In 2024, hate is so prevalent that it has become the acceptable norm rather than an aberration.   Many attempt to justify their hate with words like, “Do you know what they did or are doing?”  Others said, “I’m just giving back what I get, tit for tat.”  I’ve heard, “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”  And even some Christians have plunged to the level of hate, calling it righteous indignation. 

When the rhetoric and vitriol are continuous, what could we expect but some fringe mental midget taking the psychological suggestions and subliminal messages and acting on them?    The hatred of former President Trump from some on both sides of the political aisle is beyond my ability to explain.  I believe it is being belched from the pit of hell and designed to destroy America. 

Whether you love or hate the former president, surely you would agree that the heat of preferential passion is reaching the boiling point.  We are dangerously near a full-blown shooting war in America that will not be North vs South but ideologies and philosophies warring against each other.  

We are reaching, if we have not already reached, the point where hate triumphs over reason and preference triumphs over individual rights, constitutionally and biblically.

Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Darkness cannot drive out Darkness; only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out Hate; only love can do that.”   Hate is usually incredibly destructive mentally, physically, and spiritually.  Hate binds us in a prison torture chamber worse than any medieval creation.

Hate blinds the mind, clouds the heart, and strips the one filled with hate of the ability to reason rationally.  It seeks retaliation rather than restoration or reconciliation.  Hate enables one to view the lives of those they deem the enemy as without value. Hate is the root of most societal strife. 

I am reminded of two Bible passages that are germane to this discussion:

Ephesians 4:31-32 – “You must put away all bitterness, anger, wrath, quarreling, and slanderous talk – indeed all malice.  32 Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.”

Galatians 5:17-26 – “For the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires that are opposed to the flesh, for these are in opposition to each other so that you cannot do what you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. ¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, depravity, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and similar things. I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God!

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let us also behave in accordance with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, being jealous of one another.”

Hate destroys, but God’s love restores!   The problem we face today is a “Heart Problem.”  As long as we feed the serpent of hate, it will dominate us and our society, and we will see chaos, confusion, and destruction.  I am praying for a revival of the love of God and respect for each other.  I am praying for a restoration of civility and appreciation from the 1st Amendment.  I am praying for our world!  God help us; we are in trouble!

Prejudicial hate is destroying us.  People hate today based on ethnicity, religious preferences, political ideologies, socioeconomic status, educational status, musical preferences, sexual preferences, and even geographical affiliations.   Hate is irrational, illusional, and delusional. 

Those consumed with “hate” are zealous and believe beyond a doubt that they are right. They believe that everyone else is wrong, and rather than trying to persuade others with rational and logical arguments and debates, they seek to destroy the dissenters.  We have morphed from those on one side or the other wanting to establish ‘reeducation camps’ to the desire for ‘extermination’ of those disagreeing.  That is the end result of hate! 

Today’s American politics has been transformed from differences of opinion to a disallowance of any dissent or disagreement.  It is “my way or the highway.”  In some respects, is it “my way or the cemetery.”  Thus, we have incidents like that with former President Trump in Pennsylvania and the twenty-year-old who attempted to assassinate him.  Hate produces that kind of result.

Therefore, if we do not come to grips with reality and demand more civility and open debate without vitriol from ourselves and others, we will see more and more of these incidents.  Where will it end?  In a full-blown blood-letting civil war, and America will be destroyed!  We have a constitution and laws, and we must maintain the highest level of appreciation and value for human life so that we are restrained from being like the third-world nations that live in unbridled hate. 

America, we need to return or turn to God and reinvest ourselves in morality, civility, and respect.  God bless you, and God bless America!