"Hate the sin but love the sinner" no less offensive and hateful than Westboro Baptist messages

[Hugabear]

I've seen many Christians distance themselves from Westboro Baptist Church and their hateful messages against the LGBT community. Yet many of them will turn around and say stuff like "Hate the sin but love the sinner". IMHO, both messages are equally hateful. The latter might not be quite as inflammatory as saying "God hates F***". Yet it still reeks of condescension, that gay people are 'sinners' who need saving.

When you love someone, you accept them for who they are. At least with the WBC idiots, you know where they stand. With many others, they cloak their hatred in the guise of love and acceptance. All the while they actively work to discriminate and dehumanize those very same people.

Make no mistake, they're just as hateful and offensive.

[FBaggins]

1. Nonsense.

It can't be condescension for a christian to call someone a sinner in need of saving... since that describes them too (if we're talking about a real christian rather than the WBC variety).

[Hugabear]

6. I've only ever heard it used in reference to homosexuality

And quite often at that.

I've never heard it used in reference to anything else.

[FBaggins]

8. Perhaps it's the only time you come in contact with Christians?

A genuine christian (by my definition of course) will use it for anything that (s)he thinks god says is sinful.

It isn't my intention to proselytize, but this is the core tenet of all flavors of christianity... that we are all sinners in need of a savior. That not one of us lives up to the standard of perfection necessary to deserve heaven.

[Hugabear]

12. Considering I grew up in a very religious family, no

I understand that in the Christian view, everyone is a sinner in need of salvation.

However, the only time I've ever heard the phrase "hate the sin, love the sinner" is in relation to homosexuality. I've never heard it in reference to any other particular sin, or even in a general sense.

[CTyankee]

15. I'm no Pope lover, but I did kinda like the Pope referring to himself as a sinner.

What I got from that is that he doesn't make a distinction on just homosexuality. It was at least one small step...

[hunter]

17. Since we all are sinners there's never any reason to say that obnoxious phrase.

99% of the time when people say that it's their way of labeling someone a sinner.

Love one another. That's the rule. Simple. It's not a complicated concept that needs any sort of elaboration or special cases.

[joeybee12]

19. Specifically calling homsexuality a sin is bigotry, trying to be covered up

by Christianity. And no, it's not all the tenets of Christianity, so don't broadbrush that either in your rush to apologize.

[Xyzse]

2. I don't know, I was taught that, that quote is for ALL SINS.

No matter what it is, even if it was murder, or any other sort of violent sin. Hate the sin, as in no person is beyond redemption.

Never took it as anything more than that.
If that is what you believe, then, that is what you believe.

This is why I am not for the Death Penalty, and opt for rehabilitation more often than not.

As for LGBT issues, I don't see that as being wrong or as a sin.

[Bluenorthwest]

5. Why do you call it a 'quote'? What do you think is being quoted?

It's just a phrase repeatedly spoken by ignorant people who think splitting hairs excuses their bigotry. So the folks who 'taught you that quote', what did they claim to be quoting?

[Xyzse]

9. I call it a quote since it is being quoted right now.

I don't consider homosexuality as a sin.

As per mentioned, I take that as a way to try to look beyond what a person has done, whatever it is, and see if there are other redeeming qualities about them.

That is how I took that quote. If others have a different experience with that quote/saying or whatever you wish to call it, I am sorry that is how they have found it.

I always thought that it was something to explain that no matter what people have done, there is something redeeming about them. That doesn't mean, I'd always find it, but heck, it makes me try.

[Bluenorthwest]

16. It's just that if it is a quotation, it has to have a source.

You said this was 'taught to you' as if you had been educated about the phrase, but if those who taught you told you this is from some sacred text, they lied as such people often do.

[Hugabear]

7. I have never heard that quote used in reference to murder, or any other "sin"

I've only heard it used when talking about homosexuality.

Having grown up in a very religious environment, and having quite a few very religious family members, I hear that phase quite often. It's only ever used for one "sin"

[Xyzse]

10. I believe you.

However, I heard that quote/saying when I was much younger.

The way it was explained to me is what I have mentioned. That everyone has good in them, and look beyond the sin or what they have done.

Like I said, since I don't consider homosexuality a sin, I never thought of it as that.

Then again, I did come from a different country, and as a child I never really thought of it as that way. By the time I moved to America, my experience with the church has been "Sunday only" and barely that, so that I was free to make my own associations rather than be force fed a point of view, beyond that.

[Humanist_Activist]

3. To put it more succinctly the concept of sin(especially that we are all sinners) is misanthropy...

given religion. Even when its used as an out to say they don't hate the LGBT community in particular, they do hold some type of contempt for humans in general, something I find atrocious and appalling.

[Egalitarian Thug]

4. They can't it into their heads that their foundational precepts are themselves offensive

to those of us that don't share them. The human mind is a frighteningly malleable thing.

[Warpy]

11. Only because they (and most Christians) have completely missed the point

Hating the sin means not doing it, not ever.

Loving the sinner means loving him unconditionally, whether or not he leads a sinful life.

They're OK with the former since they usually focus on sins they're never tempted to commit while ignoring the sins they commit daily.

The latter seems impossible for most of 'em.

[Marrah_G]

14. It's a bullshit line Christians use to justify hate.

[joeybee12]

18. You're absolutely right, and you've got a lot of asshat apologists here...

Sickening that DU once again reveals its true self.