What Do You Stand For?

A friend once read a woman a line from my book: “If we love that which is good, we will hate that which is evil.” The woman immediately rejected it, insisting, “I love everyone and hate nothing.” My friend quietly answered, “You don’t stand for anything, do you?” a perfect response. To hate nothing is to love nothing, because real love always hates whatever destroys the thing loved. I once dealt with a woman whose husband beat her, scarred her, committed adultery, and had begun to molest their daughter; yet she insisted, “I don’t hate him at all; I really love him.” Her refusal to hate evil ensured her continued destruction. Years later, her situation was even worse. This is the spirit of our age: people claim universal love, but stand for nothing, fight for nothing, and refuse to oppose evil. True love requires moral indignation; without hatred of evil, there is no real love of the good. And God’s verdict on such empty sentimentality will echo my friend’s words: “You don’t stand for anything, do you?”