A Little Good News!

Posted 4/5/22

A weekly re昀ection from a memeber of the Hastings clergy Written by Pastor Paris Pasch of The Journey Church in Hastings What’s up with all the hate talk? When I was growing up, I don’t …

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A Little Good News!

Posted

A weekly re昀ection from a memeber of the Hastings clergy

Written by Pastor Paris Pasch of The Journey Church in Hastings

What’s up with all the hate talk?

When I was growing up, I don’t remember ever saying I hated anyone. I do remember being told emphatically not to hate. My folks wouldn’t allow us to use the word hate when describing another person. We couldn’t even hate an object we were having trouble dealing with. However today, disagreement is made out to be hate speech. There are some who feel that even when God says He wants us to avoid a particular vice or life choice, He is speaking hate speech.

God boldly discourages us from hating others because He loves all people. God also tries to protect us from destructive behavior. He is often trying to caution us about danger, looming catastrophe and impending crisis by saying we should avoid a specific life path. He has told humanity not to steal, lie or cheat because it eventually will bring us to harm. He guides us down a moral life path because He sees down the road to the pain it will cause us to deviate from His plan. Like natural parents who caution their children from sticking their hands near fire, God is warning us about harmful things we have confused for excitement or pleasure.

So if someone tries to warn you that a behavior is destructive to your health and life maybe it’s love and not hate that motivates them. If you accuse them of hating you and you shout and yell words of anger and disapproval is that any less hateful. So the next time you disagree with someone’s viewpoint, maybe find out why they disapprove before you accuse them of being hateful.

1 John 4:8–9 (NIV) Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

God doesn’t hate people and nor should we, but God disapproves of self-destructive behavior because He loves us. Let’s resist accusing others of hate, because we are just adding hate into the dialogue rather than love and peace. Let’s allow others to differ in viewpoint and look for ways to share why we live the way we do.