Naemanson, is it hypocrisy for my pastor to hate me, or is it honesty? My blunt honesty poses a threat to him, and he doesn't know how to respond. How should he feel? He doesn't hate people because of their religion, sexual orientation, or race - he just hates me because he's scared of me.

• Thou shalt not kill.
  
• Love one another.
  
• Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

Naemanson, do I hear you say that Christians don't follow these commandments, and that you've never met a Christian that follows the Golden Rule?

C'mon now! I would venture a guess that most people you know do a pretty good job of following these commandments, whether those people are religious or not.

These are basic principles of living, and most civilized people do a pretty good job of following them. Certainly there is hatred in some religious and other groups, and I suppose most people hate somebody sometimes - but I really believe that on the whole, human beings are pretty good folks. Sit down, have a beer with a friend - and when the glass is half empty, fill it up again. Life isn't that bad.

-Joe-