Is God an intolerant bigot or homophobe?

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After watching 2 episodes of the Bible mini-series on the History Channel, it got me to thinking. How tolerant is God? What is the number one value and virtue in public high schools, colleges and universities and today? It's either tolerance or diversity. But I think tolerance trumps diversity in terms of values being taught and disseminated in our society.

It's against the backdrop of tolerance that Islam has made inroads both here in the U.S. as well as all throughout Europe. It's also because of tolerance that the gay agenda has been championed in schools, as well as in the media. USA Today is determined to have  at least one pro-gay story each week, and you're left feeling like an intolerant bigot if you don't agree with their stated views. 

This got me to thinking. How tolerant is God? In other words, is God a bigot? Is God homophobic? Is God pro-choice? Is the Almighty, the Creator of Heaven and Earth intolerant of adultery, fornication, homosexuality, transgenders? Would God be a big supporter of Planned Parenthood or GLAAD?

Off the top of my head, I can think of two glaring instances (I can actually think of many more, but I don't have the space and you probably don't have the time) where God revealed his intolerance. One was Sodom and Gomorrah where he judged those two cities and rained down fire and brimstone on them from heaven, and their judgment has stood to this day. But, why were Sodom and Gomorrah judged in such a severe manner? Because homosexuality and perverse sexuality were rampant.

Jude 1:7 (ESV) gives us further insight:

⁷ just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. 

 The other example in the Bible that reveals God's intolerance is his judgment of the Canaanites. In Gen. 24, Abraham sends out his servant to find a wife for his son, Isaac, but he makes his servant swear that he will NOT take a wife for Isaac from among the Canaanites. What was so bad about the Canaanites? God is giving the instructions to the Children of Israel and in Exodus 23:23-24 (ESV), He says, 

²³ “When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out,
²⁴ you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces. 

What does God have against the Canaanites and all the other "ites"? I'll give you some more insight in my next post where I offer a description of the Canaanite ritual of child-sacrifice.

But for now, let me leave you with this question:
What are your thoughts on tolerance? 
Do you think tolerance is one of the most important values that we can adhere to in our society today?

Do you think God is tolerant?
Do you think God is intolerant of anything? Do you subscribe to different values than God? Leave a comment. Let me know what you think, and don't miss the next post on the Canaanites and how their value and beliefs are still being practiced today here in the good ol' USA.