Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Hate

The word "hate," as popularly used, is the new thought-stopper. Take any idea you do not like and say it is based on "hate," and you have refuted it. It is that simple. Of course, some things are worth hating--anything that dishonors God or debases beings made in his image--and one can disapprove of many things without hating anyone. 

Further, one can wrongly hate something (since it is the wrong emotional response) and still be correct in one's judgment. For example, one may hate an abortionist and call him a murderer. He is a murderer, which is especially obvious if he performs late term abortions. However, one should not hate the murderer, but love him. That is not incompatible with deploring what he does and wanting to put him out of business. Love does not mean enabling evil.

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