“Hate the enemies of God”?

How one quote was distorted Can a Christian hate another person? Even if he is the worst, the most evil and worthless, is it possible to hate him and at the same time continue to consider himself a Christian with a clear conscience? Such questions involuntarily arise when you read online skirmishes on many Orthodox forums, where participants are in vain trashing each other with a feeling that cannot be called anything other than hatred. They are thundering not for anything, but for standing up for the Truth, for God, for the Orthodox Faith. As an indisputable argument for their rightness, they cite the words of St. Philaret of Moscow, which today have become a kind of motto of such “righteous” Christian hatred: “Love your enemies, hate the enemies of God and beat the enemies of the fatherland.” I had to read and hear this phrase quite often, and each time some vague resistance to what I heard arose in my soul. Can the Church, through the mouth of a saint, declare that in the world, it turns out, there is a category of people who can and even should be hated? But you can’t argue with the saint... And I couldn’t agree with this remark either, because it directly contradicts the Gospel. To resolve this confusion, I found the full text of the document from which St. Philaret’s phrase about hatred of the enemies of God was taken. And everything immediately fell into place: it turned out that the saint had never said anything like that, and the phrase attributed to him in numerous quotes was simply distorted in the most banal way. Here are the words of Saint Philaret: “Abominate the enemies of God, defeat the enemies of the fatherland, love your enemies. Amen". It is not difficult to notice that the word “hatred” is not here, and the word “abhor” implies only a call not to participate in the evil deeds of God’s enemies, to turn away from their ideas. Of course, if desired, this phrase, even in its undistorted form, can be “pulled up” to mean “hate the enemies of God.” And it will take as long to challenge such an interpretation as it will be unsuccessful (as, indeed, any other thesis built on subjective opinion alone). Therefore, I will not engage in this unproductive matter, but simply propose to consider the words of St. Philaret in the general context of the document from which they were taken. Here it is, with minor abbreviations. Word of St. Philaret of Moscow on the 19th week of Pentecost “Love your enemies and do good” (Luke 6:35). ...To withhold a vengeful blow, but not to stretch out your hands to help, to shed sweet flattery from your tongue and to carry bile in the bowels of your heart does not mean loving your enemies. Love is a living and active participation in the well-being of another. So, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink (Rom 12:20). This is the image of true love! Do not call yourself in vain - ready for the services of your opponent - be so in reality. Speak to him with your heart and confirm your assurances with deeds. Insensibly creep into his soul, use this pious cunning in order to take away from him the desire to do evil, in order to restore innocence and calm to a heart outraged by malice. Love your enemies and do good! But how can we love those in whom we see nothing but deceit and malice? Of course, we cannot love evil, and who demands this? Feel all the disgust for vices that they deserve - this is not prohibited, but it is still required; just don’t confuse them with the people themselves in whom you notice them: having separated them, you will still find in them what is worthy of your love. No matter how unnatural it may seem to love an enemy, is it less contrary to nature to hate a person? ...What a pitiful state - to pay hatred for hatred, insult for insult! What if the enemy is stronger than you?.. What use will your loveliness serve then? Is it to speed up your death? And with equal forces, what can we expect if not mutual fall and disaster? Finally, even if he was unable to resist you, is secret treachery less terrible than an open attack? And tormenting worries, and tricks, and plans, and enterprises that turn to one’s own harm, and painful thoughts even about one’s own impossible success, and even more painful ones about the luck of the enemy, and finally the luck itself, accompanied by the greatest remorse, and sometimes general contempt? Oh, how much torment there is for the hating heart - it is hell on earth, the flames of Gehenna! What remains for us to avert this spontaneous torment? Surrender to God and respond to hatred with love, to deceit with simplicity, to malicious intent with goodwill, to reproaches with useful advice, to insults with charity, to curses with prayers. These are the true weapons against the enemy! By doing this, in the words of the great Apostle, ...you are heaping burning coals on his head (Rom. 12:20). No matter how cruel and petrified he is, your meekness will strike an insensitive heart and make you repent of the insults inflicted on you. She turns his anger on himself - shame burns him. Thus, love for the enemy not only serves as a means to your peace of mind, but also as a strong instruction for him; you then enter into a certain kind of apostolate and become a weapon of its appeal to virtue! ...Why do we lose sight of such a great advantage that we can have over our enemies? We look through a magnifying glass at the slightest disadvantages we suffer from them. Doesn't prudence require us to look at everything from the side that is more useful to us and less distressing? Slander? Thank your indiscreet enemy: you will learn a way to correct mistakes that your best friends would not show you. Are they dishonored and deprived of their good name? Be calm; What harm is there to the sun if some madman says that it is gloomy? Thus, if ill-intentioned people find stains in your virtue that it does not have, it is their dishonor, not yours. Deprived of their estate? There is no need if you did not consider it your own, but if you thought otherwise, then you have a chance to find out the truth. Are they depriving children and friends? Maintain virtue and you will be united in eternity; otherwise you are lost to yourself. Are they oppressed or persecuted? The earth is the Lord's, and its fulfillment (Ps. 23:1). Human persecution only brings us closer to the kingdom of God. It is blessed to drive away righteousness for the sake of them, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs (Matthew 5:10). Death threats? Don't be afraid! Life and death in one hand; but if anyone lives for Christ, to him death is gain (Phil 1:21). If these reflections do not convince you to look at your enemies without confusion and anger, look at Calvary, where heavenly wisdom from ignorance, innocence from hellish crime, the Creator from creation, the Lord Savior from the enemies of the lost suffers and dies. Abhor the enemies of God, defeat the enemies of the fatherland, love your enemies. Amen. It is difficult to add anything to what has been said. Yes, you can hate those whom you have identified as the enemies of God. Yes, you can try to somehow piously justify this hatred of yours. All this is a matter of personal moral freedom and Christian conscience of each of us. But such self-justification cannot be based on the authority of a holy man who has never shared such convictions. Christ prayed for the forgiveness of His crucifiers, everyone knows this. But were they only His personal enemies, or also enemies of God? If you confess God incarnate in Christ, then the answer will be quite clear. And vice versa: can the enemy of God not have hostile feelings towards the people who worship this God? I think this is hardly possible. The enemies of Christ at all times were also “part-time” personal enemies of Christians. It will not be possible to separate these two categories of enemies according to the principle: “I love some, I hate others”, no matter how ardently we wish it. Therefore, the call of Saint Philaret to abhor the enemies of God does not at all mean that the commandment to love one’s neighbor does not apply to them. You can treat the person himself with love, while abhorring his ideas and deeds. And if we are to be completely honest and consistent, then each of us will inevitably have to admit that any of our sins is also enmity against God. And there remains for us one and only consolation for all: not for the righteous, but for us, sinners and enemies of God, Christ accepted the death of the Cross, as Scripture says: being enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son (Rom. 5:10).