A recent editorial in the New York Post said that "The Littleton massacre could prove a turning point in American society--one of those moments when the entire culture changes course." Perhaps that will be the case. Only time will tell. The editorial writers believe that one of the things that must change is our contemporary view of tolerance.
The editorial is entitled "Too Much Tolerance?" While other pundits focus on guns, video games, and other cultural phenomena, these editorial writers say the real cause was inattention.
The killers in Colorado were sending out signals of an impending calamity. It's just that no one was paying attention. One Littleton parent went to the police twice about threats made on his son's life by Eric Harris. His pleas were to no avail. The cops didn't pay attention.
These kids in the Trench Coat Mafia gave each other Hitler salutes at a local bowling alley and marched down school hallways. But the community didn't pay attention.
The editorial writers recount all the things these kids did. They conclude that while they "were doing everything they could to offend the community they lived in, the community chose to pay them no heed."
This tragic lack of attention is the sorry harvest of tolerance and diversity preached in the nation's classrooms every day. We are not to judge others. The only sin in society is the sin of judgmentalism. We cannot judge hairstyles or lifestyles, manners or morals. Everything must be tolerated. And so we decide to ignore in the name of tolerance.
The editorial writers conclude, "The only way Americans can live like this is to tune out, to ignore, to refuse to pay attention. In the name of broad-mindedness, Littleton allowed Harris and Klebold to fall through the cracks straight to Hell."
I'm Kerby Anderson of Probe Ministries, and that's my opinion.