Friday, August 17, 2012

"...hate the vice and love the man"

"Wherefore the man who lives according to God, and not according to man, ought to be a lover of good, and therefore a hater of evil. And since no one is evil by nature, but whoever is evil is evil by vice, he who lives according to God ought to cherish towards evil men a perfect hatred, so that he shall neither hate the man because of his vice, nor love the vice because of the man, but hate the vice and love the man. For the vice being cursed, all that ought to be loved, and nothing that ought to be hated, will remain."

-St. Augustine (354-430), The City of God, Book 14, chapter 6

3 comments:

  1. I wish those who went around talking about "hate crimes" and all that could understand the profound difference between hating the man and hating the vice.

    "...neither hate the man because of his vice, nor love the vice because of the man..."

    There seems to be so much confusion about this simple instruction.

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    Replies
    1. So true! Disagreement does not equal hate. (If it did, then everybody would be "haters" since disagreement with people with different views would be just as much present on one side as on the other).

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