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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
The Holy Spirit vs. Denomic Influence	Delores	Monday, July 27, 2009
Question: If The Holy Spirit is truly at work in the soul of a Catholic, can a Catholic, in good conscience, participate in hate speech or judgment of another human being to the point of personal destruction though the 'person in question' may, according to the judge, be guilty of grave sin? Can a Catholic who engges in hate speech, personal attacks on others, etc. be true representatives of God's everlasting love, compassion, mercy and forgiveness? Is hate speech, and its consequence, (WWII and the Jews, World Trade Towers, etc.) a controlling mechanism for the failure of love in the world, a device of Satan?
Question Answered by Mr. Joe Meineke Dear Delores, I am sorry, but your question is too vague to give more than a few guiding principles that will hopefully help you come to a conclusion about your specific situation. 1. To your first question: A person cannot in good conscience participate in hate speech. Hate speech in and of itself is a moral evil. This should not, however, be mistaken for the modern phenomenon where the charge of "hate speech" is heaped upon a person for simply disagreeing with another's position on issues of what God has revealed to be immoral. Attempting to destroy a person, or otherwise attacking a person, by the sins of Detraction, Rash Judgment, and Calumny (slander) are never permissible and are moral evils. Detraction is revealing the private sins of another person to others. Rash Judgment is making judgments of others without knowing all the facts. Calumny is falsely accusing a person of sins that they did not commit. Both of these sins are gravely immoral 2. Concerning the Second Question: A person who engages in such acts, if it be true hate speech and true personal attacks, cannot be a representative of God's love, compassion, mercy and forgiveness - at least certainly not in those particular situations. Without more detail, that's about the best I can offer you in terms of an answer. However, I would encourage you to take a look at Brother's Three Secret Strategies essay. It should help you in your discernment about what is and what is not appropriate behavior for Christians who are dealing with these types of situations. 3. Lastly; yes, absolutely - hate speech is a device of Satan. It always has been and always will be. True hate speech, like lying, is one of his native languages. I hope that this helps. God bless you, Joe Meineke For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

The Holy Spirit vs. Denomic Influence

Delores

Monday, July 27, 2009

Question:

If The Holy Spirit is truly at work in the soul of a Catholic, can a Catholic, in good conscience, participate in hate speech or judgment of another human being to the point of personal destruction though the 'person in question' may, according to the judge, be guilty of grave sin?

Can a Catholic who engges in hate speech, personal attacks on others, etc. be true representatives of God's everlasting love, compassion, mercy and forgiveness?

Is hate speech, and its consequence, (WWII and the Jews, World Trade Towers, etc.) a controlling mechanism for the failure of love in the world, a device of Satan?

Question Answered by Mr. Joe Meineke

Dear Delores,

I am sorry, but your question is too vague to give more than a few guiding principles that will hopefully help you come to a conclusion about your specific situation.

1. To your first question: A person cannot in good conscience participate in hate speech. Hate speech in and of itself is a moral evil. This should not, however, be mistaken for the modern phenomenon where the charge of "hate speech" is heaped upon a person for simply disagreeing with another's position on issues of what God has revealed to be immoral.

Attempting to destroy a person, or otherwise attacking a person, by the sins of Detraction, Rash Judgment, and Calumny (slander) are never permissible and are moral evils. Detraction is revealing the private sins of another person to others. Rash Judgment is making judgments of others without knowing all the facts. Calumny is falsely accusing a person of sins that they did not commit. Both of these sins are gravely immoral

2. Concerning the Second Question: A person who engages in such acts, if it be true hate speech and true personal attacks, cannot be a representative of God's love, compassion, mercy and forgiveness - at least certainly not in those particular situations.

Without more detail, that's about the best I can offer you in terms of an answer. However, I would encourage you to take a look at Brother's Three Secret Strategies essay. It should help you in your discernment about what is and what is not appropriate behavior for Christians who are dealing with these types of situations.

3. Lastly; yes, absolutely - hate speech is a device of Satan. It always has been and always will be. True hate speech, like lying, is one of his native languages.

I hope that this helps.

God bless you,
Joe Meineke

For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.