerance and prejudice might well be that it now has the whip hand. Throughout history, persecuted minorities have pleaded for toleration which they have not extended to other minorities when they become top dogs themselves. In the UK, the left control the government, the broadcast media, half the print press and most of the public sector. This allows them to dictate to the rest of us, which they do with abandon, even as they continue to preach about discrimination. Only one question remains. If the secular left has abandoned its one great achievement, its one contribution to human wellbeing, what is the point of it?

Comments or questions? Post them at Bede's dedicated yahoo group.