"Hating the sin but loving the sinner"...
Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2011 3:10 am
In many ways this statement of hating the sin but loving the sinner makes perfect sense, because it affirms our Christian belief that murder is unacceptable, but says we still should hold forgiveness in our hearts toward those who have committed murder - even if the civil law then takes them off to be punished.
However, when it is applied to a class of people who have historically been shunted aside as being less than worthy, I am wondering if a better analogy to the crime scenario might be hate the civil rights but love the black person. After all, both groups whom we "love" are accorded an acceptable status until they do something we don't like such as voting or getting married to the wrong people. Doesn't it rather put in doubt the contention of love or acceptance in the first place? Laws were enacted to prevent blacks from marrying any but their own kind, while laws have been written to prevent gays from marrying their own kind. Seems we would accord these groups the same rights that we enjoy if we really meant the love part.
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However, when it is applied to a class of people who have historically been shunted aside as being less than worthy, I am wondering if a better analogy to the crime scenario might be hate the civil rights but love the black person. After all, both groups whom we "love" are accorded an acceptable status until they do something we don't like such as voting or getting married to the wrong people. Doesn't it rather put in doubt the contention of love or acceptance in the first place? Laws were enacted to prevent blacks from marrying any but their own kind, while laws have been written to prevent gays from marrying their own kind. Seems we would accord these groups the same rights that we enjoy if we really meant the love part.
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