Missionaries of the Sacred

The Christian response to hate groups is to follow the path of Jesus Christ. As followers of Jesus, “we must realize that a special obligation binds us to make ourselves the neighbor of absolutely every person, and of actively helping him [her] when he [she] comes  across our path.” This involves seeing one’s neighbor as “another self above all bearing in mind his [her] life and the means necessary for living it with dignity.” This includes those whose beliefs are different from our own. Hatred towards another is a sin, a “grave sin” in which one intentionally inflicts harm on another. Jesus said, “But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. . . But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that you may be children of your heavenly Father.”

The Importance of Dialogue

In order to combat hate groups, we need to engage in a dialogue, a dialogue in which we cannot compromise Gospel values. Such a  dialogue is not easy because hate groups “advocate extreme prejudice, vandalism or violence.” Some suggestions have been made to combat hate groups, such as having prodiversity rallies, market campaigning, and newspaper ads. Nevertheless, it seems that the greater need is for an interchange between the hate group and the various communities. Here a high level of trust on both sides is essential. Acceptance of differences must be handled in peaceful ways. Through an honest dialogue, we can appreciate those elements of truth, which are common to all of our human endeavors and for the good of all humanity.