Articles
Moral Judgments and Hate
We are living in a time where public debate is poisoned by accusations of hatred. The conversation may go something like this:
Querist: Are you going to Tom and Bill’s wedding?
Christian: No, I cannot in good conscience attend their wedding. I believe that marriage is a covenant between a man and a woman, and I cannot lend support to homosexual marriage by my presence.
Querist: You are so narrow-minded! You have no right to stand in judgment about someone else’s choices! They’re not hurting anyone. They have every right to do whatever makes them happy.
Christian: My value system is rooted in Scripture; my moral views rest on its unchanging standards. As a society we cannot make marriage into whatever kind of living arrangement we want it to be without doing great harm to the psychological fabric of our culture, especially children.
Querist: You’re just a hateful bigot! It’s people like you who are the problem. You want to impose your Draconian standards on everyone else. The world has moved on from Puritanical Bible morality, but you religious Bible-thumpers are stuck in the past. You ought to be sent to sensitivity training.
Observations:
1) These kinds of attacks are ad hominem: “to the person.” They completely shut down give-and-take discussion by insulting one’s opponent. To simply snarl “racist” or “homophobe” or “bigot” is to do what one accuses others of doing: impose their will by terminating the conversation.
2) These kinds of attacks manifest the very hatred being railed against. To refuse to endorse someone who has a vastly different moral standard is not hatred. The Christian in the conversation above did not advocate any kind of violence or penalty against the homosexual couple. He did, however, state his conviction that such behavior is harmful. This is a matter of further exploration, not a cause to shut down dialog.
3) It is increasingly obvious that our nation is becoming extremely polarized. Yes, some on the “right” do show violent tendencies, intolerance and hatred. But extremists aren’t confined to the right. Those who truly understand the teaching and character of Christ will never advocate disrespect, hatred or retaliation.
As a matter of public policy, I believe the laws of this nation should prohibit, or at least not favor, aberrant sexual behavior along with other activities destructive to the common good. But, of course, such requires lawmakers trained to make well-informed, balanced moral distinctions.
As a matter of Scriptural conviction, believers must love those who are wayward and confused and seek their spiritual welfare. If they are my neighbors, co-workers or fellow shoppers, I must treat them with respect even though I cannot condone their behavior. To equate that with hatred is despicable, and to turn the believer into a public enemy – as was done in first century Rome – is itself judgmental and inhumane.
