“You’ve got to be taught
To hate and fear,
You’ve got to be taught
From year to year,
It’s got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You’ve got to be carefully taught.”
~Oscar Hammerstein
These words from the musical drama South Pacific popped into my head the moment I heard about the horrific hate-filled mass murder in Orlando, Florida yesterday.
If there’s a formula for hate, it must go something like this:
fear
+ pride
– God
= hate
So who taught Omar Mateen to hate? We don’t know the full story yet. But we do know that the Islamic State, to whom he pledged fealty shortly before killing fifty fellow 
humans, played a role. And, as is too often the case, they did so in the name of God.
Here’s what God has to say: “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks will come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.” ~Luke 17:2
Fight hate. Fight it with every of breath. With every drop of blood. Fight the hatred that twisted a young man born in the image of God into a proud, fearful, godless human sacrifice, as much a victim as those he murdered. At the risk of sounding simplistic, the only way I know to fight hate is to:
Teach love.
Reblogged this on Call to Witness and commented:
Love is the only weapon that can defeat hate. It is a love that requires no conditions to be met from One who gives it. It must not matter who the recipient is or what they did, we are called to love them just as Jesus had loved us. Think of it this way, Jesus was hated by those whom He was sent to save, yet He love them anyway. So much so, He allowed them to kill Him without any retaliation. He understood that revenge is not the answer to dealing with hate, for it would only produce more hatred until it burns like a wildfire. Love is the living water that can douse the flames of hatred. It won’t be easy, but the benefits are far worth it.
Amen!
Amen. (Love our enemies, and pray for those who persecute us.)
amen.
Right on, Mitch. Somewhere down the road God will square away all these atrocities, all this hatred. I must believe that or I cannot have faith in God. Love, not revenge, has to be our answer.
Hate and/or fear are often times learned. Learned from the repeated vicious words and deeds of others.
Great post Well said God bless you!
“The human mind is more deceitful than anything else.” (Jer. 17:9, NET Bible). What is the treatment against such? To love God and our neighbor as ourselves.
Great post. Thanks for sharing.
I was thinking of the same song today. Hatred is a learned behavior. Why is it so hard to teach love?
Maybe because love must be a verb before it can be a noun.
Amen!
Mitch, Good post! May I add one thing. When a Muslim says ‘God’ they mean Allah. Allah is not God! I believe God clearly identified Himself to let us know that: https://jlue.wordpress.com/2016/05/21/god-said-this-is-my-name-forever/?preview_id=15776&preview_nonce=1dacbf0ac5&post_format=standard&preview=true
Allah is the Arabic word for God, used not just by Muslims but by Arab Christians, as well. But I would certainly agree that the Islamic understanding of God is very different from that of Christians.
I didn’t know Arab Christians used the name, Allah. Of course God knows His own and reveals Himself to those who come to Christ.
You’re right, Mitch. Love is the only answer–Love that refutes the lies taught by erroneous dogmas. May the next would-be shooters be stopped in their tracks by the Christian love that surrounds them now. We are all responsible. God help us!
Amen and amen, Nancy!
Beautifully said.
Sadly I don’t think we have to be taught to hate. I think the sinful nature we are born with causes us naturally to place ourselves first. You’re right it is only with God’s love and grace can we go against the current of our nature.
Good point, Dede. I do think, however, that there are those who take advantage of our fallen nature by bending it to their will, i.e. those who cast stumbling blocks before us.
Absolutely.
Absolutely
Good words fitly spoken, Mitch. Great post about too tragic an incident.
Thank you for posting this, really made my night, this was horrific and it will never be forgotten. I still am very angry and sadden by this. Your words made it easier to swallow and easier to rest my eyes tonight. Thank you.
Shay-lon
YES! You know I am telling you the absolute truth, I was a victim of violent crime, my 5 year old daughter was molested, (she’s grown up now, had counselling) but yes! I hated none I prayed I never would. Praying to love my enemies is tops on my list and that’s the ones who actually DO Me harm. I can’t even imagine hating someone for their race, their creed or anything else. When we are born of God we cannot hate……..This is the difference between being spiritually born of God (true Christianity) and living in religion. Religion is a dry dead thing. It does not produce love.
Thank you for your wise words, Laura, and for taking the wrenching journey that has enabled you to share those words!
For a many crazed, diseased, f. D up guys who twist the great religions and for this our sons have to suffer who ten times kiss their mothers feet, these are not one of us
Hi mitch. Too many shocking events! Too many lies little truth! Too much darkness not enough light! Thank you for wanting to follow my poetry adventures. Very interested in all things paranormal! Even written a paranormal play! Peace and Best Wishes.The Foureyed Poet.