toldailytopic: Is it ever OK to hate?

[Quincy]

Does that mean it's "ok to hate", then?

I don't believe it is in most cases, though if you don't know hate I don't see how a person can know love. Two sides to one coin, basically. It depends on the severity of what is done to you or what a person has done in their life. My take is that it's ok to hate actions a person might do, or ideas they might have. It's not ok to hate the person, however. They can change their ideas or behaviour but they can't change their skin colour, personality, heritage etc etc.

 

[TomO]

Does that mean it's "ok to hate", then?

Just Justin Bieber. lain:

 

[John Mortimer]

I don't believe it is in most cases, though if you don't know hate I don't see how a person can know love. Two sides to one coin, basically.

The "love" that is the dualistic opposite of hate has no ultimate reality - it is a transient aberration, just like its buddy, "hate".

 

[coulter4president]

Hmmm.... David disagrees.

Psalms 139:20 For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain. 21 Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? 22 I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies. 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.

one of my favorite passages..

because, as stated b4, i hate everyone.

but Define Hate..

hmmm

 

[misstoast]

I suppose it would depend on how "hate" is defined. To me, hatred is the dehumanization of another person or group of people in one way or another. This sort of hatred takes many forms. I'm sure many will call me crazy, but I strongly believe that lack of concern for another's eternal soul is one form of dehumanization.

I used to think that hatred was justified when an individual did something that most people would consider to be unforgivable [e.g. murder, rape, child abuse and soforth]. Then I found myself in such a situation. To say that anger, contempt and the sense of unfairness and injustice takes a toll on your health is a gross understatement. After about three years of that I began having nightmares of my own final judgement; God the Father wanted to know why I didn't turn to Him for help in forgiving those individuals. After practically a lifetime of ambivalence and indifference towards God, this is what prompted my return to church. It was a long struggle to view these people as fellow human beings, but what I considered to be impossible, happened.

 

[coulter4president]

:thumb:

I wouldn't mind looking into the various meanings of the word translated as 'hate' in the OT. At any rate, hate is condemned even in the OT as a sin- it is hate/planning which distinguishes an accidental killing vs murder. Apart from bringing harm to others, it also brings harm to oneself. It can ruin ones life. Thus hate isn't OK and should be avoided.

but somehwere in the Word it says to HATE evil

it seems to me that most ppl dont do that very well these days...

just my opinion...

They think that loving homosexuals means accepting their behavior..

when they should absolutely HATE such abominable behavior...

they should hate it for the sake of the homosexual more than anything...

its like saying to your child

I love you... so go out and go out and play in the road if that is what you want... whatever you want, Dear...

geeze...

 

[coulter4president]

I suppose it would depend on how "hate" is defined. To me, hatred is the dehumanization of another person or group of people in one way or another. This sort of hatred takes many forms. I'm sure many will call me crazy, but I strongly believe that lack of concern for another's eternal soul is one form of dehumanization.

I used to think that hatred was justified when an individual did something that most people would consider to be unforgivable [e.g. murder, rape, child abuse and soforth]. Then I found myself in such a situation. To say that anger, contempt and the sense of unfairness and injustice takes a toll on your health is a gross understatement. After about three years of that I began having nightmares of my own final judgement; God the Father wanted to know why I didn't turn to Him for help in forgiving those individuals. After practically a lifetime of ambivalence and indifference towards God, this is what prompted my return to church. It was a long struggle to view these people as fellow human beings, but what I considered to be impossible, happened.

i have been thro a similar thing.. i felt that i was totally justified in hating this one person.. no 2 persons.. who did a TERRIBLE wrong to me.. long story.. i couldn't believe God woiuld want me to forgive such awful ppl... who seemed to have no morals or ethics.. But one day i just decided to ... as Nike woiuld say... do it..

i realized that the kind of love that is required is... as you say, being concerned w/ the etenal desitny of the other...

we dont have to be intimately involved with those who abuse us.. but we can love them by praying for them... and i doubt much more than that is required... although sometimes i suppose it is...

St Francis was good at this kind of thing... and probably all the saints...

 

[The Berean]

:noid:

We all have our exceptions to the rule.

You hypocrite! :madmad:

 

[misstoast]

i have been thro a similar thing.. i felt that i was totally justified in hating this one person.. no 2 persons.. who did a TERRIBLE wrong to me.. long story.. i couldn't believe God woiuld want me to forgive such awful ppl... who seemed to have no morals or ethics.. But one day i just decided to ... as Nike woiuld say... do it..

i realized that the kind of love that is required is... as you say, being concerned w/ the etenal desitny of the other...

we dont have to be intimately involved with those who abuse us.. but we can love them by praying for them... and i doubt much more than that is required... although sometimes i suppose it is...

St Francis was good at this kind of thing... and probably all the saints...

Exactly. Forgiveness does not require that you trust the person, or refrain from seeking justice or trying to stop them from doing wrong.

The ability to be able to fully forgive such monsterous things, by the Grace of God, was literally a miracle to me; there is no way I would have been able to do it on my own. I am also glad to find that I am not some lone nut in my thinking

 

[Ecumenicist]

If you look at how the word "hate" is used in both the OT and NT (based on the KJV / Strong's Concordance, of course), the context almost always suggests "rejection" rather than the emotional loathing we associate with the word today.

As humans, we must reject any evil that we have a weakness for. Whether its drink, drugs, lust, gossip, gluttony, etc, we need to be self aware enough to reject the people and environments that can bring us down. In our weakness, we are called to "hate evil." Also, in our humility we admit that our hatred is due to our own weakness, not due to others' issues.

Christ, on the other hand, being perfect, had the ability to go anywhere and be with anyone, without the concern for being "pulled down" into sin. And in being with "sinners" of any and every kind, He was and is able to bring hope and healing.

In our faith, we strive to be perfected and Christ-like, always loving and filled with light, without hate. Our hatred reveals our weaknesses, and in humility we confess that we are sinners. Hatred is a "necessary evil" in that its part of the process of striving towards perfect love.

EC

 

[John Mortimer]

I suppose it would depend on how "hate" is defined. To me, hatred is the dehumanization of another person or group of people in one way or another. This sort of hatred takes many forms. I'm sure many will call me crazy, but I strongly believe that lack of concern for another's eternal soul is one form of dehumanization.

I used to think that hatred was justified when an individual did something that most people would consider to be unforgivable [e.g. murder, rape, child abuse and soforth]. Then I found myself in such a situation. To say that anger, contempt and the sense of unfairness and injustice takes a toll on your health is a gross understatement. After about three years of that I began having nightmares of my own final judgement; God the Father wanted to know why I didn't turn to Him for help in forgiving those individuals. After practically a lifetime of ambivalence and indifference towards God, this is what prompted my return to church. It was a long struggle to view these people as fellow human beings, but what I considered to be impossible, happened.

This is not crazy at all.

Many people have a very distorted view of what forgiveness is... they think it means adopting an attitude of, "Oh well, hey ho...it's ok". That's not it at all. To forgive means to stop giving to the one forgiven. The one you hate is actually stealing the light & life from you by you giving your attention, your thoughts, your emotions to them. When you forgive the person you previously hated you effectively say, "I have given you all I am going to give you because I see now that "you" are not real". That may seem a bizarre conception - but not when you think about it in the context of God's forgiveness.

We are all made in the image and likeness of God - that's reality. The reprobate mind, (c.f. Rom 1:28), is born from the illusion of separation from God and thus has no ultimate reality to it. This is clearly seen in the transient decay of humanity. It is only ever the reprobate mind that would induce hatred in another in order to cause the other to mis-qualify the light and life they receive from God with qualities such as anger... for this becomes the only type of "light & life" the reprobate mind can accept; and it needs this type of light in order to keep on surviving.

Thus when you forgive someone you are truly becoming the open door for God's judgement upon the one forgiven. The forgiven one will be deprived of the mis-qualified energies it feeds off.

 

[graceandpeace]

you are using the OT to trump what is clearly in the NT

love your neighbor
and
love your enemies

amen..David lacked some knowledge...but, he did learn it over time:

Pro 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD [men] depart from evil.

Pro 16:7 When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

 

[graceandpeace]

When why all those verses about God and even king David hating evil doers?

The term reprobate means a person who is unrepentant and even advocates sin. I don't have to love people like this. My interest is in people who want to change. I am interested in people who want a relationship with God, even if they don't share my views on everything.

No wonder the church is in such a mess.
:bang:

 

[graceandpeace]

Another verse about hate. The bible is full of them.

Hosea 9:15 All their wickedness is in Gilgal: for there I hated them: for the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of mine house, I will love them no more: all their princes are revolters.

Now why would God have so many verses in the bible about hating evil doers?

To show the difference between the way of death; and the way of life.

Two covenants, one made to show what carnal man is; and one to show what the spiritual man is...in the old covenant, God was dealing with carnal men...He dealt with them at their own level.

Those whom walked by faith; and received the holy spirit began to have a changed heart...that works by LOVE.

They did not immediately learn this agape love...for it grows..until it is perfected...as the new covenant explains..once it is perfected...a man is mature.

God never hated anyone. He hated their sin and unbelief. We all stood as 'esau's at one point....(before conversion).

We have to remember that when God was dealing with a carnal nation...that could NOT hear His true law, which is faith that worketh by LOVE; He had to teach them by a form of law that they could relate to...and, even in it, He said "Do not kill"...wonder why? LOVE your enemies...for he whom loves has fulfilled the law.

 

[graceandpeace]

"You have heard it said, 'Love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you."

Jesus' words > OT.

The Old Testament represents a flawed understanding of the nature of God which Christ has since corrected.

God does not change, but human understanding does.Thus God is given credit in the OT for words and actions which the Father seen in the Son does not by his nature say and do.

Example: The ancient understanding gave God credit for ordering the Israelites to kill every man, woman, and child in Canaan.
This CANNOT BE the God who wishes that none should perish, just using plain logic.

God does not hate.
Men hate and say it is really God who is hating.
Thus God can be said to hate anything any individual person hates, regardless of the inherent contradiction to His nature.

Trying to draw connections between the version of God seen by the ancient Hebrews and the God seen in Christ is a huge factor in alienating atheists and others who are genuinely seeking truth, but rational thought gets in their way.

So to answer the OP:
It is NEVER moral, right, Godly, Christlike to hate a person.
Hatred is a poison which never affects its target yet slowly kills its wielder.

Amen...when reading the bible..we must remember that the reason God spoke to carnal men, in a carnal way was because they were SPIRITUALLY discerned, and could NOT hear the way of faith that worketh by love.

The old covenant never saved anyone..it was just a history of how God dealt with fleshly men...and, how He drew a remnant OUT from among them, by faith..to let them be a light to those whom were around them...to the NEW and BETTER way that was to come...via the new covenant.

 

[nicholsmom]

I hate eggplant :noid:


Does that count?

 

[badp]

Let your love be without hypocrisy. Hate evil. Romans 12:9

 

[Sherman]

And I hate liver and onions.

 

[kmoney]

Hate is something I feel fairly often while driving. lain:

 

[some other dude]

You hate looking at the south end of a north-bound horse?