Universalis

Wednesday, August 04, 2004

Just Hate theory?

I read today at Ut Unum Sint about a supposed "just hate theory" that has been parsed from sound bites of various bishops.

There is no Just Hate Theory. Comprehensible hate, yes. Instigated or provoked hate, possibly. But no just hate, not for "them" and especially not for us.

As we ponder on international relations and foreign affairs and national defense, there are many things that must be kept in mind, three of which are very important and mostly neglected:

1 --- Just because we are the ones who are hurting does not necessarily mean that we are the Totally Innocent Victims [tm].

2 --- There is no guarantee that God is on our side in all things. After all, He casts down the mighty from their thrones and sends the rich away empty.

3 --- Each of us bears responsibility for our own deeds. We also bear some responsibility for the deeds of our own nation, especially in a nation like our own, a representative democracy where we have both voice and vote to influence the actions of our government. We have no such responsibility for the actions of other people's rulers. "President Doe of Somewherestan is more awful than us" is no defense or excuse when we ourselves have been awful, even if not as awful as the rulers of Somewherestan.
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