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Topic: Dealing with your Enemy
Dayv's photo
Thu 06/28/07 10:52 PM
I survived by this....

You have heard that the law of Moses says, "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and on the unjust, too. If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect

transientmind's photo
Fri 06/29/07 03:42 AM
That's a good quote, Dayv. Maybe a little touchy with Pagans here, but a good standard to live by.

Heart_Break_Kid's photo
Fri 06/29/07 04:34 AM
hmmm i'd prefer not to love my enemy cause i dont believe in god neither in devil

TheLonelyWalker's photo
Fri 06/29/07 05:57 AM
good point hopefully somebody around here can read that, and understand it.

A_Midsummers_Dream's photo
Fri 06/29/07 09:21 AM
I liked it, to me it's sorrta has that love everybody regardless of whatever even the people you can't always tolerate. Thanks for the good read.

Truly,
MSD

no photo
Fri 06/29/07 09:30 AM
TheLonelyWalker,

Do you understand it? Have you treated your enemys the way you would want to be treated? If someone were insulted, would you defend them for would you agree with the insults?

TheLonelyWalker's photo
Fri 06/29/07 09:32 AM
Look spider stop the hate my brother
OK If this makes you happy i'll agree with you, Yesterday I was wrong, I'm sorry I didn't mean to attack you
I'm sorry if in any way i showed aggresiveness towards u.
But for the love of God stop this.

no photo
Fri 06/29/07 09:56 AM
TheLonelyWalker,

I wasn't talking about me, I was referring to the email I sent you.

Abracadabra's photo
Fri 06/29/07 10:55 AM
Fortunately I’ve never had any personal enemies. I was confronted by street robbers a few times but in all cases I was able to handle the situation without incident.

I have seen some pretty nasty people in this world though. For example, I’ve know men who abused their wife and children. I can’t say that I ‘hate’ them, but I certainly have no respect for them nor would I reach out a hand to save them if they were drowning.

I think there’s a huge difference between hate, and mere indifference. I don’t think I’ve ever hated anyone, although I could have had someone done really nasty things to me or my loved ones. However, there are a lot of people that I feel indifferent toward.

I’m sure as hell not going to embrace a downright nasty person with love and acceptance. That wouldn’t even be right IMHO. If a person is a rotten ba$tard they don’t deserve respect! Why should a decent person bend over backwards to be nice to a child molester or wife beater? Or even a common thief. These people need to realize that they have nasty traits that need attention, and being nice to them with acceptance is not the way to express to them that you disapprove of their behavior.

I think in the Bible, the term “hate” actually carries with it an implication of animosity. If you hate someone you may wish them ill-will, or even cause them hardships purposefully. Like I say, I don’t hate people in that way. I don’t wish anyone ill-will, yet at the same time I’m not going to embrace or tolerate nasty behavior.

There’s more to life than an ON/OFF switch. Everything simply doesn’t boil down to LOVE/HATE. There are many gray areas in between those extremes. And probably midway between them is indifference. This is the place that I go to when I’m displeased with someone. However, in biblical terms my ‘indifference’ would probably be considered love since it’s the absence of hate.

The bottom like is that everything just doesn’t come down to pure love or pure hate. I think even if I were to exterminate a person (say a rapist-murderer), my intention wouldn’t be hate. Instead it would be more like indifference. Although, even then there would be compassion involved. If I were assigned to execute someone for horrific crimes, I would choose to put them to sleep with a lethal inject. Even at that point I would be showing compassion and love. Besides, if a person truly believes in god and an afterlife, then death isn’t such a big deal anyway. It would certainly not be the end.

I get tired of all the “perfect idealizations’. The world isn’t perfect, period. And if you show nasty people love and acceptance then they will just overrun your lives and destroy everything that is beautiful. It simply isn’t a practical thing to do. Turning the other cheek does not mean to let people walk all over you. It simply means not to hold a grudge or seek revenge. It was a metaphor used in a parable not meant to be taken literally.

Trying to become a perfect saint in a imperfect world is simply not possible.

People always say that god is perfect. Well no wonder! He lives in a heaven that’s perfect! It’s EASY to be perfect when you live in a perfect world! But if you try to be perfect on earth you’ll get bit by a rattle snake. I don’t think the snake hates you either. It’s just indifferent toward you.

scttrbrain's photo
Fri 06/29/07 12:29 PM
If I have any enemies, I do not know it. I can't always say that though. I learned that I should love my neighbor, my enemies and any soul that I may run across. The same or different than I. We are all deserving of love. ALL of us. Hate shouldn't even be a word. If we do not like someone; tolerate and forgive. Through toleration and forgiveness, we learn love of those that differ.

Most of you know how I feel. I love my God and Jesus and I believe that He teaches us to be the finest we can be.
There is NO ONE that deserves to be hated. We are hopefully raised by love, with love, to be loved and feel love conditional, or unconditionally. If we live by love and teach love, we will become more like love.
Kat

no photo
Fri 06/29/07 12:31 PM
Supposed to love all of mankind whether they be enemies or not....ain't gotta like em much just gotta love em

scttrbrain's photo
Fri 06/29/07 12:50 PM
I'm not gonna sit here and tell you that I automatically like someone. Those that abuse, steal, hurt or lie. I do however find myself being drawn to them to find something about them to like. I search out their eyes, expressions, face and their , yes their bodies. I then usually find something I like about them. Then there usually comes more to like. Through kindness and caring, those that are thought to be bad sometimes come around and return the love. Even the worst of us have a heart.
Kat

no photo
Fri 06/29/07 01:11 PM
I treat others as they treat me. Disrespect I don't tolerate. I don't give people the chance to become my enemy.

adj4u's photo
Fri 06/29/07 01:40 PM
i prefer to not make enemies

but if they choose to be one

i wish them well

and watch my back

bigsmile bigsmile bigsmile bigsmile

no photo
Fri 06/29/07 03:18 PM
I reckon I'm my own worse enemy...and yes I love me.
'Love thy neighbor as thyself'...so it is important to love 'thyself'.

Jesus has defeated our enemy Satan....Satan may win a battle now and then, but he lost the war when Jesus died on the cross.

no photo
Sat 06/30/07 09:52 AM
Abra said it quite well.

Black and white aren't in it.

I would halve left out the portion of the last paragraph referring to God however, as I do not know the nature of God's perfection or the Heaven in which he resides.

This is a "Golden Rule" discussion as far as I can see. Nietzsche had some things to say about that and generally he would consider the whole issue absurd. To love someone who hates you may be altruistic and it may also be ridiculous.

The Golden rule puts a naive person at a serious disadvantage in society where he or she expects others to take a similar approach to live in their treatment of others. That is to say, If you treat others well and believe in their good nature that at least their intentions towards you are honorable and decent, you will expect certain sorts of outcomes, but in fact you might be robbed or killed or somehow defrauded or disadvantaged.

One example of this is the classic struggle between the Moslems and Christians. The Christians believing and loving and the Moslems (obviously not all of them yet obviously significant numbers of them) seeking to kill, convert or overcome the Christians.

When someone wants to dance with a partner, the partner has to agree, but when one wants to fight, no agreement is necessary, one person can start it all by himself. Love isn't in it.

no photo
Sat 06/30/07 09:54 AM
Didn't someone once say "When an angry dog runs at you whistle for it"?

creativesoul's photo
Sat 06/30/07 10:50 AM
Ahhhh...I recognize that NIV qoute...from Jesus...no?


I have no enemies...

GhostWhisperer's photo
Sat 06/30/07 09:24 PM
Hating anyone requires way too much energy that can be better used for something more positive. Keep your enemies close to you so you can keep a watchful eye on them.


Peace, love & wisdomflowerforyou

Ghostrecon's photo
Sat 06/30/07 11:38 PM
Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.

Quote fron Quote Details: Sun-tzu.

Ghost

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