Aaron11 said:
Pist,
I dont hate witches. I just think that they are doing evil. I wouldn't kill them myself, but I would understand if someone else burned them alive or hanged them. I mean, they are witches.
If this statement was ment as a joke, it certainly was less than funny. Condoning acts of violence is tentamount to committing them yourself, in my mind. As has been mentioned before, with Christ came a new era of Grace, and therefore much of the harshness of the Law was laid aside...but it remains there, should one choose to walk under it, instead of the Grace God has given us provision for. Just because someone operates outside of that provision, does not mean they are to be
killed because of it, or even that we might suggest this. Jesus was given the right to judge, not us. We are only to share God's message with others. During the Old Testament, killing was carried out for a couple of reasons, namely to keep God's chosen people away from Sin, which they had no way of over coming. We have Christ now. Secondly it showed clearly, in a metaphorical sense, what happened if you chose to live outside of God's set Laws...outside of His love, and protection...namely
Death.
A statement like the one you made is a great reason why so many find God so hard to come to, since we are to be His ambassadors...
Now, hate is a different thing than most seem to understand it today. It's not an action toward, but a separation from. Things like the afore mentioned 'witch burnings', and the 'KKK', etc have added action to hatred, in a most unpositive way. Hatred is better described as 'anti-'...in this case, haterd for witchcraft, however one decides to define it, would be better described as 'anti-witchcraft'. God tells us not to have anything to do with forces such as these, but to go and 'show' them a better way...
..and in response to our 'minister' friend above,
Saucywitch we were warned to expect people like you, who would deny the very Word of God, and turn toward other paths, and what's worse take others with you. God Himself says there is but one path to Him, and many to destruction...
(and should I be 'flamed' for this post, so be it...)