Christian Hate?

Why do people commit acts of hatred in the name of Christianity?

In some cases it's because by wrapping it in religion, they hope to keep others who call themselves Christians (but haven't really thought about it) off their case.  Either that, or they've forgotten what the Bible teaches.

Christians are not supposed to hate other people, not even

Unbelievers Homosexuals Abortion Providers People of other religions

People with more money than they have People with less money than they have People who don't look like them You

Not even when the "other people" hate them.  Why not?  Because God loves those other people, even though He hates their sin.  It isn't easy to love and pray for your enemies, but that's what Christians are called upon to do. ( Luke 6:27 )

It is not up to us to pay people back when they've sinned against us.  That is for God to do  ( Romans 12:17-19 ) for only He can do it right.  In the case of crimes, that responsibility has been given to Governments, who are responsible for protecting their citizens.

On the other hand...

Would you agree that children must sometimes be kept from doing things which may harm them, because they don't understand?  In the same way, we are warned by God, through the Bible, that certain things should not be done, even when we want to do them and don't understand how they are harmful.  Doing the things we know we should not do is sin.  It is showing contempt for the One who created us.

There are Christians, then, who would like to protect people from harm, even when those people don't think they are in danger.  Sometimes even Governments make harmful decisions without realizing it.  The act of trying to protect people against harm brought on by sin is sometimes seen as an act of hate.  But it isn't the people we should hate, it's the sin.

Can you see the difference between hating the sin and hating the sinner?

It's a narrow line between the two, and even some who consider themselves Christians have trouble with this.