Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Kind Words or Hate Speech?
I was crying profusely. My favorite uncle had just punished me for what I thought was such a minor infraction. I was not crying due to physical pain, because he had been gentle, but firm. I was crying because he had dared to correct me. My infraction: watching him weld without wearing my welder’s helmet. Was he hateful to be so stern with his young nephew? Considering that prolonged activity of that sort would have allowed ultraviolet radiation to cause damage to my eyes, I think not. I would not have detected the damage until hours later, and a repeated injury of this sort might have resulted in cataracts. Teaching me to take care of my eyes was one of the kindest things my uncle could do for me.
I am alarmed about a social trend which defines the hateful as kind and the kind as hateful. Parents are discouraged from giving their children loving direction. A humanistic cultural revolution is preaching tolerance while extinguishing time-proven morals and values through legislative, judicial and executive manipulation. Whenever someone with common sense speaks up concerning an issue they are reprimanded with accusations that they are engaging in “hate speech” -- as if it is hateful to tell the truth. This is a recipe for societal collapse.
The Bible warns: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20) If we’re not careful people who should know better will react as I did when I was a pre-teen peeking at my uncle’s welding arc; we will think of kindness as being hateful. The truth is that it is sometimes more hateful to not point out the dangers of certain activities. The kindest thing we can do is to hold fast to long-held morals and values, in spite of the politically correct rhetoric that deems such expressions of love as hateful.
Allow me to clarify with a few examples of what I would consider to be kind words and what I would consider to be hate speech:
Kind words:
1. Don’t stick things into electrical sockets.
2. Don’t play in traffic or play with guns.
3. Killing babies is wrong.
4. There are house rules you must obey.
5. It’s always wrong to cheat on your spouse.
6. Not all roads lead to heaven.
7. Be the man God made you to be.
8. Unlike in the movies, you are responsible for your actions.
9. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
10. Life on earth is just the entryway to a much longer and better life, for those who choose eternal life in Christ.
Real hate speech:
1. Whatever feels good, do it.
2. Believing in absolutes is bigotry.
3. Whatever you do, take care of #1.
4. Don’t let anyone tell you what to do.
5. God doesn’t care how you behave.
6. There is no such thing as evil.
7. Whatever makes sense to you is what is moral.
8. We accidently evolved from lower forms of life.
9. There is safe sex outside of marriage.
10. When you die you cease to exist.
As a former school teacher, I can assure you that children left to their own judgment do not instinctively create a safe and healthy learning environment. Our children need kind words. I have also lived long enough to have some of my former students thank me for the kind words of discipline which I spoke into their lives decades ago. Parents, teachers, students, bosses, policy makers, city council members, ministers….thank you for your kind words. Thank you for risking your politically correct status and speaking the truth in love.
I am alarmed about a social trend which defines the hateful as kind and the kind as hateful. Parents are discouraged from giving their children loving direction. A humanistic cultural revolution is preaching tolerance while extinguishing time-proven morals and values through legislative, judicial and executive manipulation. Whenever someone with common sense speaks up concerning an issue they are reprimanded with accusations that they are engaging in “hate speech” -- as if it is hateful to tell the truth. This is a recipe for societal collapse.
The Bible warns: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20) If we’re not careful people who should know better will react as I did when I was a pre-teen peeking at my uncle’s welding arc; we will think of kindness as being hateful. The truth is that it is sometimes more hateful to not point out the dangers of certain activities. The kindest thing we can do is to hold fast to long-held morals and values, in spite of the politically correct rhetoric that deems such expressions of love as hateful.
Allow me to clarify with a few examples of what I would consider to be kind words and what I would consider to be hate speech:
Kind words:
1. Don’t stick things into electrical sockets.
2. Don’t play in traffic or play with guns.
3. Killing babies is wrong.
4. There are house rules you must obey.
5. It’s always wrong to cheat on your spouse.
6. Not all roads lead to heaven.
7. Be the man God made you to be.
8. Unlike in the movies, you are responsible for your actions.
9. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
10. Life on earth is just the entryway to a much longer and better life, for those who choose eternal life in Christ.
Real hate speech:
1. Whatever feels good, do it.
2. Believing in absolutes is bigotry.
3. Whatever you do, take care of #1.
4. Don’t let anyone tell you what to do.
5. God doesn’t care how you behave.
6. There is no such thing as evil.
7. Whatever makes sense to you is what is moral.
8. We accidently evolved from lower forms of life.
9. There is safe sex outside of marriage.
10. When you die you cease to exist.
As a former school teacher, I can assure you that children left to their own judgment do not instinctively create a safe and healthy learning environment. Our children need kind words. I have also lived long enough to have some of my former students thank me for the kind words of discipline which I spoke into their lives decades ago. Parents, teachers, students, bosses, policy makers, city council members, ministers….thank you for your kind words. Thank you for risking your politically correct status and speaking the truth in love.
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