A Global Epidemic of Hate

THERE is a monster on the loose—a monster called hate. And it is running rampant all over the globe.

In the Balkans a province is reeling from the spasms of a recent ethnic cleansing campaign. Centuries-old animosities have led to mass executions, rape, expulsions, burning and looting of homes and villages, destruction of crops and livestock, hunger, and starvation. Land mines still abound.

In East Timor, Southeast Asia, 700,000 frightened people had to flee the terror of killings, beatings, indiscriminate shootings, and forcible displacement. They left behind a landscape laid waste by marauding militias. “I feel like a hunted animal,” cried one of the victims.

In Moscow an apartment building was ripped apart by a huge terrorist bomb blast. The bodies of 94 innocent people—some of them children—were scattered about by the explosion. Over 150 were injured. In the aftermath of such horror, people ask, ‘Who will be next?’

In Los Angeles, California, a racist took aim at a group of preschool Jewish children and later gunned down a Filipino mailman.

Hatred can well be described as a global epidemic. Almost every day, news reports reveal what happens when racial, ethnic, or religious animosity joins hands with lawlessness. We see nations, communities, and families torn apart. We see countries embroiled in wholesale genocide. We see unspeakably inhumane acts being perpetrated simply because some people are “different.”

If the monster called hate is ever to be caged, we must understand the origins of such hateful violence. Is hate implanted in human genes? Is it learned behavior? Is it possible to break the cycle of hate?

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Kemal Jufri/Sipa Press

The Roots of Hate

HATE made its appearance early in man’s history. The Bible account at Genesis 4:8 says: “It came about that while they were in the field Cain proceeded to assault Abel his brother and kill him.” “And for the sake of what did he slaughter him?” asks the Bible writer John. “Because his own works were wicked, but those of his brother were righteous.” (1 John 3:12) Abel fell victim to one of the most common causes of hatred: jealousy. “The rage of an able-bodied man is jealousy,” says Proverbs 6:34. Today, jealousy over social status, wealth, resources, and other advantages continues to pit people against one another.

Ignorance and Fear

But jealousy is just one of the many causes of hatred. Oftentimes, hatred is also fueled by ignorance and fear. “Before I ever learned to hate, I learned to fear,” said a young member of a violent racist group. Such fear is most often rooted in ignorance. According to The World Book Encyclopedia, prejudiced people tend to have opinions that are “held without regard to the available evidence. . . . Prejudiced individuals tend to twist, distort, misinterpret, or even ignore facts that conflict with their predetermined opinions.”

From where do these opinions come? Says one on-line information service: “History accounts for many cultural stereotypes, but our own personal history accounts for many of our biases too.”

In the United States, for example, the slave trade has left a legacy of tensions between many whites and people of African descent—tensions that persist to this day. Oftentimes, negative racial views are passed on from parents to children. One self-confessed white racist admitted that he thus developed negative racial feelings “in a complete absence of even the slightest contact with black people.”

Then there are those who simply believe that people who are different are no good. This opinion may be based on a solitary unpleasant encounter with someone of a different race or culture. From that, they make a quantum leap to the conclusion that everyone of that race or culture must share undesirable traits.

While bigotry is ugly enough on an individual scale, when it infects an entire nation or race, it can become lethal. The belief that one’s nationality, skin color, culture, or language makes one superior to others can breed bigotry and xenophobia (the disdain for anyone or anything foreign). During the 20th century, such bigotry was often expressed violently.

Interestingly, hatred and bigotry need not necessarily be about skin color or nationality. Researcher Clark McCauley of the University of Pennsylvania writes that “arbitrary division of individuals into two groups, even by flipping a coin, is enough to generate ingroup preference.” One third-grade teacher demonstrated this when, as part of a famous experiment, she divided her class into two groups—blue-eyed children and brown-eyed children. Within a short time, animosities developed between the two groups. Even alliances based on things as trivial as a preference for the same sports team can result in violent clashes.

Why All the Violence?

But why are such animosities so often expressed in violent ways? Researchers have probed deeply into such issues and can still only offer theories. Clark McCauley compiled an extensive bibliography of the research done on human violence and aggression. He cites one study indicating that “violent crime is associated with waging and winning wars.” The researchers found that “nations participating in WWI and WWII, especially nations on the winning side in these wars, show increases in homicide after the war is over.” According to the Bible, we live in an age of warfare. (Matthew 24:6) Could it be that such wars have somehow contributed to the rise in other forms of violence?

Other researchers seek a biological explanation for human aggression. One research study attempted to relate some forms of aggression to “low levels of serotonin in the brain.” Another popular hypothesis is that aggression lurks in our genes. “A large part of [hate] may even be hardwired,” argued one political scientist.

The Bible itself says that imperfect humans are born with bad traits and defects. (Genesis 6:5; Deuteronomy 32:5) Of course, those words apply to all humans. But not all humans have unreasonable hatred of others. That has to be learned. Thus, well-known psychologist Gordon W. Allport observed that infants give “little . . . evidence of destructive instincts. . . . The baby is positive, approaching nearly every type of stimulus, every type of person.” Such observations argue that aggression, prejudice, and hate are primarily learned behaviors! This apparent ability of humans to learn hate is being aggressively exploited by teachers of hate.

Poisoning Minds

At the forefront are leaders of various hate groups, such as neo-Nazi skinheads and the Ku Klux Klan. These groups often target impressionable youths from dysfunctional families for recruitment. Youths suffering feelings of insecurity and inferiority may feel that hate groups offer them a sense of belonging.

The World Wide Web is a particularly powerful tool that some have used to foster hate. According to a recent tally, there may be as many as 1,000 hate-mongering Web sites on the Internet. The Economist magazine quotes the owner of one hate Web site as boasting: “The Net has provided us with the opportunity to bring our point of view to hundreds of thousands of people.” His Web site includes a “Kids’ Page.”

When teens surf the Net for music, they can happen upon links to sites for downloading hate music. Such music is usually loud and violent, with lyrics expressing strong racist messages. These Web sites, in turn, provide links to newsgroups, chat rooms, or other Web sites that promote hate.

Some hate Web sites offer special sections containing games and activities for young people. One neo-Nazi Web site attempts to use the Bible to justify racism and anti-Semitism. The group has also created a page that offers crossword puzzles with racist comments. Its purpose? “To help the young members of the white race understand our fight.”

But not all promoters of hate are from the lunatic fringe. A sociologist who wrote about the recent conflicts in the Balkans said about certain reputable authors and public-opinion makers: “I was dumbfounded to see [them] adopt a style which panders to their compatriots’ basest impulses, stirs up their passionate hatred, blinds their judgement by urging them to see no behaviour as taboo . . . , and falsifying reality.”

Not to be overlooked in this regard is the role of the clergy. In his book Holy Hatred: Religious Conflicts of the ’90’s, author James A. Haught makes this shocking observation: “A great irony of the 1990s is that religion—supposedly a source of kindness and human concern—has taken the lead as the foremost contributing factor to hatred, war, and terrorism.”

The causes of hate are thus seen to be many and complex. Does this mean that there is no way for mankind to stop repeating the folly of its hate-filled history? Is there anything that can be done on an individual as well as on a global scale to fight the misunderstanding, the ignorance, and the fear that beget hate?

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Prejudice and hate are learned behaviors!

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We are not born with . . .

. . . feelings of hatred and bigotry

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Hate groups are using the Internet to recruit youths

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Religion has often fueled conflict

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AP Photo

Breaking the Cycle of Hate

“Love your enemies.”—MATTHEW 5:44.

FOR days the leaders of two enemy nations carried on intense peace negotiations. The president of a powerful industrialized land lent his presence to the discussions, using his considerable influence and diplomatic skills to try to bring the two leaders together. But the end result of these agonizing efforts was simply more agony. Within weeks the two nations were engaged in what Newsweek magazine called “the worst violence between them in two decades.”

Throughout the world, hatred and animosity between various ethnic and national groups refuse to die, despite the best efforts of national leaders. The cycle of hate progresses ever more quickly, fed by ignorance, bigotry, and propaganda. But while today’s leaders vainly grope for new and innovative solutions, they fail to see that the best solution is an old one—something as old as the Sermon on the Mount. During that sermon Jesus Christ encouraged his listeners to submit to God’s ways. In that context he made the statement quoted above, namely, “Love your enemies.” That exhortation is not only the best solution to the problem of hate and prejudice but the only workable solution!

Skeptics brush off the idea of loving one’s enemies as hopelessly idealistic and impractical. However, if hatred is learned behavior, then is it not reasonable to assume that it can be unlearned? Jesus’ words thus hold out real hope for mankind. They show that it is possible to put aside even long-standing animosities.

Consider the situation in Jesus’ day among his Jewish listeners. They did not need to go far to find enemies. Roman troops continued to hold sway over the region, subjecting the Jews to oppressive taxation, political manipulation, abuse, and exploitation. (Matthew 5:39-42) However, some could even view fellow Jews as enemies because of petty disagreements that had been left unresolved and allowed to fester. (Matthew 5:21-24) Could Jesus really expect his listeners to love individuals who had caused them hurt and pain?

The Meaning of “Love”

First, realize that by “love,” Jesus did not have in mind the sort of affection that might exist between close friends. The Greek term for love used at Matthew 5:44 comes from the word a·gaʹpe. This word carries the meaning of love that is guided or governed by principle. It does not necessarily include warm affection. Because it is guided by righteous principle, such love moves one to seek the best interests of others, regardless of their behavior. A·gaʹpe love can thus transcend personal enmities. Jesus himself demonstrated such love when, instead of calling down evil on the Roman soldiers who impaled him, he prayed: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”—Luke 23:34.

Is it realistic to expect that the world will embrace Jesus’ teachings on a large scale and that people will begin to love one another? No, for the Bible indicates that this world will continue plunging headlong toward disaster. “Wicked men and impostors will advance from bad to worse,” predicts 2 Timothy 3:13. Nevertheless, individuals can break the cycle of hate by becoming thoroughly educated in righteous principles through a study of the Bible. The record clearly shows that many have thus learned to resist the flood of hate swirling around them. Consider a few real-life cases.

Learning to Love

At the age of 13, José was involved in guerrilla warfare as a member of a terrorist group.a He was taught to hate the people allegedly responsible for the injustices he saw around him. If feasible, his aim was to eliminate them. Seeing so many of his companions fall in death, José became filled with feelings of bitterness and revenge. While making grenades, he would ask himself, ‘Why is there so much suffering? If there is a God, does he not even notice?’ Many times he wept, confused and depressed.

José eventually came in contact with a local congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. At his first congregation meeting, he immediately noticed the loving atmosphere there. Everyone greeted him in a warm and friendly manner. Later, a discussion on the subject “Why Does God Permit Wickedness?” provided answers to the very questions he had been asking.b

In time, increased knowledge from the Bible led José to make changes in his life and in his way of thinking. He came to learn that “he who does not love remains in death. Everyone who hates . . . is a manslayer, and . . . no manslayer has everlasting life remaining in him.”—1 John 3:14, 15.

Breaking his ties with his terrorist companions proved to be challenging, though. Every time he went to the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, he was followed. Some former associates even attended a few meetings so as to understand what had brought about such a change in José. Once they were satisfied that he was not a traitor or a danger to them, they left him alone. At age 17, José was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He soon started preaching full-time. Instead of scheming to kill people, he now takes them a message of love and hope!

Tearing Down Ethnic Barriers

Can members of ethnic groups tear down the barriers of hate that separate them? Consider the Amharic-speaking group of Jehovah’s Witnesses in London, England. Some 35 individuals make up that group—20 of these are Ethiopian and 15 are Eritrean. They worship together peacefully and unitedly, in spite of the fact that in Africa, Eritreans and Ethiopians recently fought a bitter war.

One Ethiopian Witness had been told by his family: ‘Never trust Eritreans!’ But now, he not only trusts his Eritrean fellow Christians but calls them brother and sister! Although these Eritreans normally speak the Tigrinya tongue, they chose to learn Amharic—the language of their Ethiopian brothers—so that they can study the Bible along with them. What a marvelous testimony to the strength of godly love as “a perfect bond of union”!—Colossians 3:14.

Letting Go of the Past

But what if one has been the victim of inhumane treatment? Is it not normal to harbor animosity toward one’s tormentors? Consider Manfred, a Witness from Germany. He spent six years of his life in a Communist prison simply because he was one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Did he ever feel hatred for his oppressors or the desire to take revenge? “No,” he answered. According to the German newspaper Saarbrücker Zeitung, Manfred explained: “To do injustice or to repay injustice . . . sets a cycle in motion that time and again leads to new injustice.” Manfred clearly applied the Bible’s words: “Return evil for evil to no one. . . . If possible, as far as it depends upon you, be peaceable with all men.”—Romans 12:17, 18.

A World Without Hatred!

Jehovah’s Witnesses do not claim to be perfect in this regard. They often find that putting aside old animosities and hatreds is not easy. It takes continuous, diligent work to apply Bible principles in one’s life. But by and large, Jehovah’s Witnesses are a living example of the power of the Bible to break the cycle of hate. Through a program of home Bible studies, Witnesses are helping thousands of people each year to break free from the shackles of racism and bigotry.c (See the box “Bible Counsel Helps Eliminate Hatred.”) That success is a foreglimpse of the results of the worldwide educational program that will soon help eliminate hatred and its causes completely. This future educational program will take place under the supervision of God’s Kingdom, or global government. Jesus taught us to pray for that Kingdom in the Lord’s Prayer, when he said: “Let your kingdom come.”—Matthew 6:9, 10.

The Bible promises that under the supervision of this heavenly government, “the earth will certainly be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah.” (Isaiah 11:9; 54:13) The oft-quoted words of the prophet Isaiah will then see fulfillment on a global basis: “[God] will certainly render judgment among the nations and set matters straight respecting many peoples. And they will have to beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning shears. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4) God himself will thus break, once and for all time, the vicious cycle of hate.

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Bible Counsel Helps Eliminate Hatred

● “From what source are there wars and from what source are there fights among you? Are they not from this source, namely, from your cravings for sensual pleasure that carry on a conflict in your members?” (James 4:1) Conflicts with others can often be eliminated if we learn to curb selfish desires.

● “[Keep] an eye, not in personal interest upon just your own matters, but also in personal interest upon those of the others.” (Philippians 2:4) Putting the interests of others ahead of our own is another way to eliminate unnecessary conflict.

● “Let anger alone and leave rage; do not show yourself heated up only to do evil.” (Psalm 37:8) We can and must control destructive impulses.

● “God . . . made out of one man every nation of men, to dwell upon the entire surface of the earth.” (Acts 17:24, 26) It is illogical to feel superior to people of another race, since we are all members of the same human family.

● ‘Do nothing out of contentiousness or out of egotism, but with lowliness of mind consider that the others are superior to you.’ (Philippians 2:3) It is folly to look down on others—for other people often have qualities and abilities that we do not have ourselves. No one race or culture has a monopoly on all that is good.

● “Really, then, as long as we have time favorable for it, let us work what is good toward all.” (Galatians 6:10) Simply taking the initiative to be friendly and helpful to others, regardless of their race or culture, can do much to bridge communication gaps and eliminate misunderstandings.

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Ethiopian and Eritrean Witnesses worship together in peace

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Manfred, a survivor of a Communist prison, refused to give in to hate

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The Bible can help tear down the barriers that separate people