French Tolerance?
Comments (0) The French have long fancied themselves as a bastion of tolerance. This, however seems to be far from the truth. The French adherence to secularity has led to some seemingly intolerant policy. In February 2004, they passed a school ban on religious ware like burqas, yarmulkes, crucifixes and turbans. Most recently, they decided “the burqa is incompatible with French nationality” and are not allowing a 32 year-old woman from Morocco, Faiza M., to become a citizen. They said she “adopted a religious practice incompatible with essential values of the French community, particularly the principle of equality of the sexes.” This woman as a French husband and 3 native born French children.
There are no doubt many evangelicals who think it is incredible that this Muslim woman turned away by France. To do so, in addition to being generally ignorant and quite unlike Jesus, is to misunderstand the France’s intention. The French are committed to secularity, not tolerance. Secularity is blindly intolerant of all things dubbed religious. Many American Theocrats would gladly swap the Frances Secularity for their own particular brand of faith (make no mistake, Secularity is very much a faith/religion). Be careful. The tide can quickly change and today’s acceptable practices can become tomorrow’s marginalized religion.
It concerns me that so many American Christians seem to want our government to function as an arm of their church. A Secular government is obviously not the answer. I’m not sure is a neutral government is even possible, although it seems to me to be preferable. For now, I am challenged by the words of Romans 12:18, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” Oh to have a government that sought the same.
