I Don't Hate You

I don't hate you because you are gay. I have a set of beliefs, founded in my faith and based on scriptures, and these beliefs are that I am a new creation in Christ. It is my identity. In my identity, I follow the commands of my God out of love for Him. He says that homosexuality is a sin, and as so with all of His words, I try to heed that. That means that at the same time I see homosexuality as a sin, I also see no cause for me to judge you. All I can say is what I believe, and then I must strive to treat you as Christ would- not with hate, but with love and a desire to understand where you are.

I don't hate you because you are of a different faith. I respect your devotion to your faith, and would hope you could respect mine. In fact, I believe devoted people of all faiths can teach each other how to be better people- Mormons understand community and charity better than most, Muslims are more committed than most, Buddhists are far less materialistic. The issue for us all is that we believe very strongly that our way is the true way, and in many cases our belief system states that it is the only way. So, until one day when all Truth is revealed, you will continue to share your message with me, and I with you. I will do all I can to be courteous and thoughtful in our discussion, but I understand we may never agree. Ultimately, your decisions (and mine) regarding faith are between you and your deity.

I don't hate you because you are a murderer/terrorist/criminal. You've done bad things. You've hurt people. I do not condone, agree with, or understand your actions. But I cannot hate you, because I am guilty of murder as well. I may not have pulled a trigger, detonated a bomb, or stabbed anyone, but my actions led to the death of someone. My sin created a need for an atoning sacrifice-I had to pay for my sins with my eternal life being separated from God. But someone could step in and take my punishment. Jesus was the only one worthy of making that sacrifice, and He did it, willingly, on a cross. To save me from my sin, He put Himself there. My sins, they killed Him. You and I, we are the same then. We have taken a life, we have done harm. And if there is grace for me, then there is grace for you. If God will show it to you, then I too will offer you grace, and hope for a true change in you.

I don't hate you for your politics. I'll be really honest, politics are cruel. They are almost like the new religion in America. Each side tries to paint the other as a tyrant and evil to core with a hidden agenda for world domination. Maybe it's true. But that doesn't matter. Even if one side has nefarious purposes, I shouldn't hate you. I can disagree, I can even fight aggressively against you, but I can never hate you. It's not always easy, mind you. Sometimes the things said are harsh and cruel and painful. The actions sometimes cut and sometimes attack the values I hold dear. But I must remind myself that the attacks on Jesus, and the quite literal cuts on His Body were far worse. And He offered not words of condemnation, but words of forgiveness. A lesson I try daily to put into practice.

I don't hate you because you're a jerk. You are mean, cruel, uncaring, selfish, and obtuse. I do not like being around you. You, you are the hardest to love. You are hardest to love because you are not distant, not a far-off concept- you are a neighbor, a boss, a co-worker, a roommate, a competitor. I know you personally, I see your face, and I hear your words as they are said- not as they typed in a story or recorded on TV. I see your faults, and I see your intentions perhaps more clearly than any other entity I disagree with. The truth is, I want to hate you. I want to see you fail, to see you caught in your transgressions. The wrongs you commit against me are not concepts and ideas, they are real and they affect my life directly. But I cannot hate you. Because, if not for circumstances being what they are, I could be you. In fact, there is probably someone out there who thinks of me as I think of you. I would hope that those people would confront me, and kindly, gently, enlighten me. I wish that you would allow me that. For as much as I want to hate you, I want to love you. Because love is better. It produces better things, good and productive things. Hate produces nothing but destruction. Cruel things were said and done to Jesus- and He loved even when we were unlovable.

This is the standard I am striving towards daily.