Why So Much Hatred?

A WAVE of hatred is sweeping through the world. You may hear about the massacre of helpless women and children. Mindless carnage may be caused by an exploding bomb in a public place. Or you may read reports such as these:

“Everybody hates and is ready to kill everybody else. Sometimes I am afraid that Lebanon is an indication of what may happen to the whole of humanity.” So lamented Nobel prize winner Isaac Bashevis Singer, and he added: “I tremble at the low state we have fallen into.”​—U.S.News & World Report, December 19, 1983.

“After four years of festering protest and a month of mounting violence, India’s oil-rich state of Assam exploded in a paroxysm of communal and religious hatred.”​—Time, March 7, 1983.

“West Belfast is the battle zone, where a grotesque ‘peace line’ of steel and concrete slashes through an eerie wilderness of shattered buildings . . . Sheltering among them, the terrorists [of various political persuasions] refresh their hatreds at the same poisoned well of Irish history.”​—National Geographic, April 1981.

Hatred is like a cancer in human society. We are supposed to be living in an enlightened world, far removed from the savagery of the past. Yet at all levels of society we see evidence of the sad truth once expressed by a Bible writer: “Hatred stirs up strife.”​—Proverbs 10:12, Revised Standard Version, Catholic edition.

Contention and strife are generated by propagandists who pour out floods of misinformation. Goaded on by blind hatred, misguided individuals may then resort to outrageous acts of violence. Yes, legitimate grievances often add fuel to the flames. But when you see the despair, the hopelessness, the agony of numberless victims of hate-inspired prejudice and violence, you may well ask in distress: ‘Why? Why is there so much hatred? Can it possibly be made to disappear? Will the world ever be completely free of hatred?’

Hope for Victims of Hate!

HATRED will end worldwide. But before we can see how that is possible, we need to know (1) what causes hatred, and (2) what needs to be done to eliminate it.

Of course, the word “hate” is often used freely. A small child screws up his face and exclaims, “I hate cod-liver oil!” You may not blame him. But obviously we are not talking about that kind of hatred.

The hatred causing present-day strife and heartache is an intense, often malicious, hostility. It can be sustained enmity toward certain people. This kind of hatred is like a consuming fire. When uncontrolled it can be deadly, as we know all too well.

What Causes It?

For one thing, the way history is sometimes taught to the young can color their whole view of nations and peoples. Admittedly, home influences play their part. Children can hardly ignore jaundiced remarks about another race or people. Why, look at how some of the Irish view the English, and vice versa!

Propagandists play their part too. Whether you are young or old, your thinking can be affected by what you hear. For instance, by listening to political propaganda you can come to hate people because they are wrongly stereotyped by some clever mind manipulator. How often this happens in wartime! Regarding this, J. A. C. Brown wrote in Techniques of Persuasion: “Quite often, as in war propaganda, he is merely trying to arouse strong emotions of hatred . . . against another group.” The effects of such propaganda? Brown says that it “not only leads to exaggerated hatred of the enemy but alleviates our own sense of guilt when we too behave brutally.”

You may think of some other causes of hatred. But, like other reasonable people, you are far more interested in what can be done to end this cause of so much suffering. So, what about that?

What Can Be Done About It?

Naturally you alone cannot change the world. But you might think that religion would be a fine influence against hatred of different kinds. Well, think about that for a moment. Has not religious bigotry often promoted hatred? At least the world’s religions have not been a great success in overcoming this blight on human society. Just think of the warring factions of differing religious persuasions in Lebanon and Northern Ireland. Interestingly, the 18th-century writer Jonathan Swift remarked: “We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.”

Now, this is not to say that religion should teach us not to hate anything at all. The Bible says: “For everything there is an appointed time, . . . a time to love and a time to hate.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 8) But this is godly hatred. This properly controlled emotion can be a protection. Obviously God hates evil things, and his servants rightly hate them too. As the psalmist put it: “O you lovers of Jehovah, hate what is bad.”​—Psalm 97:10.

But malicious hatred​—that is something else. How can it be avoided or eliminated? Here are some points to ponder:

Consider the source. Basically, blind hatred is the product of our imperfections. The Christian apostle Paul wrote: “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, and they are fornication, uncleanness, loose conduct, idolatry, practice of spiritism, enmities [hatred, Authorized Version], strife, jealousy, fits of anger, contentions, divisions, sects, envies, drunken bouts, revelries, and things like these. As to these things I am forewarning you, the same way as I did forewarn you, that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s kingdom.” (Galatians 5:19-21) Yes, enmities, or hatred, as well as strife and contentions, are “works of the flesh” that would bar a person from God’s Kingdom.

So any who yearn for heaven’s blessing must banish improper hatred from their heart. But how is this possible?

Guard your mind. You must guard what you feed your mind if you are to protect yourself from this destructive emotion or make it disappear from your life. Naturally this is difficult when you have a legitimate grievance or when some terrible injustice has been done or when your rights have been trampled upon. But, remember, you only make matters worse if you brood over such things and allow cancerous hatred to gnaw away inside you. Of course, guarding what you feed your mind is more easily said than done. But you can take some positive steps. For one thing, you can stop listening to the biased talk of those who foment hatred. Yet, what else can you do?

Think positively. This involves replacing bitter feelings with upbuilding, constructive ones. The apostle Paul put it this way: “Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are of serious concern, whatever things are righteous, whatever things are chaste, whatever things are lovable, whatever things are well spoken of, whatever virtue there is and whatever praiseworthy thing there is, continue considering these things.” (Philippians 4:8) Good advice! But more than positive thinking is needed. It is also a matter of placing trust where it will really do some good.

Trust in God’s goodness. Yes, have confidence in God’s ability and willingness to remedy matters. Then your emotions will not drive you into ill-conceived actions. Rather, you will be able to keep thinking clearly, rationally, reasonably. To that end, true Christians find prayer very helpful. As the apostle Paul said: “Do not be anxious over anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving let your petitions be made known to God; and the peace of God that excels all thought will guard your hearts and your mental powers by means of Christ Jesus.”​—Philippians 4:6, 7.

Hatred Already Disappearing

Admittedly such thinking and reliance on God do not develop overnight. But you can succeed. Hundreds of thousands have been able to follow Jesus Christ’s wise counsel: “You heard that it was said, ‘You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ However, I say to you: Continue to love your enemies and to pray for those persecuting you.”​—Matthew 5:43, 44.

In the first century, people from all around the then-known world became followers of Jesus Christ. And these individuals became known for such surpassing love. When hate-filled men stoned Jesus’ disciple Stephen to death, Stephen’s final words were: “Jehovah, do not charge this sin against them.” Stephen was ready to forgive them. He wanted the best for those that hated him.​—Acts 7:54-60.

Jehovah’s modern-day servants have also responded to the advice to love​—not just one another, their Christian brothers and sisters, but even those who hate them. They are working hard to eliminate malicious hatred from their lives. Recognizing the powerful forces that can engender hatred within them, they take positive action and replace hatred with love. Yes, “hatred is what stirs up contentions, but love covers over even all transgressions.”​—Proverbs 10:12.

The apostle John states: “Everyone who hates his brother is a manslayer, and you know that no manslayer has everlasting life remaining in him.” (1 John 3:15) Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that. As a result, they are now being integrated​—from all ethnic, cultural and former religious and political backgrounds—​into one united hate-free association of people, a genuine earth-wide brotherhood.

Hatred About to End!

‘But,’ you may say, ‘that’s all very well for the individuals concerned. However, this will not make hatred disappear from the earth altogether.’ True, even if you do not have hatred in your heart, you can still be its victim. So you have to look to God for the real solution to this problem.

Take heart, however, for all vestiges of misdirected, ungodly hatred will soon be removed from the earth. This will shortly take place under the rule of the heavenly government for which Jesus taught us to pray to God: “Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified. Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.” (Matthew 6:9, 10) When that prayer is fully answered, conditions that foster hatred will exist no more. Situations that exploit it will have been eliminated. Ignorance, lies and prejudice will have been replaced by enlightenment, truth and righteousness. Then, indeed, God ‘will have wiped out every tear, death will be no more, and neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore.’​—Revelation 21:1-4.

Now, the best news! The very generation that has seen hatred erupt into devastating world wars and has witnessed other evidence that we are living in “the last days” will see ungodly hatred vanish from this earth. (2 Timothy 3:1-5; Matthew 24:3-14, 34) In God’s promised New Order a genuine spirit of brotherhood will exist, for humankind will have been restored to perfection. Moreover, you can be here when our earthly home becomes a paradise and all its residents truly reflect God’s fine moral qualities. (Luke 23:43; 2 Peter 3:13) Yes, you can live when love prevails earth wide and ungodly hatred is a thing of the past.

But you do not have to wait until then to enjoy genuine brotherhood. In fact, as shown by the following account, Christian love already has found a place in hearts once filled with hatred.

[Blurb on page 5]

You can come to hate people because they are wrongly stereotyped by some clever mind manipulator

[Blurb on page 5]

“We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another”​—Jonathan Swift

[Blurb on page 6]

“Everyone who hates his brother is a manslayer”

[Picture on page 7]

Soon love and unity will fill the earth

My Heart Was Filled With Hatred

HOW vivid my recollection is! The young soldier had been left behind when his patrol moved out of the area. He was surrounded by a mob of jeering, threatening women. Then their ranks parted to allow a gunman through. He fired and left quickly. Yes, the young soldier had been killed.

Because of my bitter hatred for anything British, I felt little sorrow or compassion as the young man was carried away, his arm dangling from the stretcher. This was the enemy. His uniform was the symbol of those I considered the oppressors of my people. He was a soldier and we were at war.

That incident took place some years ago in strife-torn Belfast, Northern Ireland. Let me tell you how I became filled with hatred​—and more importantly, how I learned to eradicate it from my heart.

An Atmosphere of Hatred

When I was a very young girl, my family lived in an area of Belfast where Protestant and Catholic families were able to live and work together peacefully. But sectarian troubles began to get more bitter as civil rights protests gave way to violence and murder. Many times gangs of Protestant youths chased my brothers and beat them severely with metal-studded belts. These gangs rampaged through our part of the city, threatening residents and damaging property. After many threats that culminated in the placing of a bomb on the windowsill of our home, we were forced to leave the area and move to what became a Republican Catholic ghetto.

That was a time of brutal sectarian murders, tit-for-tat killings. For instance, the brother of a young school friend of mine was murdered while standing at the roadside. Such terrifying acts of violence, as well as the discrimination that I felt was being shown against Catholics in housing and employment, developed in me a desire to do anything I could to change things.

Into Paramilitary Activities

Having seen my friends in uniform, I wanted to be like them. So, as a young schoolgirl, I joined the junior branch of a Catholic paramilitary organization. As I listened to all the propaganda, my young heart was filled with hatred for those I viewed as enemies of my people. By attending meetings with others of similar ideals, I was imbued with fervour for ‘the cause’​—freedom for the Irish! My job? To watch for army patrols, distribute propaganda and keep on the lookout for any persons who might show friendliness toward the security forces.

Later I was accepted into the women’s branch of the organization. There my hatred for anything British gained fuller expression. Along with others, I harassed army and police patrols, shouting at and spitting on members of the security forces and sharing in demonstrations in favour of the Republican cause. At times I also carried weapons for male members of our group when they took part in a shooting or a robbery. If we were stopped by an army patrol, it was easier for a young woman to avoid being searched.

I never really reasoned things out, never thought beyond the goal of getting the British out of Ireland. As far as I was concerned, I was right and they were wrong. I suppressed any feeling of sympathy for the victims of violent acts of terrorism. We saw ourselves as freedom fighters warring against an enemy of our people, and the basic philosophy was that war justifies any act of violence. If there were innocent victims of any violent acts stemming from hatred, that was just too bad!

In time I was arrested and charged with carrying weapons for an attempted “knee-capping.” Two members of our group were to inflict the actual punishment, smashing the victim’s knees by shooting a bullet through them. Because of my youthfulness, eventually I was freed with only a recorded sentence. The short time spent in Armagh prison prior to my trial only intensified my hatred for the police force, prison system and judiciary, whom I viewed as oppressors.

Religious Upbringing

My religious upbringing did nothing to stem the growing hatred in my heart. Indeed, my religion was inextricably entwined with my nationalism. I grew up viewing Protestants as a threat and a danger to me and my family. My hatred matched that expressed toward those of our Catholic community by fanatics of the other side.

It never occurred to me that there was any contradiction between attending Mass and praying to God as a Catholic, while having intense hatred for a British soldier who might also be Catholic. If there ever was a conflict between my nationalism and my religion, nationalism would win. Thus I could accept the idea of one of my companions’ shooting a fellow Catholic if he wore a British uniform.

Of course, some sincere priests did make speeches condemning violence. But this had little effect, since it seldom was backed up by any action against those involved in terrorism. What was a young, impressionable person to think when she saw a terrorist buried with full church honours? On one such occasion, I was part of the funeral party for a dead associate. Shots were fired over his tricolour-draped coffin. I marched in uniform to the chapel and attended the Mass. In my eyes, this was a military funeral and the priest’s involvement implied God’s approval of our cause.

There was no sense of guilt for anything I was doing. In fact, never did any priest directly advise me to get out of paramilitary activities.

Learning the Truth

By then I was totally immersed in the cause, firmly believing it to be right. I saw the injustices of the other side, gullibly believing all the reports of atrocities and evils and ignoring the brutal excesses of my side in the fight. Yet, common sense and decency began to indicate that something was terribly wrong.

While struggling to make some sense of the dilemma produced by nationalistic differences and violent attempts to remedy wrongs, I came in contact with Jehovah’s Witnesses. Why, they were talking about the things I thought I was fighting for​—peace, justice and freedom! Were they just another form of Protestantism? No. Despite initial suspicions, I found them quite different. They really did keep themselves separate from politics, and their whole appeal was to the Bible.

To illustrate: Early in my discussions, I asked the Witness calling on my family what she thought of the Protestant religious leader who seemed to me to be the power behind anti-Catholic and anti-Republican actions. Instead of taking sides, she asked: “What would Jesus have done under these circumstances? Whose side would he have taken?”

That question, “What would Jesus have done?” helped me to see the correct answers to many questions that arose in my study of the Bible. For instance, I had to consider what Jesus would have done when I thought about my involvement in violent protests over what I saw as injustices. At first, I was a bit like the Jewish nationalists of Jesus’ day who wanted to get the Romans out of Judea. But I came to appreciate that Jesus would have been neutral, as he instructed his followers to be. His Kingdom was no part of this world.​—John 15:19; 17:16; 18:36.

In time it became clear to me that God’s Kingdom by Jesus Christ has a far grander purpose. It will remove all oppressive forms of government and all kinds of injustice. (Daniel 2:44) And just think! This will be accomplished without any innocent victims, and I could well live to see it!

Since I did not want to be indoctrinated again, I kept checking things in my Catholic Bible. I learned that God’s name is Jehovah, and I was thrilled about his purpose to make the whole earth a paradise in which the meek will find delight in the abundance of peace. (Psalm 37:10, 11; Luke 23:43) But could I really trust Jehovah’s Witnesses? Well, I began attending meetings at their Kingdom Hall, and my association with them built up my confidence. Here were people who really are neutral and who practise what they preach.

Among Jehovah’s Witnesses I met people from a Protestant paramilitary background. They had renounced violence as a way of getting peace with justice. Initially they had felt just as convinced of the rightness of their cause as I had been of mine, and they had once had a bitter hatred of anything Catholic or Republican. But they had broken free from nationalistic ideas and the hatred these had produced. This helped me to appreciate what Jesus said: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”​—John 8:32.

Freedom From Hatred

In my heart I knew that Jesus Christ would not get involved in political strife and terrorism. But it seemed as though I was in a trap, and it was not easy to break free. In time other members of my family stopped associating with Jehovah’s Witnesses, and to continue our Bible study my sister and I had to cross the “peace line” that divides the Catholic and Protestant areas of Belfast. At first we feared for our safety each time we crossed it. But as we advanced in our understanding of the Bible, gradually this fear gave way to real confidence in Jehovah’s protection.

Once, when I was just learning Bible truth, I was sitting with others in a Republican club as we received news of a particularly deadly ambush of British soldiers in Northern Ireland. I found that I could no longer join in the cheering that greeted such reports. Surely, Jesus would not have cheered. His counsel was: “All things, therefore, that you want men to do to you, you also must likewise do to them.” (Matthew 7:12) I knew it was not right to rejoice over people being blown to bits.

That incident impressed upon me what blind hatred can do to people, and I no longer wanted any part of it. Looking back now, how glad I am to have learned about a loving Creator with a marvelous and loving purpose for this earth and mankind! Today it is a real joy to use my life full time in helping others to acquire this same Bible-based hope. And I am thankful, indeed, that my heart no longer is filled with hatred.​—Contributed.

[Blurb on page 9]

“Terrifying acts of violence . . . developed in me a desire to do anything I could to change things”

[Blurb on page 10]

“What was a young, impressionable person to think when she saw a terrorist buried with full church honours?”

[Blurb on page 10]

“What would Jesus have done under these circumstances? Whose side would he have taken?”

[Blurb on page 11]

“Among Jehovah’s Witnesses I met people from a Protestant paramilitary background. They had renounced violence as a way of getting peace with justice”

“I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves.”​—John 13:34, 35.

“Continue to love your enemies, to do good to those hating you, to bless those cursing you, to pray for those who are insulting you.”​—Luke 6:27, 28.