The Aftertaste of Hate
I found an heirloom recipe,
a delicious dish for Sunday dinner
The title grabbed me instantly:
“Hate the Sin, but Love the Sinner!”
All the flavor! None of the guilt!
Self-indulge without concern!
With only two ingredients,
there’s really nothing much to learn!
“But how much should I use?” I thought.
“My Love might not be quite enough.
Sift to refine? Or stir to combine,
for a texture tender, and yet still tough?”
Hate is such an acquired taste
that overpowers and stings the throat.
So I rolled it into little balls
with a kindly-tempered chocolate coat.
But no matter how I sweetened it,
no amount of Love could hide
the bit of gritty bitterness
and taste of pious paste inside.
So I tried a dish of Love alone
and served it up in heaping bowls
They gladly ate and asked for more,
those hungry, undernourished souls.
The key, it seems — simplicity,
open-range and judgment-free,
letting go and letting Love
feed and heal with dignity.
Author’s Notes:
When it comes to loving the sinner and hating the sin, I find that no one is very good at multitasking. You can’t do both.
The irony is that religious people who consider themselves the hands and feet of God’s love become blind to their hate and damage they do in God’s name.
“Just because I disagree doesn’t mean I hate people,” I’ve been told. What they fail to understand is that hate is not something you feel — it’s how you make other people feel.
For quite a few years, I worked for a nonprofit organization that helped people overcome homelessness, addiction, abuse and trauma. There was no room for judgment of any kind in my interactions. Our guests could sense instantly whether a person was authentic and truly caring or if they had an agenda, like trying to cram religion down their throat. That experience, among others, changed me. I saw that I couldn’t hold both judgment and compassion. One always cancels out the other.
What I learned is how to make people feel accepted, just as they are. Acceptance sparks hope. And hope gives people strength to overcome.