In the first entry of the Loving Thy Neighbor series, I discussed the story of the Good Samaritan and his compassion compared to Westboro Baptist Church's lack of compassion. I'll start this part by continuing from that story.
As I mentioned before, the Samaritans were the descendants of both captive Israelites and Gentiles, making them an "impure" race. The Jews hated them because they were impure, and the Samaritans hated them back. So much, in fact, that they might as well have been enemies. Fortunately for us, Jesus had something to say about loving our enemies.
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:44:48)
Much care should be taken around the words "son" and "children". While they have a literal meaning the same as their meanings today, they could have a less literal meaning. "Son" could refer to a descendant (e.g. son of Abraham), a pupil or follower, someone physically existing and having abilities as a man (which is why Jesus called Himself the Son of man), someone in the likeness of another, or whoever God esteems as a son. Because salvation is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8) and is obtained by calling upon the Lord (Romans 10: 9-13), I'd have to say that "children" in this verse (which uses the same Greek word for "son" in the Textus Receptus) is referring to those in His likeness.
In short, we are like God when we love our enemies. We are made like God because He loves all of mankind so much that He offered Himself for them.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; WHO WILL HAVE ALL MEN TO BE SAVED, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; WHO GAVE HIMSELF A RANSOM FOR ALL, to be testified in due time. (1 Ti. 2:3-6, emphasis added Note: the Greek word thelo means "I wish/will." The wording in verse 4, where thelo is, is a little wonky in the 21st century, but the verse basically means "Who is willing that all men be saved...".)
As they embrace strict Calvinism, simply quoting John 3:16 isn't enough. WBC's members believe that "the world" refers to only the elect. According to them, "world" does not mean "all of earth's inhabitants" anywhere in the Bible.
And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness. (Psalms 9:8)
Apparently this means that God will only judge the righteous in righteousness, because "world" exclusively means "elect" here. This interpretation is awfully fitting with the unpleasant implications of Calvinism, as I am about to demonstrate.
As we saw in the previous episode of Loving Thy Neighbor, WBC members miserably fail in loving their neighbors and have deceived themselves into thinking that picketing and suing people is an exemplary display of loving their neighbors. What they believe about God, however, is much worse.
While they believe that they love their enemies, they also believe that God has no love for them and HATE, HATE, HATE!!!s them so much that he'd actively predestine them to Hell before they were ever born. They believe in a God with no compassion, yet they fool themselves into thinking they have it.
If the Westboro God was the Samaritan, He'd have no compassion on the beaten Jew. He wouldn't be "good". He'd be as unholy as the priest and Levite who ignored the man. He would contradict His own parable, making Him a hypocrite. He'd be a meta-hypocrite 40 times over, as "hypocrite", "hypocrites", and "hypocrisy" are mentioned and condemned in the Bible that many times.
He'd have created most people so that they could go to Hell. He'd have provided no salvation or anything for them. They had no free will over their souls. They had no choice. The path to righteousness is only available to a select few.
The Calvinist God is the most hypocritical and cruel monster the world has ever seen.
And you dare call that distorted image of the Lord God Jehovah holy?
I could be accused for blasphemy for that logic, and I have. But anyone who attacks me with an ad hominem like that missed the point that their beliefs are blasphemous, and I'm only taking them to their logical conclusion.
It could be argued that God doesn't have to follow the same standards He gives mankind, and it has. That basically gives their idea of God an excuse to be a hypocrite, to be cruel, and to rape anyone he sees fit.
I don't believe in that God. I don't give my God excuses, because He doesn't need them. I believe in a God in whom is no sin (1 John 3:5).
I believe that God is love, and that He loves all of mankind. I believe that He loved the depraved Ninevites he sent Jonah to. I believe He loved the Samaritans that He met after talking with the woman at the well. I believe He loved the multitudes He saw at Galilee, so much that He compared them to a harvest with few laborers and commanded his disciples to pray for more lauborers (Matthew 9:35-38).
I believe He loves the whole world, and gave Himself for it. I believe that Westboro is wrong.
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