Can Christians be "hateful" or be guilty of "hate speech"?

JohnClay · Apr 14, 2025

trophy33 said:
So, what parts of the laws do you not agree with or are afraid of? If you trust the youtube video as a credible and actual source.

I don't like how the good faith defence is gone - regarding debates and satire. I'm not that interested in all of the technicalities of hate speech legislation. Just how sometimes it could affect Christians.

BTW I found this:

Ban the Mob, Not the Bible - Christianity Today

Christians are the victims of hate in some places and the targets of hate speech laws in others. How can believers advocate for nations to address both threats in a consistent, principled way?

www.christianitytoday.com

Meowzltov · Apr 20, 2025

JohnClay said:
The thing about the Old Testament originally is that it didn't seem to allow people to be saved from their sins like the New Testament talks about. People were just killed - sometimes including babies. But at least the deaths seemed to be swift, unlike hell - well except for the Flood. (just some thoughts)

I hope I'm in the right forum. Is it okay for non-Christians to post here? Just trying to be a good neighbor.

This post is not meant to change the mind of anyone away who thinks differently. If you are a Christian and you are looking forward to heaven, God bless you. My comments are meant only to answer the remark about salvation in the OT.

Unlike the NT, the Tanakh is not really concerned with the afterlife. The references to being saved refer to salvation on this earth, like when God saved the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, or when he saved David from Saul's army.

The purpose of the Torah was to create a society right here on earth that would be accountable to God. All societies must have rules and consequences to keep them from falling apart.

That doesn't mean that the Tanakh doesn't also bring us closer to God and inspire us to be better people. It is rich in its wisdom and full of heartfelt words of affection for God and his mercy.

In the end, Jews don't obey God because of some reward in the afterlife or threat of hell. We obey God because he is GOD and worthy of our obedience. A life ethically and morally lived, a life that loves God and our neighbor, is intrinsically rewarding. It is the best possible life to live. Right here. Right now.

Shalom

JohnClay · Apr 21, 2025

Open Heart said:
I hope I'm in the right forum. Is it okay for non-Christians to post here?

Statement of Purpose - Exploring Christianity Statement of Purpose

Exploring Christianity Forum Statement of Purpose This is a forum where non-Christian Seekers are encouraged to ask questions about those aspects of the Christian faith which seem hard to understand or accept, and where Christian members (see Faith groups list) can enter into discussion with...

www.christianforums.com

"No more than one non-Christian Seeker (the OP) may post in a thread."

Meowzltov · Apr 21, 2025

JohnClay said:
Statement of Purpose - Exploring Christianity Statement of Purpose

Exploring Christianity Forum Statement of Purpose This is a forum where non-Christian Seekers are encouraged to ask questions about those aspects of the Christian faith which seem hard to understand or accept, and where Christian members (see Faith groups list) can enter into discussion with...

www.christianforums.com

"No more than one non-Christian Seeker (the OP) may post in a thread."

So to be clear, the only way I can post in this forum is for me to be the generator of the thread? Once I open a thread, may I reply to those who answer me? Just making sure, I very much intend to keep all your rules.

JohnClay · Apr 21, 2025

Open Heart said:
So to be clear, the only way I can post in this forum is for me to be the generator of the thread? Once I open a thread, may I reply to those who answer me? Just making sure, I very much intend to keep all your rules.

Yes that's my impression.

Jermayn · Apr 21, 2025

JohnClay said:
Maybe the typical Christian isn't "hateful" but are some of them hateful, including preachers? Can things Christians say be classified as "hate speech"?

Apparently the phrase "Hate the sin, love the sinner" is often attributed to St. Augustine, though its exact origins are debated.

The Bible is clear that a Christian cannot hate their brother or sister. 1 John 3:15 equates hatred with murder and says that no murderer has eternal life abiding in them. The word brother in this context is generally understood to refer to fellow believers. Whether or not this applies to non-believers as well is a deeper theological question, probably best saved for another thread.

From the way you phrased your question, it sounds like you’re asking more about people coming off as hateful based on how they communicate, rather than actually harboring hate in their hearts. And to that, I’d say yes, it’s certainly possible. Christians are still human. We all have stress, bad days, and personal baggage. Some may adopt a drill-sergeant mentality, thinking that being “firm” equals being faithful. Others may have grown up in homes where harshness was normalized and now struggle to separate truth from tone.

There’s also the challenge of how society defines “hate speech,” which varies widely and is often in flux. That, too, could be its own thread entirely.

If you’re experiencing this in real life, I’d recommend a gentle, honest approach. Try asking the person if they’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, and kindly point out how their words are coming across to others. You might be met with defensiveness, or you might help them realize something deeper is going on that needs attention.

ViaCrucis · Jun 29, 2025

JohnClay said:
Maybe the typical Christian isn't "hateful" but are some of them hateful, including preachers? Can things Christians say be classified as "hate speech"?

Apparently the phrase "Hate the sin, love the sinner" is often attributed to St. Augustine, though its exact origins are debated.

Christians are not morally superior to non-Christians.

Christians have no business being bigots, but simply being a Christian doesn't prevent someone from being a bigot. To address bigotry among Christians requires there to be a faithful preaching of God's Law in the Church, and Christians to take God's Law seriously; because there will be a Day when everyone--Christians included--must stand before God and give account for all that they have done.

There are Christians who, very obviously from their own explicit statements (which I have encountered out and about in the world, both online and offline), indicate that they really don't even care about Jesus, what Jesus said, what Jesus did, or even what the Bible says.

That's just the kind of world we live in.

-CryptoLutheran

HIM · Jul 2, 2025

Meowzltov said:
I hope I'm in the right forum. Is it okay for non-Christians to post here? Just trying to be a good neighbor.

This post is not meant to change the mind of anyone away who thinks differently. If you are a Christian and you are looking forward to heaven, God bless you. My comments are meant only to answer the remark about salvation in the OT.

Unlike the NT, the Tanakh is not really concerned with the afterlife. The references to being saved refer to salvation on this earth, like when God saved the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, or when he saved David from Saul's army.

The purpose of the Torah was to create a society right here on earth that would be accountable to God. All societies must have rules and consequences to keep them from falling apart.

That doesn't mean that the Tanakh doesn't also bring us closer to God and inspire us to be better people. It is rich in its wisdom and full of heartfelt words of affection for God and his mercy.

Hi Meowzitov
The NT deals mainly with our lives here. The Torah, God's Word being in our heart through Jesus the Christ, we do because we are changed. Part of Salvation is walking with God in His steps through Faith now as our Father Abraham did and the Patriarchs before him. There was no Torah before Sinia only God's Spirit striving with us to keep us as His.

Meowzltov said:
In the end, Jews don't obey God because of some reward in the afterlife or threat of hell. We obey God because he is GOD and worthy of our obedience. A life ethically and morally lived, a life that loves God and our neighbor, is intrinsically rewarding. It is the best possible life to live. Right here. Right now.

Shalom

If a professing Christian is doing for award, then they are not a Christian. The end game is the eradication of sin and the fruits of it, this world as we know it. This can only be done through God's Spirit through Christ. We can't do it by ourselves without failing to one degree or another. One sin continues the cycle of hurt and death. Just one.

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Can Christians be "hateful" or be guilty of "hate speech"?

JohnClay

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