Can we hate our leaders?

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Fitz

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I know that no one that reads these threads can deny that there are many Catholics or Christians that write very hateful comments about our leaders. I think that the lines have been blurred. We can dislike the actions of someone and not spew hatred. I won’t name the leaders that seem to take the brunt of this on this forum. I will let you just fill in the blanks.

Can you justify this behavior? Is this being Christian? Can we as Catholics or Christians be just like the rest of the mainstream and then expect our world to be a better place magically?

Rest assured, I am not saying we should not discuss world events. It is just the apparent hatred that worries me on a Catholic site.
 
Even with people who advocate policies that I really dislike, I try very hard to argue against the policy, not the person. (Echos of ‘love the sinner, hate the sin’ of course). I’m not saying that I’m always successful at this, but I really do try. ‘Politics, not people’. There is more than enough debate to go on about the politics to not require personalities to be brought into it.

Mike
 
There is a saying: “The line between good and evil runs through the middle of every human heart”.

No person is all good or entirely evil. To paint them that way is to create a cartoon of that person which has only a superficial resemblance to reality.

No, we shouldn’t hate our leaders - even those whose policies we strongly oppose. Hate is entirely too black and white. It portrays the other person as entirely without redeeming qualities, and by extension, puts us up on a pedestal. Hate is easy to do - that is part of its appeal.

As Christians we should love our leaders - as we love all other humans. And we should pray for them - that their eyes may be opened to the world as it really is, that they be given the wisdom to discern the right course of action and the strength to do the right thing… even if it is not politically popular.
 
I don’t think we as Christians can or should ever “hate” leaders or otherwise.
 
I agree with the sentiments above, and I will also add that not only should we not hate our own leaders, we shouldn’t hate leaders from other countries… or whole countries! I’ve heard some really absurd and bigotted talk on these forums about hating other nations.

We sing a song every week at mass that is prayer for God to bless the land we live in, the land we love, and also to bless the lands of other people just as much. It always brings me to tears, I’d like to see more of that attitude here! 🙂

Thanks for starting a thread on this topic!
 
I don’t hate anyone. But I do hate with a burning passion those policies and institutions that keep the death mills going in the name of compassion. The worst thing I’ve seen happen in our day is the demonizing of people who stand up against the death mills, even if their stance isn’t really all that strong. All any politician has to do to be viciously attacked and personally vilified is to stand, however weakly, against abortion and euthanasia. No words or actions too nasty, invasive, or cruel are barred by those who support these evils. That is where the real hatred is coming from. Our jobs as Catholics is to pray hard for their conversion of heart and to pity them, of course. But, we can also call a spade a spade when they begin to spew their lies and hatred.
 
No we shouldn’t hate our leaders. I don’t hate anyone.

There sure are some who seem to not only express hate for our leaders but hate for their own country. I see many anti american sentiments expressed here. Sad really. When one expresses so much respect for other countries but none for their own.
 
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aimee:
No we shouldn’t hate our leaders. I don’t hate anyone.

There sure are some who seem to not only express hate for our leaders but hate for their own country. I see many anti american sentiments expressed here. Sad really. When one expresses so much respect for other countries but none for their own.
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:amen:
 
To answer the question in the thread: NO!

To allow ourselves to hate anyone is against Church teaching as I understand it AND an enormous waste of the time and energy God has given us.
 
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aimee:
No we shouldn’t hate our leaders. I don’t hate anyone.

There sure are some who seem to not only express hate for our leaders but hate for their own country. I see many anti american sentiments expressed here. Sad really. When one expresses so much respect for other countries but none for their own.
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Just because one hates or dislikes the policies of one’s government does not mean that they hate their country or are anti-American. There is much more to the USofA than the central government.
 
Elaine's Cross:
Just because one hates or dislikes the policies of one’s government does not mean that they hate their country or are anti-American. There is much more to the USofA than the central government.
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When you say “one hates” the policies of one’s government, you have opened the door to hatred in general.

Look at Howard Dean, “I hate the Republicans and everything they stand for.” There is a man not driven by his own vision of what America should be, but by his hatred for his opponents. He has granted them control over his emotions and ultimately his mind.
 
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gilliam:
Hate erodes us from the inside out. It is never productive.
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Does this go for Islam as well?

Or maybe only Democrats?

How about Homoseuals?

Or possibly abortionists?

We often hear hate speach against certain sections of society on this forum although it is often wrapped in the sweetness of christianity, are we now to stop attacking those we disagree with? That would be nice.
 
vern humphrey:
When you say “one hates” the policies of one’s government, you have opened the door to hatred in general.

Look at Howard Dean, “I hate the Republicans and everything they stand for.” There is a man not driven by his own vision of what America should be, but by his hatred for his opponents. He has granted them control over his emotions and ultimately his mind.
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I agree with you Vern. I think the point that Elaine was trying to make was that some people are labeled as anti-American if they express criticism of the gov’t or administration.
 
I agree that we shouldn’t hate anybody and that includes our leaders. I can’t say that I have read anything showing hatred for our country on this forum. I have read things showing disagreement with policies, but that isn’t hatred.
 
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Steph700:
I agree with you Vern. I think the point that Elaine was trying to make was that some people are labeled as anti-American if they express criticism of the gov’t or administration.
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It works both ways. Some people label those on the right anti-American, just as others may label those on the left.

But one thing we should avoid is thinking that freedom of speech is a one-way street. There are a lot of people who are quick to accuse those who disagree with them of somehow “violating” their freedom of speech. This is nothing more than a ploy, and a pretty sleezy one at that.

Imagine if the proponents of abortion claimed Catholics were “violating” their freedom of speech by pointing out there is no moral difference between killing the unborn and those already born.
 
vern humphrey:
It works both ways. Some people label those on the right anti-American, just as others may label those on the left.

But one thing we should avoid is thinking that freedom of speech is a one-way street. There are a lot of people who are quick to accuse those who disagree with them of somehow “violating” their freedom of speech. This is nothing more than a ploy, and a pretty sleezy one at that.

Imagine if the proponents of abortion claimed Catholics were “violating” their freedom of speech by pointing out there is no moral difference between killing the unborn and those already born.
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Totally agree.
 
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