From Anger to Hatred

This post was inspired by one blogger, zorro, in his posting dated 10th December 2007. This a day after police arrested 8 lawyers and activists for walking without permits and one lawyer from obstructing City Hall personnel from removing banners from the Bar Council building.

The Govt has become paranoid. People were arrested for having a morning stroll in city. 500 police personnel were deployed to watch over 100 walkers. The Bar Council building which was the venue for the Festival of Rights, a yearly event to celebrate World Human Rights Day was besieged by the police.

Yesterday, the siege was on Parliament. All roads leading to Parliament were blocked just to prevent a contingent from Bersih to handover a memo to object to the constitutional amendment for the purpose of extending the retirement age of the Election Chairman for one year. Bersih has already called off the rally last week and decided only a contingent will present the memo to Parliament. That was also not allowed. Arrests were made outside and within Parliament grounds prompting Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang to label yesterday as the blackest day in the history of Parliament. Tian Chua, the PKR Info Chief was beaten and brutalized by the police on his way to Parliament. We now have a Government with a siege mentality not unlike the other totalitarian regimes in the world past and present.

I was angry. But now my anger has turned into hatred. Is hatred a legitimate Christian expression? I believe so.

Amos 5:15a - Hate evil, and love good and establish justice in the gate

Amos is my favourite Old Testament book. If only more Christians were to read it and more preachers were to preach from it, the Christians in this country will not be so apathetic when it comes to social justice issues

Psalm 97:10 - O you who love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the life of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked

There is even a promise that God will preserve our lives and deliver us from the wicked. But in God's sovereign will not everyone that stood up against injustice and evil will remain unscathed. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hanged for opposing the Nazi regime.

Hatred needs not and should not lead to physical violence. But there is a need for creative violence. After all they say, the pen is mightier than the sword. Today, the keyboard is mightier than bullets, tear gas, chemical laced water cannon, ISA, Sedition Act and all the other laws that do violence to the dignity and rights of a human being.

I hate evil!