Love your enemies and be good to them” –

Direct Orders From the Mouth of God:

“Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,

Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.”

Christianity is one of the “revealed” religions, meaning that adherents believe the “truth” has been revealed through their sacred texts. Oddly enough, Jews, Muslims and Christians all share the same belief in the revealed truths of the same texts – the old testament.

There are those who believe that the bible is the inspired word of their god. Among these are some who believe that the bible is a guide to morals; others believe that every single word in it is literally true.

President Bush and his evangelical supporters are amongst this group.

Happily, the following passage works for both those seeking a guide and those obedient to specific instruction, all the more so because these words are the literal words spoken by Jesus Christ.

We offer this passage as a service to christians who are considering what their responses ought to be in relation to Iraq, the war on terror, and the incarceration of fellow human beings – even possibly terrorists – in Guantánamo Bay.

We offer this reading because it has come to our attention that there are very many christians whose hearts have been hardened against the heathen; christians who lack compassion and humility; devout christians who seem preoccupied with their own salvation at the expense of the lives of others, little realising that their selfishness and lack of compassion will see the gates to heaven slammed shut against them and cost them eternal life…

So here are the orders from the highest. It could not be more clear. These are the strict and literal instructions of Jesus.

Christians who disobey these direct orders without repentance will go to hell.

Luke 6: 27-38

27   But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
28   Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
29   And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.
30   Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
31   And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
32   For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
33   And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.
34   And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
35   But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
36   Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
37   Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
38   Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.