H8

It occurred to me today, this blather about having disagreements over what constitutes moral behavior or our feelings about people who engage in behavior that may violate ours...

Let me ask you liberals out there (like any of them are actually reading this, but hey, it's a thought exercise...) do you "hate" your child when he or she misbehaves?

Well, do you?

Even mothers of murderers typically love their sons (or daughters).

To inject the term "hate" into the equation on the basis of mere disapproval .... boggles the mind.}

Unless, of course, you do know the difference but you just don't care.  Anything to slander your opponent, right?  Ends justify the means, Saul?

Which brings me to this, via Morgan, Via Rick, ultimately from a guy named Brandon Vogt... this is excellent.

In light of the Chick-Fil-A controversy, I now realize modern man is almost incapable of distinguishing between these four things: 
1. Approval and Implicit Condemnation. Just because you support one thing doesn’t mean you’re viciously antagonistic toward another (i.e. “anti-” the opposite.) If  Dan Cathy supports traditional marriage between one man and one woman, that doesn’t mean he ipso facto “hates gay people” or is “anti-gay.” 
2. Disagreeing and Hating. I disagree with ideas all the time. This does not necessitate hating the person who proposed them. Your beliefs are not your identity. 
3. Beliefs and People. This is somewhat similar to #2. Rejecting a belief does not equal rejecting a person. You can reject the validity of same-sex marriage on philosophical and social grounds while still profoundly loving people with same-sex attraction. I reject at least some opinions or actions from each of my friends (such as “double-rainbows are boring” or “playing the lottery is wise.”) They in turn reject plenty of my own. But we don’t hate each other. In fact, just the opposite is true. Our relationship is grounded on a communion of persons, not a symmetry of beliefs. 
4. Bigotry and Disagreement. The definition of bigot is “one unwilling to tolerate opinions different than his own”—not “someone who disagrees with me.” Toleration doesn’t require agreement, merely recognition and respect. (Ironically, those quickest to accuse people of bigotry are often bigoted about their flawed definition of “bigot.”)

Which helped touch off  post #2299.  The frustrating realization that modern man is almost incapable of distinguishing between those four things.  We have our work cut out for us.

Thus, there is Clue Batting to do past 2300.