Banish the "H" word

Romans 12:6-13

             I have a wide array of rubber bracelets in my closet, each has a statement or message. If I wore them all at once I think it would very much give away the fact that I am gay, so wide is the rainbow of colors. One of my favorites though is the band that says Erase Hate from the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Hate is a word that should be erased from the human vocabulary. It is so strong and so toxic.  So once again I am wondering about translations and what the original text says because right here in today's passage it says to hate evil. I wonder what word appears in the actual text and in what precise cultural context it was used and what it meant. 

            Hate is a word that conjures up the evil one just by it's mere use and yet we use it almost without thought. I hate so and so, I hate brussel sprouts,  I hate fags! That latter statement and worse have been justified by statements in scripture that are mistranslated and/or taken out of context. There are a great number of people who claim to be Christian and spew misinformed, bigoted and vitriolic dung about gays and the gay community. They feel justified by rabid preachers who espouse hate in the name of God. They don't see the irony nor do they know what Jesus actually preached and lived, otherwise they would not act so. Apparently theirs is a vengeful God but God is love pure and simple.  Luckily, there is a growing movement among real Christians, very often moved by the Spirit outside the bounds of some organized religions that recognize that love is love no matter who it is and that Gods' created world is much more diverse than narrow minded religious zealots care to admit. Sadly it is the vocal minority like the Westboro Baptist church, Fundamentalist whackadoo's and the Roman Catholic Church that are asked to respond to questions about homosexuality and marriage equality. All any of them do is spout hateful rhetoric, circular logic and outdated ancient theorems about the world. One is not surprised that they have argued against racial equality, that indigenous peoples have no souls and that a woman's place is at home, apparently barefoot and pregnant. It would almost be believable should they return to their long ago abandoned belief that the world is flat and that the sun revolves around it. 

          No. The admonishment to hate evil leaves too much up for judgement and bigotry. The only true measure of being a good Christian, or a good Jew or Muslim or person, is how we love. Again, leave the bad translations and ancient beliefs aside.

          They will know we are Christians by our love, not hate.

We have gifts that differ according to the grace   given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching;the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good;love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.