Abandoning the Path of Hatred? Sounds Like a Plan

My guess is that anyone who's been on the planet, and understands at least one of the European languages, knows what happened on Friday. So far, 93 bodies have been recovered in Norway: from a bombing in Oslo, and shootings on the Island of Utoya.

The fellow who killed those people is Norwegian. He seems to have had the idea that he was going to save Norway from Muslims by killing Norwegians. Wholesale.

Crazy? Maybe. Wrong? I think so.

Since I live near the center of North America - thousands of miles away - why should I care? Like I wrote in another blog today, 'my end of the boat isn't sinking' isn't a sensible attitude.

Hating People Still Isn't an Option

"Hate the sin, love the sinner" may sound corny - but it's pretty much what the Catholic Church teaches. The Catechism of the Catholic Church discusses the idea: 1765, 1866, and 2262, for starters. Like I've said before, "love" isn't "approval."

"Abandon Forever the Path of Hatred"

I think this is pretty good advice. Not easy: but good.

"Abandon the logic of evil, Pope pleads after Oslo attacks"
David Uebbing, CNA (Catholic News Agency) (July 24, 2011)

"Pope Benedict XVI issued a 'heartfelt' plea to all on Sunday, following the terrorist attacks in Norway. He called on everyone to 'abandon forever the path of hatred and escape from the logic of evil,' as he offered his prayers for the victims and their families.

"The Pope said that the news of the bombing in downtown Oslo and the subsequent shooting at a youth camp caused him deep sorrow and left him grief-stricken.

"Catholics in Norway are feeling much the same way.

" 'We are so used to being this quiet little nation where nothing like this happens,' said Fr. Paul Bratbak, the communications director for the Diocese of Oslo, in a July 22 interview with CNA...."

Freedom and Real Estate

America went through an awkward phase a few decades back, when we figured out that it wasn't a good idea to keep neighborhoods sorted out by ethnicity. The change wasn't easy - and America still isn't perfect - but deciding who's allowed to buy the house next door based on who the family's ancestors are is illegal. My guess is that there are still exceptions: like I said, the country isn't perfect.

I'm okay with that: which, considering the extended family I'm in, is just as well. More to the point, letting folks buy property even if they're not the 'right' sort lines up with what the Catholic Church teaches about freedom.

Not 'freedom to be just like me,' or 'freedom to agree with me:' freedom. Again, the Catechism and:

• Freedom, 1730-1742
• Religious Freedom, 2104-2109
• Freedom, faith, and reason, 154-155, 160
• Freedom and families, 2223, 2228
• Freedom and duties of
  • Civil authorities, 2236
  • Citizens, 2238
  (Footnote 3 (June 24, 2011))

That's religious freedom for everybody. If that's not what you've been told about the Catholic Church, I'm not surprised: and that's another topic.

Related posts:

• "Oslo, the Island of Utoya: and Living in a Big World"
  (July 23, 2011)
  Includes links to
  • "The Threat of People Who Aren't Just Like Us?"
    (July 23, 2011)
  • "Chauvinism Knows No Borders"
    (July 23, 2011)
  • "Oslo, Dead Bodies, Love, Hate, and Getting a Grip"
    (July 23, 2011)
• "Loving Neighbors: No Matter What"
  (May 10, 2011)
• "Religious Freedom, Niemöller, and Muslims in America"
  (April 7, 2011)
• "Hating People? Not an Option"
  (December 9, 2010)
• "Smashed Statues: An Opportunity for Prayer and Charity"
  (November 25, 2010)

In the news:

• "Abandon the logic of evil, Pope pleads after Oslo attacks"
  David Uebbing, CNA (Catholic News Agency) (July 24, 2011)
• "Norwegian Suspect Wanted European Anti-Muslim Crusade"
  Associated Press, via FoxNews.com (July 24, 2011)