Our culture places high value on tolerance of others, regardless of what they believe or how they live their lives. When it comes to spirituality most people believe that it doesn't matter what faith you adopt, as long as you are a "good person". They claim that every belief system leads to the same destination. This position can feel comfortable because it grants you good standing with most people, and yet, we must ask ourselves: is this a logical position?

Let's start at the beginning to determine a sound foundation for exploring this question: Can we trust that there is an all powerful Creator God in the first place? Imagine you are hiking through the desert and you come across a high tech supercomputer buried in the sand. You have never seen this type of technology before; it's more sophisticated than any device you've ever used. You wouldn't just think it created itself. Clearly something so detailed and complex had a creator. It would be foolish for you to start teaching people how the computer works, or what the intent and heart of its creator was in making it, without actually talking with its creator first to learn more about it. You would be desperate to find out who this creator was and you would do whatever it takes to find him or her in order to utilize the computer to its full capacity.

Now take a look at the details of the trees and plants outside your window and contemplate how they calculate the exact time to bloom. Notice the tiny insects and how they have an innate intuition to do certain tasks, all playing a part in keeping the Earth in balance. Look up at the vastness of the night sky and see how everything is held into place perfectly, creating the ideal environment for us on Earth. Look in the mirror and marvel at the complexity of your body: how your eyes work, how your body can heal when it gets sick, how you can feel emotions, and how you can think deeply.

Human beings are far more complex than any supercomputer. Taking a look at the creation that surrounds us is evidence enough that there is a higher power. All of this could not have come into existence by chance, and even the people who do believe it is a product of chance have no idea how it all got started in the first place. Now that we have determined there is a higher power, we must be compelled to determine who that higher power is.

If the Creator went to such great lengths to form us with order and attention to detail then surely he wants to communicate with us too. He would not take the time to create such intricate systems and then leave us to our own devices. Surely there is purpose in our existence. The creator of a supercomputer wouldn't manufacture his product without writing up a detailed user manual to send with it. In the same way, our Creator wouldn't set us in motion without some sort of guidance to live by. We can trust that he has attempted to make contact with humanity in some way. Because of this dilemma, it inevitably becomes the purpose of each of our lives to seek this Creator and understand who he is and how we can commune with him.

Every religion has a different idea about who this Creator is- what his character is like and what his plans are for humanity. Atheism teaches that there is no God and when a person dies there isn't any part of them that continues to go on living in an afterlife. Buddhism and Hinduism claim that when people die they are reincarnated into a different life form. Christians believe that when you die you go straight to heaven if you followed Jesus, and if you didn't follow him then you go straight to hell. Mormons believe that you can literally become a god with your own planet after you die. They can't all be true. Of course telling people what they want to hear might make them think you're a very "tolerant" person, but saying these varying views are all true would be an illogical and an unloving thing to do if there truly is an ultimate truth. Logic is yet another gift of the Creator, and something we should not quickly discard in favor of making people like us.

If we are each left to decide what is right and wrong we end up creating our own versions of God, not realizing that the god we worship is ourselves. In the paradigm where a Creator exists, we know this Kingdom isn't ours to reign. Under this false idea that we get to determine our own morals we ultimately end up with religions that believe kidnapping people or doing honor killings are perfectly moral acts. How can we draw the line of right and wrong when each person has a different standard? If someone believes that killing off an entire race of people in order to better humanity is a moral act, who are we to say they are wrong? We need the Creator to set the moral standard for his creation. Having that singular source for morality offers us clarity and consistency that will prevent anyone from justifying terrifying behaviors.

This is where I invite you to study these things out for yourself. Ask the Creator to show you the truth about who he is and what he wants for your life. Research which religious texts have the most archeological evidence. Learn more about the foundational people behind these faith perspectives that attempt to describe the Creator. Spend time dialoguing with people who view things differently than you do. Ask them why they believe what they do, then evaluate their responses to determine whether these things are based on truth or tradition. Do they come from the source of the Creator or from the imaginations of men?

Our culture has trained us to seek comfort over truth. For example, if a man thinks he is a woman and begins to transition, people are expected to blatantly ignore reality by using that person's preferred pronouns which contradict his natural biology. This is just one example of how our culture pushes comfort over truth and labels you as intolerant if you refuse to conform. The reality is that more often than not, the truth is uncomfortable- it's uncomfortable because it challenges previously held beliefs and may even spur us to change the way we live our lives on a daily basis, which inherently impacts our relationships as well. However, it's only by embracing the truth that we can walk in the fullness of who we are.

Thoughtful individuals may feel out of place in our culture if they seek and settle on ultimate truth- believing there is truly a best practice for life. You're not intolerant if you believe there is only one right way to operate in this system of life. You are actually an extremely thoughtful, reasonable, and deeply thinking individual. Your pursuit of truth is valiant. What many proponents of false "tolerance" miss is that you can believe there is only one right path and still love your neighbor as yourself. You can believe that another person who lives differently than you is acting contrary to the Creator’s design, and not be intolerant. Anyone who claims that this is intolerance doesn't realize the hypocrisy and unreasonableness in their stance.

When humans find truth we automatically want it for everyone else too because we don't want them to miss out, but relationship with the Creator isn't something that can or should be forced. We are all together users of this program seeking its Creator, and we each have to explore these deep truths out for ourselves, otherwise the application won't be authentic. We can appreciate and respect where each person is on their journey. On the other hand, truth should be shared. In fact, it is in the nature of our existence that we must speak and live truth on a daily basis. At the end of the day each individual has to decide for themselves if they are willing to forsake the god of self in order to align themselves with the Creator of their very being. It takes great courage to stand for reason when everyone around you chooses to only think as far as their comfort zones go. Learning to overcome the fear of man in order to align yourself with the Creator is a worthwhile pursuit. If you stand for reason, I think you are brave.

I have determined that the Bible is the most reliable text that explains the relationship between the Creator and mankind. It has evidence built into it which shows it truly was inspired and given by God. It is reliable and consistent. It was written by various people over an extended period of time claiming to receive messages from the Creator and still the content fits together perfectly. It is filled with prophecy, some that has been fulfilled and some that has yet to be fulfilled. The intuition and inspiration of the instructions, wisdom, and love found in the Bible far surpasses that of any other religious text. Don't just take my word for it though- study it out for yourself. There is only one ultimate truth and if we seek it with a posture of humility, setting aside any preconceived notions or biases, we will find it.

The creator of a supercomputer knows how his device works. He knows how to use it properly without overworking it, how to keep it running smoothly, how to clean it, how to update it, how to protect it from viruses, and how to redeem it from viruses if it gets infected. That is why he is the only one who can teach the user these things. It is not intolerant of him to warn the user that if she doesn't take certain precautions she will destroy the computer. Further, it is not intolerant to state that it will corrupt the system to download other operating systems or follow false instructions- it's just a truth about how the system was designed.

In the same way, Creator God tells us how we ought to live our lives. He tells us to worship only him and no other gods. He tells us to rest every seventh day because he knows we need that time to recharge mentally and physically. He tells us which animals and plants we should eat and not eat as food because he understands the purpose of them better than we do. He tells us how we can keep ourselves clean and healthy from impurities and disease. He teaches us to love Him and love our neighbor because when we do this there is peace among humans. He instructs at length how we should treat the land because it is how we establish harmony in his creation. And when we inevitably stray from his instructions and become corrupted with the virus/malware of sin, he provides a way to be redeemed and cleansed from it. As our Creator he is ultimately in charge of the system, he keeps track of all that happens within it including an exact record of each of our lives, and provides a way for us to reach equilibrium and unity with him again through the death and resurrection of Yeshua (Jesus). I wait in hopeful expectation for the day that he "reboots" the entire world and restores those who truly submitted their lives to His design. Why did he choose these methods? He is the Creator and I am not. I trust him because he has proven himself proficient in design.

"Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, 'What are you making?' or 'Your work has no handles'? Woe to him who says to a father, 'What are you begetting?' or to a woman, 'With what are you in labor?' Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him: 'Ask me of things to come; will you command me concerning my children and the work of my hands? I made the earth and created man on it; it was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host. I have stirred him up in righteousness, and I will make all his ways level; he shall build my city and set my exiles free, not for price or reward,' says the Lord of hosts."

Isaiah 45:9‭-‬13