Does the Bible contain hate?

Racist passages: There are few passages in the Bible which are openly racist. Two exceptions are:

She pleaded with Jesus to cure her daughter who she believed was possessed by a demon. He first ignored her, but then explained that he was sent only to bring the Gospel to the Jews, not to the Gentiles such as she. Jesus replied to the desperate mother that it was not right for him "to take the children's bread and to cast it to dogs." i.e. it is not appropriate to take the Gospel, which was intended only for the Jews, and offer it to Gentiles as well -- here described as sub-humans, as dogs. Jesus was an observant Jew. In the 1^st century CE such Jews often referred to Gentiles contemptuously as "dogs." It could be argued that Jesus' remark was racist. However, the country of Canaan no longer exists. So it would be difficult to make the case that the passage constitutes hate literature today. Besides, Jesus appears to have later changed his mind, and decided that the Gospel should not be restricted to Jews but was for all humans. In Matthew 28:19-20, frequently called "The Great Commission,"  he is quoted as saying: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you..." This would seem to contradict his earlier comments to the woman that the Gospel was only for Jews.

Sexist passages: There are many sexist passages in the Bible -- most notably in Hebrew Scriptures. Prior to the ministry of Jesus, the Bible often describes women as inferior to men, as sexual predators, as an item of property, and as deceitful and untrustworthy. They could be sold permanently into slavery; the enslavement of men was temporary. Non-virgin brides -- but not non-virgin grooms -- were stoned to death. Some women who were raped and who did not cry out would also be executed. However oppressive these passages were to women one can argue that they are not hate literature. They are simply historical documents recording the culture of Israel in ancient times. Most of the public have rejected these Bible passages as being worthless in today's society. At least in Western countries, women have now been given rights almost equal to men. There are a few exceptions, such as:

But generally, Western society has abandoned the moral code of the Hebrew Scriptures with regards to women's rights and freedoms. As the Western Jewish Bulletin stated in a 2003-JAN editorial: the "Bible [is] not hate literature....Because there are some aspects of the Bible that are not taken literally in this day." ₄ Of course, Christian Reconstructionists might extract certain biblical passages which oppress women and advocate that they be applied in the 21st century. Some conservative Christians might teach that God's will never changes, and that the anti-female passages from the Hebrew Scriptures remain valid today. But this would only convert the original Bible quotations into modern-day hate literature. The Bible is simply a historical document reflecting the laws and customs of the time.

Passages teaching religious intolerance: In biblical times, cultures in the Middle East followed a great diversity of religious belief systems. Almost all were polytheistic in nature. With the exception of a brief flirtation with monotheism in Egypt, ancient Israel was the only country which worshipped a single God. The Bible taught that the ancient Hebrews must isolate themselves from other religions and follow only Yahweh (a.k.a. Jehovah). Some ancient Hebrew males who took wives of other cultures were killed. Sometimes they escaped with their lives, but their marriages were declared null and void. Hebrews who recommended that their fellow citizens worship other Gods were to be killed. Similarly in the Christian Scriptures, many authors promoted Christianity as an exclusive religion. Its followers had the duty to proselytize and convert Jews and Gentiles to Christianity. But they were to keep themselves free of contamination from followers of other religions. In 1 Corinthians 10:20, Paul goes so far as to say that when the Gentiles worship their Gods, they worship demons.

The biblical passages which exhibit hatred and rejection of other religions are accurate portrayals of the beliefs of the time. However, Western society has generally abandoned the moral code of the Hebrew Scriptures with regards to religious freedom and tolerance. We have legislation which prohibits oppression of people on the basis of their religion.

There are websites on the Internet which promote special privileges for Christians and/or promote the restriction of human rights for religious minorities. Some might quote the Bible. But this would only convert the original Bible quotations into modern-day hate literature. The Bible itself is a historical document reflecting the laws and customs of the time. Biblical passages may sometimes be incorporated into modern-day hate literature; but they are not hate literature themselves.

Homophobic passages: (The term "homophobic" has many meanings. We use it here in the most common sense of wishing to oppress gays and lesbians, and opposing the granting of equal rights to homosexuals). There are six classical "clobber" passages in the Bible which condemn certain homosexual acts. However, theologians cannot agree on their precise meaning:

Same-gender sexual behavior was a crime punishable by death In biblical times. This was quite easy to understand if one considers the culture of the time:

Again, these passages merely reflect the cultures during biblical times. Some people might create anti-homosexual literature which incorporates quotations from the Bible. But this might only convert the original Bible quotations into modern-day hate literature. The passages are not hate literature themselves.

It is worth noting that prior to 2003-JUN-26, thirteen states in the U.S. had laws criminalizing same-gender sexual activity. Before that date, it might be argued that literature which advocated the restriction of gay and lesbian rights or which promoted hatred of homosexuals might not be considered hate literature. After all, the activity was criminal.

Bert Haverkamp wrote an article for the Cambridge [ON] Reporter. It said, in part:
"When I read or hear the 'the Bible is hate literature' and know that it's God's word - that really concerns me. In the Bible, it says: 'For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life' (John 3:16). This directly contradicts this espoused notion of 'hate literature'." ₅

"Reflector" posted a brief article to FaithForum which said, in part:
"When people say the word of God is hate literature, something is wrong. That makes me see red. The word of God is pure and good, and homosexuals are not, All people in general are not. I know that I for one am of a sinful nature, just like everyone else on the earth....It's laughable to say that the Bible is hate literature, in any light. But these things must come to pass before the end. We will see how hateful the Bible is when every knee is bowing to God in the day of judgement, eh?" ₆

Bruce Clemenger, Director of the Centre for Faith and Public Life, at The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada wrote a letter to the Honourable Martin Cauchon, Minister of Justice asking for an interpretation of a proposed federal bill C-415. He wrote, in part:
"Sacred Texts ...under the Criminal Code literature becomes hate propaganda if it is used by someone to promote hatred against an identifiable group. Leviticus 20:13 states, 'If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.' If this text is used by someone to promote hatred or advocate genocide as defined in the Code, will the Bible itself be considered hate literature? Is it only in its use that literature becomes hate propaganda or, once used inappropriately, will it then be deemed to be hate propaganda in itself? How will section 320, dealing with seizure of offensive material, be applied?"
"Public Incitement of Hatred ...the definition of public incitement to hatred leaves churches and other places of worship in a potentially difficult position. A church meets the definition of a public place in s. 319. If a religious text such as Leviticus is read in a church or a sermon is preached on the morality of certain sexual activities, and in either situation activists attend to disrupt the service, would either the reading of the aforementioned text or the preaching be considered 'public incitement of hatred'?" ₇

Pastor James Brown Jr. wrote:
"The Bible as 'hate literature', a WorldNetDaily (WND) article on October 21, 2002, described the assault against the Kingdom of Christ in Canada. Most Christians may be surprised to hear that the Bible is being regarded as 'hate literature' by our Northern neighbors. However, this is not just confined to Canada but is a global trend that is even being designed for America as well. This new order of global government is at war with Christ and seeks to destroy those whose allegiance is or could possibly be to the Kingdom of Christ." ₈

Don Boys wrote: "Canada is a nation that has traveled this road where it is illegal to criticize homosexuals (and others) in public. When I cross the border, I could be arrested or at least refused entrance because of some of my books and tapes dealing with homosexuals and others....Did you know that it is illegal in Germany, Austria, and Lithuania to deny the holocaust? People have gone to jail because of that 'crime.' Did you know that you only have to suggest that six million Jews were not killed by Hitler, and you can go to jail?....Teaching Bible truths is not hate, and I will never permit anyone to tell me what to preach. There are not enough federal agents with all their guns, etc., to influence my preaching. Period! The next time I'm in Canada, I'll say what I want to say about sodomites, baby killers, etc." The magazine editor added the following comment to Boys' article: "Remember to the liberal mind the Bible is hate literature. Eventually this is the way the Word of God will be classified and the time will come in American when it will be against the law to have a Bible. Hate literature!!! Go ahead and laugh!!" ₉