While the phrase has existed in some form for quite some time, "Love the sinner, hate the sin" has seemed to become increasingly more popular as the LGBT community has been garnering more rights across the country these past few years. I often times hear anti-gay marriage Christians attempt to sound more progressive and tolerant by simply saying, "Love the sinner, hate the sin." Sure, that may sound easier on the ears than, "God hates fags," yet the consistent undertone of these two phrases and others is that of hate, the former simply disguised better than the latter.
When's the last time you heard the following interactions?
Frederick Titicaca: "So, did you hear about that pastor's wife spotting him at a Fifty Shades of Grey orgy over the weekend?"
Sandra Shaft: "Love the sinner, hate the sin."
Emily Teabag: "My hubby and I went to a comedy show on Friday night, and neither one of us could believe how many bad words the guy was saying. Over and over again, he'd be saying the 'f' word, the 's' word, the 'b' words, the 'd' and 'a' words, even the 'x' and 'z' words!"
Matthew Mathewson: "Love the sinner, hate the sin."
Johnny Buckwheat: "Can you believe the lie he told? I mean, getting drunk on tequila and then swimming across the Pacific Ocean in the middle of January while wearing nothing but a headband and sunglasses?"
Maria Golightly: "Love the sinner, hate the sin."
No, I haven't heard such discussions either. It seems that the phrase "Love the sinner, hate the sin" has been unofficially designated for the LGBT community. The problem with the phrase and its usage, besides the fact it appears to be an excuse to show disapproval of one particular demographic, is that it doesn't make a whole lot of sense when one gets right down to it.
Most of the people whom utter this line are self-described Christians. When did Jesus ever say to "Love the sinner, hate the sin"? Survey says? Not one fricking time. As a matter of fact, Jesus said to love thy neighbor and apparently died on the cross for mankind's sins, because no person is perfect. That's how the story goes anyway. So if the reason for Jesus' crucifixion was to save all of mankind due to the fact none of us are perfect, and in conjunction with this, said to love thy neighbor, how in the world can that be interpreted to mean, "Nobody's perfect, which is why I died for you. Also, I want you to love everyone around you, all your neighbors, your brothers and sisters. However, if the person's sin is that of homosexuality, I want you to cherry-pick that action from all the rest and simply tell him or her, 'I love you, but hate what you do.' If the person is a professional liar, simply tell him you love him. If the person has cheated on their spouse with an entire professional baseball team, including the team's announcers, columnists, and scouts, just tell her you love her. But if the person has been sleeping around with someone of their own gender, be certain to tell the person that while you love them, you do not approve of their lifestyle. Amen."?
Let's not beat around the bush with this phrase. "Love the sinner, hate the sin" may not sound as negative nor be on the receiving end of as much backlash as some other choice phrases regarding the LGBT community, but it's only spouted because the person hates what they term the "homosexual lifestyle." A person can attempt to disguise their hate as much as they'd like. At the end of the day, though, it's still hate, and hating a fellow "neighbor" for being in love with someone of the same gender is far worse than being in love with someone of the same gender.
Christian: "Love the sinner, hate the sin."
Homosexual: "Love my partner, hate the hate."
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