I THOUGHT I was a Christian, BUT...

[biglolcat]

I THOUGHT I was a Christian but my Leaders are telling me I have to HATE those less fortunate than me!

I THOUGHT Jesus wanted me to Love & support those less fortunate than I,

BUT...

[nevynreally]

Perhaps if you all posted a list of posters you don't agree with, some of us wouldn't bother trying to have discussions anymore.

Then you can pat yourselves on the back, repeatedly.

[biglolcat]

"Perhaps if you all posted a list of posters you don't agree with..."

???

[biglolcat]

SO...

There's what I learned from Jesus.

Then there's what our "Leaders" say "JESUS SAID".

And according to THEIR Jesus...

[moonflyte]

I'm sorry for you if you think Jesus told you to hate those less fortunate than you. If you really are a Christian you would not have started this post.

Perhaps you'd be better to try another religion, one that does not believe in Jesus because I'm sure that no Christian church preaches what you have said.

If this is not about your church and your beliefs than come out and say what you really mean.

[moonflyte]

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@biglolcat wrote:

"who is telling you to hate people less fortunate than you..."

Really? 

You have to ask?

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Yes I do have to ask because what you are saying is appalling and needs explanation or is this thread code for something entirely different?

[skyrider12-au]

This children's hymn was written during the 19th century, yes the 3rd verse you are talking about is worded in the way you have written, how-ever, if you want to relate the tale of the hymn then it would be a good idea if you told the whole story, instead of the bit that suits your reply to nevyreally.

(wikipedia)

Due to the third verse's endorsement of the class system, many later versions and performances of the hymn omit it. The United Church of Canada includes a fourth verse, which seems particularly appropriate to Canadian geography: "The rocky mountain splendour, / the lone wolf's haunting call, / the great lakes and the prairies, / the forest in the fall.

AS for not singing it any more ... well you probably don't but quite a lot of children do sing this hymn in Sunday Schools across Australia.

Further more, the context of the original verse was not intended to convey the meaning that you have attempted to convey, the world has changed so much since this was first written when class distinction was a daily event, which is frowned upon today.  If you had any literary sense you would know just what this hymn, in it's entirety, is all about. (Yes I know it's been said that your a published author - but anybody can be anybody here)

[skyrider12-au]

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@biglolcat wrote:

I THOUGHT I was a Christian but my Leaders are telling me I have to HATE those less fortunate than me!

I THOUGHT Jesus wanted me to Love & support those less fortunate than I,

BUT...

---

Your thought process is all wrong - fyi, wars are started because people, like you, confuse religion with politics. I think you need help.

[icyfroth]

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@the_great_she_elephant wrote:

It's what I call the lifeboat syndrome, Lolcat.

We are bobbing around comfortably in out well provisioned little boat on the sea of life, but we are surrounded by shipwreck vitims, all struggling to climb on board and save themselves

. We know our boat won't hold them all and we fear that if we let some of them on  the others will swamp the boat and capsize it; but beating them off makes us  feel bad. So we tell our ourselves they do';t deserve to be saved; that they are unworthy, illegals, people who would probably turn out to be criminals or terrorists and murder us all in our beds if we rescued them

Once we've convinced ourselves of that, we don't have to feel guilty about what will happen to them when we fend them off with our oars and leave them to their fate.

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Well I don't know about that, but I've seen documentaries where they beat off the sharks that try to puncture or capsize the boats. Also where ppl have jumped overboard to end the misery of thirst, hunger and relentless heat. Leaving behind an empty boat.

Also where the dead have been thrown overboard.

It's called survival of the fittest,  She-el, and so far, we're still floundering.

[the_great_she_elephant]

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@djlukjilly wrote:

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@biglolcat wrote:

"who is telling you to hate people less fortunate than you..."

Really? 

You have to ask?

---

Yes I do have to ask because what you are saying is appalling and needs explanation or is this thread code for something entirely different?

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As I said in a previous post, we tell ourselves to hate them - and our Government encourages us to tell ourselves this. It is a defence mechanism. We know we cannot take in everyone who wants to come here - if we could there wouldn't be a problem. But we also know - or those of us with any skerrick of empathy (which is really only another word for imagination) know that this is fundamentally unfair. Seeking refuge from persecution is not a crime, seeking to drag oneself out of poverty is not a crime. these people are as deserving of safety and security as we are.

Most of us, if we did deep enough into our psyches, know at some level that we do not have any special entitlement to the privileges we enjoy in this country, we are merely extremely and undeservedly lucky to have been born into or  migrated into a society that affords us all these privileges. And that is where the guilt comes in. It is not a deserved or rational guilt. It is an unavoidable part of grief - a grief that so much pain and suffering exists in the world - on our very doorstep - and there is so little we can do to alleviate it. 

Guilt - especially irrational guilt - is very hard to live with. The way to deal with it is to acknowledge it, understand that it is simply a manifestation of frustrated compassion and accept that it will creep up on us from time to time. Unfortunately, some people don't understand that and they try to expunge it by demonising those whose plight has caused it and pretending they are not worthy of our compassion. 

[bright.ton42]

As I said in a previous post, we tell ourselves to hate them - and our Government encourages us to tell ourselves this. I

To HATE them?   Who tells themselves that?  Where has the govt said that? 

Me...... and I'm sure many many feel the same,  my heart just breaks for them.