Quick Question~Do We Have To Like Everyone?

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How can you “love” someone you don’t know?
You pray for them.

In the past I’ve had bitter enemies. Finally I prayed for them when it almost broke my teeth and the situation resolved itself.
 
Gets me to thinking…

…how did Jesus handle this. He was truly human, so there were undoubtedly people that put him off for one reason or another. I’m certain he ran into “that guy” during his earthly ministry that was very difficult to like.

😉
 
You want to love, so you get to know.
Then you love.
But, to love, you must know first. Otherwise you may not love. You do not love something that you do not know. You do not love the unknown…
 
Gets me to thinking…

…how did Jesus handle this. He was truly human, so there were undoubtedly people that put him off for one reason or another. I’m certain he ran into “that guy” during his earthly ministry that was very difficult to like.

😉
Maybe yes, maybe no, I simply do not know…
 
But, to love, you must know first. Otherwise you may not love. You do not love something that you do not know. You do not love the unknown…
That’s exactly what I said -
You want to love, so you get to know.
Then you love.
The obvious conclusion is that we can’t ‘love’ everyone, nor even ‘like’ everyone, because we don’t know them.

Which makes me believe that the Christian/Catholic admonition that we ‘love’ our fellow man has been wrongly interpreted.

Perhaps the word ‘respected’ would be better?

Then, if that is accepted, a multitude of other questions arise.

For example, does respect have to be earned?
 
That’s exactly what I said -

The obvious conclusion is that we can’t ‘love’ everyone, nor even ‘like’ everyone, because we don’t know them.

Which makes me believe that the Christian/Catholic admonition that we ‘love’ our fellow man has been wrongly interpreted.

Perhaps the word ‘respected’ would be better?

Then, if that is accepted, a multitude of other questions arise.

For example, does respect have to be earned?
Love is to do good to people, even if you do not like them.
Love your enemies is pure love.
 
How to love w/o knowing?

I think we can love strangers by assuming that they are good unless you have good proof that they’re bad. This is the authority of Aquinas speaking.

But how if you don’t know? I think that we know that people are good in their being, for anything that has being is good. So you should love their humanity and also, we don’t know that they’re bad w/o strong proof and even then we can’t be perfectly certain. There is stronger evidence for people being good then not.

Finally it is good for us since if we’re wrong, then we sin against their honor and that damages us.

But these except for the first two sentences are my opinion.
 
That’s exactly what I said -

The obvious conclusion is that we can’t ‘love’ everyone, nor even ‘like’ everyone, because we don’t know them.

Which makes me believe that the Christian/Catholic admonition that we ‘love’ our fellow man has been wrongly interpreted.

Perhaps the word ‘respected’ would be better?

Then, if that is accepted, a multitude of other questions arise.

For example, does respect have to be earned?
The philosophical question that I was trying to address in a clumsy way was this: “Do we love first?”, or “do we know first?”.
To know, we must love first, for we do not know what we do not want to know.
But to love, we must know as we cannot love what we do not know.
So, what comes first, the hen or the egg?
 
Jesus loves each and every one of his neighbours as he loves himself, but how does Jesus love the person who condemned him to death, the soldiers who nailed him to the cross?

He forgave them on the cross, in order that he should continue to love them as he loves himself.

It seems that Jesus lived the greatest commandments to an extreme, nothing should get in the way of following these commandments.
 
I was having a discussion with someone regarding hating another person. I said that we don’t have to like everyone we come in contact with as it is human nature for personalities to clash, however, we should not hate them or hold any type of ill-will towards them.

My question is…was I right? 😊 🤷 I don’t want to give false information. What does the Church say regarding people that we don’t particularity care for?
The way I understand things is that we don’t have to “like” everyone, or even anyone. We just have to love everyone, and be charitable towards them. Not slander them, or gossip about them. Not to speak ill of anyone. To pray and wish well for all. We have to acknowledge all as the potential saints that we all are. Does than mean you must desire their company? I don’t think so. I could be wrong of course, (and probably am). I’m not real comfortable with hate, and thankfully haven’t been for quite some time. All the same, I do prefer the company of some people over others under the canopy of discernment. As disciples of Christ, we must try to conquer even this feeling, I’m sure. Love your neighbor as yourself is a hard teaching. It’s one of the hardest. But at least we can learn not to hate. I know it’s possible, because it’s happened to me personally, by the grace of God alone. I’m not taking credit for it. Just saying it’s possible.

Blessings,

Steven
 
Gets me to thinking…

…how did Jesus handle this. He was truly human, so there were undoubtedly people that put him off for one reason or another. I’m certain he ran into “that guy” during his earthly ministry that was very difficult to like.

😉
In fact, he was one of the apostles!
 
I was having a discussion with someone regarding hating another person. I said that we don’t have to like everyone we come in contact with as it is human nature for personalities to clash, however, we should not hate them or hold any type of ill-will towards them.

My question is…was I right? 😊 🤷 I don’t want to give false information. What does the Church say regarding people that we don’t particularity care for?
“Jesus said love one another. He didn’t say love the whole world.” - Mother Teresa

also “Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world. If any man love the world, the charity of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2:15
 
Gets me to thinking…

…how did Jesus handle this. He was truly human, so there were undoubtedly people that put him off for one reason or another. I’m certain he ran into “that guy” during his earthly ministry that was very difficult to like.

😉
He had a whole posse of “that guy”: they were called the Pharisees! Even He had to go off on a rant and call them a bunch of whitewashed tombs and a bag of snakes.
 
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