Stop hatin'

This is one phrase I can't begin to understand.  

Over the years words seem to be given different meanings. It seems western society has allowed the terminology of the uneducated,  or as the Romans would have said; "the vulgar masses," to direct the use of the English language into a downward spiral.

Sounding uneducated is currently fashionable.  Perhaps uneducated is the wrong word. Some of the most eloquent speakers I have heard barely have a high school diploma.  Perhaps a better word is just plain stupid.

Getting back to the original premise here, what is hate, really? A pure dictionary definition places it as "an intense dislike or distaste for someone or something." Currently, one can't even disagree with someone else without being accused of hatred, or prejudice.  Disagreement isn't hatred.

Hatred is groups of youths gathering on city streets to play a game with the object of knocking out another person of a perceived "racial" heritage.  

Hatred is churches burned because they don't fit in with the predominant faith in a given country. 

Hatred is singling out an ethnic, religious,  or socioeconomic group and targeting them for violence and oppression.

The key teaching of Jesus Christ is love (see prior blog post). Love rejoices in the truth (1 Cor 13:6). Love speaks truth in ways that will be profitable to another (Eph 4:15,29).  Love doesn't fear (1 John 4:18).

We aren't perfect. Just the same, we need to wake up and see that people are confused on what hate is, but maybe they've forgotten Who Love is. Maybe the people who say we love God have forgotten the other half of that command.

So, don't be hatin'.