"Love your enemy, and be good to those who persecute you." Matthew 5:44
This verse is perhaps the most important teaching of the great Messiah. If we can find it ourselves to love our enemies above ourselves, then there is nothing that we cannot love. In this verse, Jesus tells us to respond to negativity with positivity, because there is nothing to be gained when piling negativity on top of itself. Love is the hidden partner and the antidote of hate.
Shamefully, however, Christians often forget these teachings, or prefer to pretend that they do not exist. They would often rather persecute other denominations, make young homosexuals into a community issue, and gossip about other parishioners. People love the taste of evil, and will savor that taste for as long as they can deny it is there.
If we can escalate ourselves at the expense of another, we ensconce ourselves in evil and pride, and justify it later. It is with a lack of grace and a lack of love that we tell the world that they are going to Hell, while we are not. Such a statement can be born only of pride, and this is what the person who you are talking to will recognize.
Telling somebody that they are going to hell does not glorify God, it glorifies you. It escalates you to a higher position than a listener. If you want to tell somebody about God, tell them the good things which He has done in your life. Tell them of the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Think of it like this. If somebody said "Take a walk with me or I will punch you in the face," you wouldn't go! You'd call the police. This is essentially what Christianity does when preaching damnation. I would be much more likely to join a person in a walk if they said something like "Take a walk with me and I will buy you dinner."
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