What Evil Lurks...?

One tough thing that many of us have to deal with is how to deal with people that seem like nice people, but express hateful opinions. Sometimes these people are our relatives, sometimes they're our co-workers, sometimes they're our neighbors. I'm not talking about mere differences in opinion, even though some of those differences may have huge consequences.  There are many ways that we can disagree that don't involve dehumanizing others, or behaving hatefully. Often what separates opposing ways of looking at a problem is the intent behind the opinion.

Religion is overflowing with examples. It's one thing to believe that a certain religious belief or practice is what works best for you, it's quite another to advocate that those who don't hold your religious views be executed.

Wow, that was extreme.

We all know that those people exist, but what about believers who aren't on the fanatical end of the spectrum? How about those who, while not advocating death for the "unbeliever", nonetheless work toward enmeshing their religion and the law, effectively outlawing different beliefs? (or no beliefs) Some, but definitely not all, would agree that this is wrong. But how do you view someone, who is perfectly content to separate church and state, yet believes in her heart of hearts that you and people like you, are so detestable that you will be tortured eternally? That's what Hell is, people. According to the myths, Hell is not some afterlife haven for rebels where all the really cool people go when they die. No, Hell is a place of eternal torment and you deserve to go there for whatever reason your religious buddy thinks is his god's rules. And even if you're nominally of the same religion as Mr. Fire and Brimstone, you might, in his opinion still be damned for not being enough of a believer.

If I have to be around those people I'll deal with it, but I won't like it.

What about politics? A lot of people "aren't political". But there is a significant percentage of the nation who gladly and enthusiastically support "leaders" who spew hateful rhetoric and regularly demonize those who oppose them as "enemies", "scum" and a variety of other epithets. People who proudly parrot what their leaders say about their fellow Americans, their friends, family and neighbors.

How about sports? Think that's safe? I heard a co-worker defend a player who was accused of a crime, not by noting that he hadn't had his day in court yet, but because he was fast and was helping his team win games. Athletes in professional and college sports are regularly protected from the consequences of their actions solely due to their value to their franchises. And fans still pay to see them and cheer them on.

Sometimes I hear people say things, or read comments on social media and wonder: "What's wrong with this person?"

I'm not so un-self-aware that I think every moral person in the world adheres to the same ethical standards that I do, or that those who hold differing opinions are necessarily evil, or stupid, or deplorable, but sometimes I just recoil in horror at what lurks in the hearts of my fellow humans.