I ask for one thing when you read this post. When I speak of God hating or loving people in this post, please understand that in concert with the original quote, I use these terms to speak of that in people’s lives which God loves or hates, rather than the disposition of God toward any person on the whole.
“You can safely assume you’ve created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.†– Anne Lamott
This quote showed up on my Facebook wall this morning. And it is being received with much affirmation. And no doubt, it should be. It is true. If your God only affirms your every thought, you might at well face a mirror rather than altar when you pray. If the one you call god simply serves as an abstract almighty justification for that which you want hate, you do not call upon the true God.
But I would suggest that the converse of this statement is also true and yet would not be received as quickly.
“You can safely assume you’ve created God in your own image when it turns out that God loves all the same people you do.â€
I would suggest that more often that among the Christians I know personally the problem is not that they craft God’s hate in their own image (although they are some), but they craft God’s love in their own image.
They assume that God must without any rebuke love all those they love. Surely God can not be set against their child who is living a licentious life. Surely he can not loathe the celebrity that they have chosen to idolize. Surely he cannot seek to rebuke the author that uncannily puts their thoughts into words.
Surely God must love all my friends, family, and favorites. So therefore, he must love what they do or at the very least not be truly concerned about it. He must accept them just as they are.
And finally this statement is perhaps the most true.
“You can safely assume you’ve created God in your own image when it turns out that God loves you as much you do.â€
Surely God must love me without questions. He must love my every thought, word and deed. He must never desire to rebuke, correct, or condemn anything about me. He must think as highly of my life as I do.
May we love what God loves, hate what he hates, and let both of those truths search our lives for sin in order that we might seek again the mercy of our God and receive it in his Son.
Wow! What a great post! It seems to me that when God’s own revelation is taken out of the equation, and we use our own prejudices and stereotypes as the basis for what God loves and hates, it is a recipe for theological disaster.
There is a great deal to think about and chew on here. Thanks!
I would add a little thought to the end concerning this quote “You can safely assume you’ve created God in your own image when it turns out that God loves you as much you do.†I know some people who don’t love themselves very much, and assume that God doesn’t love them very much either. Some of us struggle with denying the Law, others with denying the Gospel.