Thursday, August 26, 2004
hate
“Hate” in the Bible is connected to the word, “persecute.” It assumes actively working against what God wants for the other. Like the word, “love,” I would argue “hate” has lost its meaning in our culture. Concepts like “hate” crime or “hate” speech are dealing with perception of emotions, not reality. These are not logically helpful terms, and worse, they are not helpful in the legal realm, as you find yourself legislating emotion. Then, for instance, many a psychopath would not be capable of a hate crime because they don’t have an emotionally-charged connection to their victim.
No, we need to think more deeply about what we mean by “hate.” If I disagree with someone about anything today, that person may say I am being “hateful.” If that person lashes out against me, then has he/she just committed a hateful act? Who decides what’s hateful in the first place? If you are a Christian, you can’t assume you know if someone is being hateful if you are basing it on their emotional response because God says he is the only one who really knows what is going on inside a person (Psalm 44:21). I, for one, would recommend a moratorium on using the word, “hate,” until we can consistently support a common meaning.
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About Me
- Dana
- Pastor from LIFEhouse Church in Northridge CA, focusing on the theme, "How To Be A Christian Without Being A Jerk."
1 comment:
The Bible records God directly hating actions of others in several passages. Nowhere do I see God himself saying he hates people. Your "people" distinction is well founded.
But, "hatred" is considered more of an emotion today, actually claming to know person's motivation, and punishing them for your interpretation of what you assume is their motivation. Again, I don't think this is helpful. I want to get away from using "hate" as a substitute for, oh let's say, "I passionately disagree with you." If hate is simply emotion and guessing at motivation, then I see more evidence of hatred in people who are protesting against those that are labeled, "hateful."
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