Friday, October 12, 2007

Ann Coulter, Donny Deutsch and Intolerance


Donny Deutsch hosts a television program on CNBC called “The Big Idea”. This past Monday he interviewed columnist and author Ann Coulter. The primary reason anyone hosts Coulter on their show is for ratings. She is very provocative and will often say shocking things. It makes people think, it makes people angry and it makes people tune in to a program and thereby brings ratings.

Without recounting the entire interview (you can read it here) Deutsch came to a point in the conversation where he asked Coulter if “it would be better if we were all Christian.” Coulter shot back quickly, “Yes.”

“We should all be Christian?” Deutsch repeated.

“Yes,” Coulter responded, asking Deutsch, who is Jewish, if he would like to “come to church with me.”

Deutsch went on and on with shock and incredulity that Ann would be so prejudiced and intolerant that she would want everyone to be Christian. Deutsch compared Coulter to the President of Iran who wished that Israel would be obliterated.

Come on Donny, if you had a guest who was selling a product or idea he or she would think that everyone needed to “buy” his product or idea. That’s the nature of things when you believe something is true. I believe that Christianity is true. It is the greatest gift and blessing in my life. If I wish that everyone was a Christian and enjoyed God like I do isn’t that love on my part?

Donny, you pointed out that you’re Jewish. One blogger commented that wouldn’t you think it was a good thing if the President of Iran became Jewish? Donny, if you could pray one prayer and the President would become Jewish, wouldn’t you want that?

At the same time, the last thing I would want is my Christianity or Deutsch’s Judaism to be forced upon someone. Freedom is the opportunity to accept or reject faith, ideas, experiences, products, etc. So Donny, I would think that Ann's desire for all to become Christians is not intolerant but rather your insistence that she and every other Christian not have such desires IS intolerant.

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