Note (May 07, 2009): I marked this post as “private” after I wrote it. Was not comfortable with the idea of writing a post responding rather publicly (the Internet is very public) to something a congregant wrote on facebook (which is semi-public). But after a few weeks – sure.
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A member of the congregation I serve posted on facebook:
“Why do christians hate obama?”
It has generated a few replies – some of which are more troubling than the question. “They hate everybody”. Or a peculiar testimony about discussing Obama with someone who “called the Holocaust punishment for the Jews”. (I would not know where to find someone who holds that opinion.) A good friend who was an invaluable part of our ministry with internationals and whom I respect highly commented that “some are easily conned by others and don’t think for themselves. These poor manipulated souls believe that being a Christian is to follow a Republican Political agenda”.
Frankly I am not sure I should reply at all. Or at least publicly.
One could respond with a simple test. “Does your question – and do the answers – apply to any other situation?” Imagine if I asked:
“Why do democrats hate bush?”
And the replies were along these lines. “They hate everybody”. Or discussing Bush with someone who “called 9/11 punishment for Americans”. Or “some are easily conned”. And so on.
Wright’s Second Principle of Epistemology states:
A well asked question almost answers itself.
And by extension:
A broken question is almost impossible to answer.
The original question – “why do christians hate obama?” – is broken in at least two ways.
- It does not qualify “christians” in any way. A few? Some? Most? The question implies the sweeping generalization that all Christians hate the president.
- It assumes that (said group) “hates” the president. What do you mean by “hate”? Harbor malice toward him? Wish him harm? (And you cannot equate strong principled opposition with hate. Unless Democrats hate Republicans.)
The question contains (1) a sweeping generalization and (2) a problematic assumption. It is a (twice-)broken question. And therefore almost impossible to answer.
(There may be another problem with the question. Do these people “hate” the president because they are “Christians”? Or are they American citizens who “hate” the president for reasons that have less or nothing to do with their religion?)
I do not dispute that some “Christians” may genuinely “hate” the president. (Although I assume and have no evidence for this.) That is more than unfortunate. It is against what the New Testament teaches explicitly. Would Jesus hate the Roman emperor?
If you wish sincerely to have a useful discussion then I offer the following:
Why do some? many? most? Christians oppose and/or disagree with some? most? all? of what President Obama says does and wants?
Then – and only then – will you begin to have a productive conversation.
