Hate

You've got to be taught
To hate and fear,
You've got to be taught
From year to year,
It's got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught!

The Broadway Musical "South Pacific" has the above song in it. I choke up whenever I hear it. IT SAYS SO MUCH! It is talking about Racism but it could just as well be talking about homophobia or any of the myriad other hatreds that permeate our society.

I was talking with my friend Craig the other day and the subject of the young man who killed his classmate came up. He is to be tried as an adult. I said that I thought that was sad. When asked why I quoted the above song. He was not born that way. How many of you have ever held a little baby. A newborn, when it becomes aware has only love for those who care for and feed and cuddle it. There is much joy in a child. Much love. What happens? What happens when that same child comes to school and becomes (or is already) a bully? They weren't born that way. They didn't grow that way naturally. The vast majority of people aren't that way - or at least they didn't used to be. Somewhere along the way they were taught to hate.

It may not have been a conscious choice on the part of their parents/teachers/friends but it happens. Why? What takes a sweet little child and turns them into a hate machine?

This past week-end some parents and families were sitting in a church. A man (?) came into that church with the express purpose of killing people. He had a shotgun. He hated. It turns out that this was a hate crime. Or at least that is the way it is being reported. You see this was not a "Christian Church" It was a Unitarian Church. I have friends who are Unitarian and they are fine loving and caring people. They probably express more compassion and caring than many so called "Christians." They certainly don't teach hatred and they don't go around carrying signs that say "God Hates Fags" and picket soldiers funerals. They don't spew forth that hatred by making statements that the reason for the tornadoes and hurricane Katrina was because God wants to punish the sinful city of New Orleans or other places. They were quietly and joyfully watching children perform a musical. That is one of the ways they celebrate their spirituality. By performance. Celebrating the joy that God gives to all of us. (More here.)

So this liberal hating person came in and in one moment he tried to destroy all of that - because of his hate. We allow that hatred to grow and fester every time we do not speak out against injustice. Every time we allow blacks or gays or anyone to be treated as less than human. Every time one of the "right-wing" of the Republican party decides to demonize gay people and come out against gay people being allowed to marry or to adopt. When they repeat the mantra "I'm for 'family values.' " When they don't speak out against injustice. They have even decided that the only way to win an election is to use the gays as whipping boys. Oh no you say? I have seen it on TV. It happened before and it continues to happen. The Karl Roves of the party don't seem to believe in their own values enough to put them before the world so they have to set forth lies about others and use fear tactics to win elections. And while they are doing that they are giving their permission and even encouraging these hate mongers to go into churches and schools and other places and kill people.

I heard about more bombings on the news. In India and other middle eastern countries. A religion of hate? We talk about the number of dead American soldiers in Iraq and leave out the wounded. We leave out the number of troops of our allies who have been killed and maimed and we totally dismiss the Iraqi men, women and children who have been killed and maimed in this horrible crime against humanity. We call it a war against terrorism but we have our own terrorists here. Terrorists who, like those abroad, have been carefully taught to be that way.

If you get right down to it the war on terrorism is not because of something Osama Bin Laden and his carefully taught extremists did. It is because of something we did and continue to do. The cowboy in the White House is largely responsible for the climate of hate and fear in the world today. And the frightening snakes in pastor's clothing who give their people license to hate are responsible for the climate of hate and fear in the United States. They are carefully teaching the children that it is all right to hate. It is all right to maim. It is all right to kill.

And hypocrites that they are they do it in the name of the most gentle loving person who ever walked the face of this earth. The person who called God his "father" and told us that we could also be the children of God. That person who did not use fear or hatred to bring God to us but who showed us that GOD IS LOVE - THAT GOD IS LIGHT - And in him is no darkness at all." That person whose message has been completely forgotten by those who are supposed to be his followers.

Even the Anglicans, meeting in England, have given permission for their membership to hate by excluding the gay Bishop of New Hampshire from attending. Well Gene Robinson has more of Christ in him that does the Archbishop of Canterbury who just seems more interested in preserving his power and privilege than in living his (so-called) Christianity. Bishop Robinson is quietly witnessing Christ to the world by his gentle prayerful activities this week. He is writing a blog about it. He inspires me because, even though he could hate, he doesn't.

So do I say all preachers are this way? All politicians? Of course not, I know several who are also loving gentle quiet people who witness to God and Christ in a loving way and who show by their actions that they know a God of Love. However sometimes they are silent and in that silence they allow haters to grow. Strong stances have to be taken against bullies and hatred. You can't keep quiet. You have to show the love that God has for every thing He has created and he created everything. He did not create some to be saved and some to be cast into flames. He created everything and "behold it was very good." When we recognize that and forgive those who hate us as Christ did we will begin to build the world that was shown to us as a possibility 2008 years ago.

Thanks for stopping by. And remember - You are Love. Hugs, j