I was horrified by the brutal attacks of Hamas on Israel. But what surprised me even more was the hate and support of this horror by US activist groups on college campuses. Hamas is a terrorist group who brutally tortured and murdered innocent people. That’s it! There is no justification for such acts of terror. And notably, the Southern Poverty Law Center, which is quick to identify hate groups, has yet to denounce Hamas as a hate group. I guess, “Death to Israel.” “Eliminate all Jews” is not enough for them to determine hate! They have also failed to criticize pro-Palestine student groups that have engaged in hate against Jewish students since the attack on Israel.

Now, have innocent people been caught in this horror? Yes, on both sides. But when I saw the videos and pictures of what Hamas did to women and children, it sickened me and reminded me of the Holocaust.  The worst of humanity was on display. And the intensity of hate and evil on display was frightening. This is simply no excuse big enough to justify what happened.

However, in reporting on this event, reporters could not restrain themselves from blaming everyone but the people who committed the acts. It was sickening to listen to the coverage. I listened to three major networks hoping to learn the facts without having to endure their opinions and blame. They didn’t report facts. In fact, they got the facts wrong regarding Hamas bombing its own hospital.  We have lost the important role of media in reporting facts. All we get is opinion and bias. But terror is terror. You don’t have to be a journalist to see the videos and know this was evil. Nothing justifies it.

The dynamics in the Middle East are complex and generational. The quick instinct to point fingers, generalize and oversimplify the Mideast conflict created fear and hate. Words kill. They are powerful and stoke the fires of hate.

Understand hate in the brain:

What’s interesting about the emotion of love and the emotion of hate is they follow a similar process in the brain, both of those are intense emotions, but there’s a distinct difference. When people are in love, they deactivate their judgment: they think everything’s wonderful and everybody’s great. They’re not very discerning.

Exactly the opposite happens when you’re in hate: your judgment is used, and it starts to activate parts of your brain that are associated with aggression, including the motor parts of your brain. If you think about your hate, focus on it, and start to ruminate on it, then the brain goes into logic and planning, calculating how to harm somebody. Thus, hate is an emotion that tells you to do something–it activates aggressive impulses, which is why it’s so dangerous. Hate is mind-altering. That’s one of the reasons why the Bible has so many scriptures lumping hate with very serious kinds of sins.

Reasons we hate:

There are many reasons why people find themselves in this negative state of emotion–they have been deeply hurt by someone, fear others who are different, or feel empty and target others to deal with the void. Sometimes, we hate because others remind us of negative things about ourselves and we project those feelings on to others. Hate can also be bred by betrayal and by envy. Hate in the Middle East is generational and the result of longstanding religious conflicts.  The recent conflict is increasing hate between Muslims and Jews. But hanging on to hate becomes all-consuming and affects a person physically as well as spiritually and emotionally. In the end, hate leads to bitterness.

Hate is learned:

We learn to hate —whether the source is online, a family system, disturbed friends, cultural attitudes, or tolerance for hate—something begins to build hate as a way to deal with others and/or ourselves. But hatred is a sin of the heart. For the Christian, it is understood to be as dangerous as an act of murder. We are directed to rid ourselves of this destructive emotion.

The science of hate tells us that people who feel hate often believe they can also be loving and kind. But hate is a cancer and brings only destruction. “Whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes” (1 John 2:11). You cannot hate and love God.

Rid yourself of hate:

There is no positive benefit or place for hate unless you direct that emotion toward evil. Psalm 97:10. “Let those who love the Lord hate evil.” The way to get out of that darkness is to walk in the light and allow God to transform your heart. Love doesn’t motivate us to harm people, hate does. If you are motivated by hate, it robs you of peace and joy, it blocks empathy and may activate you to aggression. Spiritually, you are moving in blindness and darkness. 1 John 2:11 says, “But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.” So rid yourself of hate:

• Forgive those who have hurt you.
• Let go of bitterness and the need for revenge.
• Stop thinking and ruminating about personal injustices.
• Do not allow hate to consume you.
• Consider how can you be part of a solution and begin to open your heart to love.

In today’s world, we need healed hearts. Yet in my lifetime, we have moved away from national conversations that include the role of faith in a nation that was founded on faith in God. Instead, we only discuss secular solutions that fall short, and are incapable of changing a hateful person’s heart.

Only God changes hearts. Only God can take a terrorist like Saul and transform him to Paul who loved those he once hated. If we want to stop hate, we need God’s transforming power. And sadly, that’s not a message we hear anywhere in today’s analyses of our hate problem. But it is a message the church needs to preach.

Humility is needed

If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Action steps:

1. Humble ourselves
2. Confess the hate
3. Release the hate completely
4. Turn from our wicked ways

The God response:

1. Heaven will hear our prayers
2. God will forgive our sin
3. The land will be healed

Choose love, not hate

The question is, will you choose love over hate? We have a choice. We can be silent when we don’t understand complex foreign issues and educate ourselves on the history of such conflicts. We have a choice not to jump on hate messages and stand for good not evil.

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. – Psalm 19:14

Honorable conduct includes the words we say. Those words should not include name-calling, gloating, elitism, fear mongering, hate, lying and disgust. Instead, we are to guard our hearts and mouths because words are powerful. Matthew 5:44 tells us to bless those who curse us and pray for those who despitefully use us. Ultimately, we are to love our enemies. This is only possible with a transformed heart.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” Now is the time to model love, humility, and civility towards one another. Have we forgotten that mercy triumphs over judgment? Condemn evil acts, but choose love over hate.