Tolerance, how far should it go?

In today's American culture, the key term that one should use in order to fit into the norms of society is "toleration." Tolerate all religions, all beliefs, all actions, all ideas. Is this okay? Is this healthy? What does it mean to tolerate, and what does it mean to stand up for what you believe in?

As a Christian, I am typically immediately stereotyped as a zealout, an extremist, a person who does not tolerate. Since I believe that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, that means that I do not believe that Buddhism or Hinduism or atheism are correct. However, that also doesn't mean that I do not care about those people who do believe differently than myself. In fact, if I did not care for and love everybody, I probably have no right to call myself a Christian (oops, did I step on any toes there?).

Just because we tolerate does not mean that we have to adapt all of those ideas that we tolerate. I do not tolerate many things BECAUSE of what I believe. Does that make me wrong? Does that make others wrong?

I think I understand why some of the Middle Eastern countries have attempted to ban Western influence/thought in their own countries. Because when we come to tolerate everything, then nothing means anything. I think tolerate is the wrong word. We should love everybody, not tolerate everything.