What do we mean by "hate"?

[Bootstrap]

People throw the word "hate" around a lot.

What does the Bible say about hate? How does the Bible define it? How can we look at a post or look into our own hearts and know if we or someone else is hating?

[steve-in-kville]

I firmly think that hate has levels. I also believe that most people don't know what real hate is. That said, those same people don't know what love is, either.

https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files ... lish_1.pdf

[Bootstrap]

I firmly think that hate has levels. I also believe that most people don't know what real hate is. That said, those same people don't know what love is, either.

https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files ... lish_1.pdf

Interesting. I hadn't seen this "pyramid of hate" before. And I agree with you that most people don't know what hate is or what love is.

Here's another presentation of the same pyramid:



I'm wondering how the things on that pyramid correlate to what we see in the life of Jesus or teachings of the New Testament like the Sermon on the Mount. I suspect there may be some overlap, but the ADL pyramid is obviously coming from a different worldview. Compare and contrast?

[Bootstrap]

I also believe that most people don't know what real hate is.

I think most people say "my group doesn't hate, that group I hate is the one that hates". I have seen this in an interview with the Grand Wizard of the KKK and similar interviews with other people who clearly promote hate. I have experienced this first hand in conversations with people who were clearly racist and clearly promoted hate, suggesting that it would be only right if really terrible things happened to the groups they dislike.

But a lot fewer people ask, "what is hate?" "how do I know if I am guilty of hate?" "how do I work against hate in my own life and the people around me?" "how do I recognize hate in my own identity group?"

[Szdfan]

But a lot fewer people ask, "what is hate?" "how do I know if I am guilty of hate?" "how do I work against hate in my own life and the people around me?" "how do I recognize hate in my own identity group?"

Asking those kinds of questions requires a level of self-reflection that most people are either not willing or capable of doing.

[Josh]

Where does the Bible teach we are supposed to worry about “hate in my own identity group?”

[Ken]

I firmly think that hate has levels. I also believe that most people don't know what real hate is. That said, those same people don't know what love is, either.

I'm wondering how the things on that pyramid correlate to what we see in the life of Jesus or teachings of the New Testament like the Sermon on the Mount. I suspect there may be some overlap, but the ADL pyramid is obviously coming from a different worldview. Compare and contrast?

In this pyramid, anything that falls into a vague and broad definition of “violence” is placed higher than forms of hate that do not involve violence. I think this is also kind of the default mode for Anabaptists who put such a focus on nonviolence, putting down the “sword” and so forth.

But I am not actually convinced that violence is always a higher and worse form of hate. For example, using the pyramid above, which of the following two examples is actually a worse form of hatred:

1. Polite nonviolent discrimination that prevents say a black girl from educating herself and pursuing her life dream of becoming a doctor. In other words, an act of hate that affects the entire trajectory of her life.

2. A “violent” act of vandalism or desecration where someone writes hateful graffiti on that same girl’s church that is quickly cleaned up.

In my mind, many of the “polite” and nonviolent forms of hatred can actually be far more damaging to people than the violent forms. Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not excusing violence. Only pointing out that hate expressed in polite nonviolent and systemic ways can actually be far more damaging. Put another way, polite racists are not necessarily better than violent racists. Their acts can actually be more damaging and hateful.

[Sudsy]

Ask the Holy Spirit if we have hate in our heart and let Him guide us in not hating. He has been given to us to be our guide yet it is up to us to allow Him to be guiding us. Scripture says we are to 'hate' our own family to be a Christ follower - Luke 14:26. The Holy Spirit is given to us to not take a verse like this and use it literally out of context to know what is being said.

Pretty important to have the Holy Spirit reveal when we are hating according to 1 John 3:15 -

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

[Josh]

What does the Bible say?

[Franklin]

"Hate evil, and love good, and establish judgment in the gate"
-- Amos 5:15

Members of modern culture are evil, so I hate them.