Is Hate Killing America?

Written by Jimmie Burroughs

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”  – Martin Luther King, Jr.

According to a recent Gallup poll, there is an ever growing contingency of Americans who actually hate America: “Only 63% of U.S. adults say they are either ‘extremely proud’ or ‘very proud’ to be American, the lowest level of patriotism ever recorded since Gallup first asked the question in 2001. Only 4 out of 10 respondents ages 18-34 claim they are extremely or very proud of being American.”  No wonder, more and more Americans are now leaning towards changing America, even to a socialistic government, which, by the way, has failed miserably in every other nation who has ever tried it. It is sad that we are raising a new generation of people who hate America, and ironically some of them are being sent to Washington D.C. to represent us. Another sad thing revealed in a recent survey, which states that 51% of Democrats and 8% of Republicans prefer a socialized government over our present government. I wonder if they realize that a socialized government will control everything. In other words, the Federal Government would tell you where to work and how much you can earn and where to live, in one of the government owned homes, along with every other aspect of life. Freedom of choice would be a thing of the past.

In the Christmas Classic “Scrooge,” Ebenezer Scrooge lived his life totally consumed by hate and self-centeredness. One day the terrifying end result was revealed to him. When he saw his miserable future, he completely changed. Love began to control his life. The darkness was driven away and replaced with light and joy. Though fictional, the lesson of what hate will do to you is very real.

2020 was a year of hate; even as the COVID-19 Pandemic raced across the globe killing millions, evil nations like Iran, Syria, Russia, China and North Korea expressed hate towards America and would celebrate if America ceased to exist. The “Black Lives Matter” drive in America became a symbol of Hate, a symbol which ironically has been painted on main streets across America. Probably no one thing has set back the cause of justice and equal rights for people of color more than this movement whose objective is to denigrate, defund and kill police. Petter Eide, a Socialist Left member of the Storting, Norway’s parliament, in his nomination letter, nominated Black Lives Matter, “for their struggle against racism and racially motivated violence,” for the Noble Prize. This is hard to understand when the unified cry, of BLM supporters is, “Pigs in a blanket, fry ’em like bacon.” Is the BLM burning down cities qualifying them for the Noble Peace prize? This group should be listed among the other hate groups that plague America.

More are waking up to the central point that Black Lives Matter isn’t about black lives. If that were the case, what about the 8,000 to 9,000 black lives lost each year at the hands of other blacks, in their own communities across America. Why doesn’t those black lives matter as well as the lives of African American police officers? Black Lives Matter isn’t about “holding police accountable,” and it is not in all good-faith a call for reasonable reform. It is a hate movement plain and clear that is hurting the black cause and costing billions of tax dollars in destruction and lawlessness. However, that is not the only place we saw hate in 2020. It came from the White House, from the U.S. Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, the Liberal News Media, from Hollywood as well as from political supporters of both parties. Hate is a destructive force that is killing America.

I’m for equal rights and justice for all as well as acceptance and respect of all people, but I don’t believe it can be forced through mayhem and violence but must be earned, which is true for anyone. Everyone will never be accepted or respected in some circles. How many of the 74 million who voted for Donald Trump would be accepted into His circle of billionaire and socialite friends? Not that many I’m fairly sure. There always have been bigots and there always will be who will not receive or respect certain people because they do not believe they are on the same level or for whatever the reason.

Last year the destructive protests were praised by many, even some in high office. It is true, because we are a free democratic republic, we have the right to peacefully protest, the key word being peacefully, but when that right is abused and leads to looting, lawlessness and destruction as well as injury and loss of life, it is wrong and must be halted. While there are some who want to protest peacefully, every recent protest movement has evolved into lawlessness, looting, mayhem and mass destruction of private and public property. The Apostle Paul, under inspiration, wrote the Bible book of Romans during one of the most repressive governments in history, the Roman Empire. However, Paul never led a protest against that evil empire; In fact, he did the opposite: Romans 13:1-2, 1“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.” There is no place for a Christian to be involved in protests or insurrection against the government like we saw throughout 2020 and again during the assault on the Capitol on January 6.

There is corruption in government and always has been, but there is also corruption everywhere all around us, in the military, in the police force, in the medical profession and even in the church. I knew a pastor, personally, who stole thousands of dollars from his church before he was caught and sent to jail. We have every right to abhor such things, but we are still to be subject to the higher powers. In spite of the corruption, we can still respect our soldiers and our police officers because there are still many who are diligently trying to uphold law and order and protect us.

It might amaze some that hate is a God given drive. We are made in God’s image and share some of His drives, hate being one of them. You might ask if hate is so terrible, could God possibly hate. There is a hate which is not sin, hatred of evil. God hates evil. In Proverbs 6:16-19 we read, “These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” How well that verse describes what we have witnessed in 2020 and on January 6 of the new year. We are to hate what God hates: Proverbs 8:13 – “The fear (respect) of the Lord [is] to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.” Those haters, under the guise of religion, who think they do God a favor by brutally killing innocent people, are in for a rude awakening someday when they stand in judgment before an angry God. The common hate we see across the world is not the hate of evil: it is evil personified. Hate darkens the soul, and blinds spiritual eyes, and like a fire it will consume all in its path. “But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes,” 1 John 2:11.

Many say they believe in God and say they love Him, yet hate their brothers, brothers from all ethnic backgrounds. Scripture says they are liars: “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” 1 John 4:20. Some may think hating people is their right and is their way of revenge, but in essence it is destroying them. “Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat,”- Harry Emerson Fosdick. “Hatred is a closed and barred door that blocks the way to heaven,” – source unknown. “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him,” 1 John 3:15. God forbids us to hate: “Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him,” Leviticus 19:17. We may never be able to halt the injustice toward people of color or anyone else, but there is one thing we as Christians are obligated to do with love, that is to personally treat all with the respect they deserve as God’s own creation. Some never seem to learn this and pay the consequences. A up and rising country singer used the “N” word recently and it cost him. His presence on 100s of airways was dropped immediately. It is to be noted from that kind of swift justice that there are many in America who are respecting those of color.

Some might say, “well I have enemies who would do me harm; am I supposed to treat them like a brother?” Here is what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount: “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Matthew 5:44-47. The Sermon on the Mount was not about doing but about being. The emphasis of Christian life is about an inward change that make the outward personal actions a matter of desire rather than rote behavior based on a set of dos and don’ts.

Jesus taught those things that would help those who heard and who abided by them. We may recoil when we hear those things which the Bible teaches. Nevertheless, they are not given to make life harder but to make it bearable. For example, why do you suppose the Bible forbids fornication and adultery? These sins may bring pleasure for a season, but the end result is misery or even death.

Perhaps you are the object of someone else’s hate, and I know blacks have shamefully been mistreated for decades, but they are not the only ones. Read what Jesus, the master teacher says about that: “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his Lord,” John 15:18-20.

Could it be your indifference that is keeping you from conquering the hate in your life? “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference,” – Elie Wiesel. 

The definition of indifference: “A lack of care, concern or interest. An example of indifference is when you don’t care or put effort into something.” It is essential that you care about others, your relationships, your health, your future and put forth the effort to change if you are ever able to win over hate. A good starting place is by establishing a relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. I have prepared a step-by-step guide, based on the Bible, to show you the way. If you are ready, CLICK HERE.