Love and Hate in Christianity

By: Alex Butler

I’m a firm believer that God created us all in love and wants us to love each other, no matter the form it might take. For many years, Christians have been spreading hate instead of love, invoking fear instead of welcoming people, and this is entirely incorrect. “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love (-1 John 4:8 NIV).” “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth (-1 Corinthians 13:4-6 NIV).” The Bible stresses that God is a God of Love. This is undeniable. It breaks my heart to see people in the streets, on their social media platforms, and in conversations using Christianity to justify hatred, discrimination, and condemnation. A lot of people love to throw around the word “sin” to justify their own biases and hate. That is not what Christianity is or should ever be about. People have turned their religious beliefs into a way to spread hate and fear. This abuse of religion for purposes of promoting their own personal discriminatory agendas is wrong. Christianity preaches to love before you hate, welcome before you condemn, treat everyone with a level of kindness, respect, and most importantly, love.

Everyone in the United States has a right to believe what they want to believe no matter what biases or discriminations that may entail. The problems start when people take to the streets to condemn and try to intimidate those who don’t believe the same things as they do. We all have freedom of religion, but it’s not right for someone to force their beliefs on another person. Years of public condemnation by Christians who feel the need to push their beliefs on others has led to people fearing to come out and openly be themselves. Christianity is the most common religion in the United States, and the majority of Christian denominations denounces homosexuality, non-conforming gender identities, and other people with LBGTQ+ identities existence to be sinful. In 2016, an estimated seventy percent of adults claimed Christianity as their faith when surveyed. Christianity has a massive influence on US culture and the general population's views, having a prominent history in our country, and retaining a massive following among the population. Part of this massive influence has included the condemnation of the people belonging to the LGBTQ+ community. The religious public condemnation of this entire group of people has given people who already were homophobic, transphobic, etc a sense of religious and personal mental justification for discrimination, abuse, and even violence. In the most recent report by the NCAVP (National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs) documenting anti-LGBTQ+ violent hate crimes in 2017, fifty-two violent crimes were reported, which showed an eighty-six percent increase from the previous year. This increase is not necessarily coordinated to Christianity or its effects on people’s motivations for hate crime, but Christianity has most certainly played a part in people's perception of LGBTQ+ people, whether their bias is conscious or not. Christianity’s history of being opposed to the community, along with the religion’s massive influence over our country has undoubtedly pushed people to condemnation just to remain true to the beliefs presented to them and expected of them.

The spreading of this hate and fear with widespread religious justification has led some people to believe that their feelings and quite possibly, their existence is sinful. No one should ever feel like there’s something sinful about who they love. Jesus was accepting of all lifestyles and of so many different types of people, why can’t they seem to follow that part of their Savior? Christianity shouldn’t be something to justify people’s own biases and dislike of groups of people. It’s been written in The Bible that Jesus walked, ate, and was known to make friends among those who were labeled outcasts and sinners by the religious leaders and society of his time. According to the Christian faith, Jesus came as a guide, a savior, an example, and a servant. He came to help and show people how to treat and accept others. Jesus died for everyone with no exceptions. God loves everyone with no exceptions. There should be no exceptions and exclusions in the Christian faith, but sadly this is not the case in our country. There are a few churches and denominations that are accepting and welcoming of people within the LBGTQ+ community, but those numbers are sadly outnumbered by the churches and denominations that condemn. When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was in the 22nd Chapter of The Book of Matthew, his simplified response was to love God and love people. When he said to love people, that included everyone, no matter their lifestyle, identity, or sexuality. People should not have to live in fear of the God they grew up worshiping, simply for being attracted to someone of the same sex as them. Christianity has given people justification to act on their internalized homophobia and biases. A religion based on love, acceptance, and kindness should not be discriminatory and hateful to an entire group of people based purely on their identities.

I want to establish that I am a Christian, and I consider myself to be strong in my faith. I’m not perfect by any means, but condemning others and spreading hate just isn’t what Christianity is about. Jesus called his followers to love their neighbors. There was never an “unless” in Christianity. God loves everyone no matter who we are, who we choose to love, who we live with, and who we support. God has a place for everyone in his kingdom; he always has and always will. Condemning Christians need to stop pretending like God doesn’t love all people when they themselves believe he’d created them. According to the Christian faith, each person is created in God’s image, no matter how they identify, their sexuality, or religion. It seems illogical to use The Bible and Christianity to justify discrimination and hate when Christianity revolves around an unconditional, all-loving God. The Christian God is one who loves above all else. Christians should always love and accept all people before they do anything else. They aren’t called to judge others; instead, they are simply to help, love, and welcome them.

Christianity as a whole has been too condemning and hateful in the mainstream public, and this is not how it should be. Those who use Christianity to force their biases on other people should not represent the religion. The number of condemning Christians tends to drown out the Christians that are supportive, loving, and welcoming like God calls them to be. In the eighth chapter of John in Scripture, religious leaders and townspeople brought a woman caught in adultery to Jesus. They asked him what they should do to her as punishment, as religious and Roman Law of the time differed. Instead of answering with punishment, he responded “Let anyone of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Not a single stone was thrown, and after the encounter, Jesus told the woman that he did not condemn her. This is the type of example he clearly set for Christians, and yet every day, many Christians are out condemning and spreading hate in the name of God and to “show people their sin”. The public view of Christianity has been tainted and distorted by the people that use Christianity to justify their own discrimination and negative biases. Religion is not a justification to spread hate and fear. If someone believes homosexuality to be sinful, while I don’t agree, they have a right to think so; however, spreading hate and fear-based on those beliefs contradicts the teachings of Jesus Christ. Churches should be quick to love, accept, and welcome; not condemn, hate, and hide their own bias behind their beliefs of what is and is not sinful. God’s top priority for his children is to love and not hate. He loves and forgives before he condemns. “And now these three remain faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13).”

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