How to love your enemy?

Question

I've been thinking, how ANYONE can really love the enemy... for a while, and got this series of questions.

1. Can you realy hate someone, that you understand?

2. We usually label someone as enemy, depend on what he/she did. Have you ever did something without thinking, then someone absolutely hated it for reason you'll never understand? Could it be what your enemy did to you - that he/she didn't really aware you'll hate their action THAT much?

3. Maybe your enemy got crazy idea, or a jerk, or just twisted person. But... imagine when they were young and naive... They once were so innocent. Throught their family members or bad accidents happened in the course of life, might hurt them so much so they developed twisted personality, to protect themselves. If you can imagine that, can you still hate the person??

My love and friendly kiss to you all~

Answer 1

Without Christ in your heart, its impossible.

Answer 2

Bear with me here, K? Think of "Hatred" in terms of "Judgment and Bias/Bigotry". Everyone has some sort of Judgment, Bias, Bigotry whether they are this way towards the type of "Breakfast" they Like or the "Vehicle" they drive. That is a "Personal Choice" that we make, which is "Not Harmful" to us, rather it Satiates our needs. On the Other Hand, when we "Hate Anything", we "Lose or Surrender" our "Happiness" to other People or even "Inanimate Objects"!!! How Ridiculous is that!!! As we are All Different, we have set Our "Norms & Standards" at some point in time and base them upon "Our knowledge & Interaction" with others as well. Guess what, so does Everyone Else!!! We all have a "Tolerance Level" a point at which we say to ourselves, "I'm making a Judgment" now, that this is not "Right" by My "Norms & Standards"!!! Now, once we make that "Determination, how are we going to "Respond"??? The "Choice" is "Positive" (forgiveness, maintaining Control) OR "Negatively" (striking out at someone/thing, Losing Control). As Christians, we should Always Strive to do that which is "Profitable" in the Lord even though it goes Against the "Human/Old Sin Nature". John

Answer 3

You know that this is a very serious and life controling thing for some people. I acknowledge that and I don't wish to belittle the magnitude of the problem for some.
But I would like to offer a little advice.

Overcoming hatred.
You have to be still with it.
If you try to push any unwanted emotion away you just give it more power. You can feed it as well, stoke it and that gives it more power. Going over and over it in your mind will do this.
(One thing you can do which helps is to write letters to the person you hate so much. Not to send, just to write and then destroy. This works whether the person is alive or dead.)
But if, when you feel the hatred, you just feel it - feel the physicality of it - what does it feel like in the body? Just feel the emotion - WITHOUT JUDGEMENT - then it will begin to lose its energy. Over time, if we are patient, this really will help to release anger and hatred.

As anger fades, I don't promise that love will flow in, but I do say that you will find peace.

And to those who carry too much hatred for my ideas even to be considered I say this - find someone, a therapist, who works with emotions AT THE LEVEL OF THE BODY. These awful feelings are held in the body. They are only going to be cleared if they are addressed at that level.

I return your love and your kind kiss.

EDIT,
Go on, Mrs B. Just a peck.

Mumof4.
Yes, there is no doubt of the abiding power of love.
But I have seen people whose lives have been so badly damaged by rape, by childhood abuse, by deliberate physical injury that, until the injury and the hatred and lack of forgiveness it carries, is addressed there is no crevice for love to get a grip.

Another Edit.
((((((((MomOf4))))))))

Answer 4

Lefty did read this..and mrsb mwahhhahhhaawah!

Now to answer properly...personally I think 'hate' is such a wasted emotion - I have never hated anyone in my life - disliked yes but hated no. And an enemy..hmm hard one cos not all can be nice and friendly but enemy is yet again another strong word.

There will always be someone who does something you disagree with but does that make them an enemy? Okay Im just a romantic idiot..but negative words breed negativity.

I think you have a loving head on your shoulders...focus on that :0)

Answer 5

Love and hate is too simplistic; they are convenient labels which are supposed to be binary opposites (another convenience)... but I don't think actually are.

I think that with understanding and reflection, 'hate' evaporates: for me, 'hate' is a transient, non-rational response; it's often an expression of disgust or used for emphasis.

I'm not sure it makes sense to talk about 'loving' your enemy; the point surely is to try and understand and empathise with that particular person in order to inform a rational, more sympathetic response. That may still leave you disliking a person and what they do, but at another level, it's the beginning of accepting them and recognising that they're as human as you.

Answer 6

In order to know what love is one has to experience hate, it is only in the absence of something that the opposite can be experienced. I think as we get older it is much easier to let's say, love your enemy. You begin to understand that maybe what you see in others that you don't like, is somehow reflected in your life, and by that you are able to chose differently, in other words one experiences hate in order to understand and experience love. I have also discovered that if I pay attention or in my words am aware of myself and pay attention to myself and do not point to others that life becomes a lot easier. In other words pay attention to your own life and let others manage their own. Of course then there comes the time where paths cross and interaction is necessary. I suppose this is where you learn who you are by your actions and if you don't like your actions and live through the day, you can chose differently tomorrow from the lesson learned now. Living in the presence of NOW is something we human beings have a hard time with. The birds and bests do it so easily, oh but then we are special, we are Gods top creation, there couldn't possible be any higher life form the us humans, you think?

Answer 7

Actually the bible says by loving your enemy you would heap fiery coals upon his head. Romans 12:20.

Roman 12:19 Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but yield place to the wrath, for it is written "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says Jehovah." NWT

In that case, if it is just a matter of misunderstanding, the person hating you may come to his senses but if you confront the person, the controversy can continue for a lifetime. If the person is truly evil, then God will handle the matter eventually.

Answer 8

broader aspect of this sentence is that if you realise the ignorance under which a person is become one's enemy, he may deserve sympathy. simple example is, a child slaps on your face and you get hurt. your love with the child still remains. similarly, now the whole world is against each other on religion. but for religious differences, the members are as normal as anybody. the sentence of quote has to be taken in this spirit and not by literary meaning!

Answer 9

Yes, this is how my mother taught me to view other people's hurtful actions. Hurt comes from within. If someone says or does a hurtful thing, chances are that they are hurting (on the inside) even more than you are.

Luke 6: 5 - http://scriptures.lds.org/en/luke/6/45#45

It seems like a contradiction really, to love your enemy. It's possible that Jesus gave us that advice to mull over until we finally realised that there are no enemies amongst humankind.

Eph. 6: 12 - http://scriptures.lds.org/en/eph/6/12#12

The fight we are fighting, wherein we "put on the whole armour of God," is fought most of all within ourselves.

And LOVE is the key to fighting against the darkness in others (and also ourselves).

((((((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))))))))

Added: Okay, Jon. So are you saying that sometimes love isn't enough... and physical healing (ie energetic healing to body and spirit) needs to be done? I agree. For a few years there I had no spirituality to speak of... like you said... there was nothing for it to get a toe hold. I had lots of crystal therapy during that time, which helped to reawaken my heart.

I know what you're saying. Advice on self-help/self-discipline is of no use to people so deeply scarred... someone else must heal them before they have any strength to begin healing themselves.

If everyone could heal themselves of their hurts, there wouldn't be much use for you, me, and my hubby would there?

Answer 10

All solutions so a strategies sound good & are the appropriate option. yet, if i'm basically commencing my non secular adventure the main uncomplicated of all motives to artwork on loving my enemies would be that everybody which detest, all that anger, & all that venom comes by me first. i'd get maximum of it & as I launch it questioning it is going to "attack" my meant enemy, that's killing me. It outcomes me first bodily earlier enviroment or my "enemy". i comprehend that's no longer a "selfless" answer, yet back i'm undecided there is one interior the commencing up. with any luck, by ability of attempting to no longer harm myself with poison innovations to the single I evaluate my enemy, by egocentric motives i'll additionally study something approximately my nature & perchance the character of the enemy, then as i alter, my motives will exchange. exciting Q. advantages!

Answer 11

To follow the example of Jesus in how he loved the "sinners" is one way to find the answer. His hope is always to love the sinner, hate the sin... and hope the "sinner" will turn their life around to better ways -- to be sorry and not to do the bad things any more. Followers must learn to love their enemies the way Jesus loves them.