The Internet Hate Machine?

Michael Geertsma writes this for ThinkChristian.net:

We have something in common, you and I. You may not realize it yet, and this may come as a bit of a shock, but we’re part of the same hate group. We’re large, powerful, angry and effective. We have causes – millions of causes – that we’re passionate about, at least for a moment. My causes aren’t the same as your causes. I may even hate your causes, but in our division there is strength. We all hate something, and we’re all taking out that hate in the same place. We are the Internet, and we are a Hate Machine. 

Rob Bell and Rebecca Black are two recent examples of Internet Hate Machine carnage. They have nothing substantial in common, other than shared initials and victimhood. Bell is a pseudo-famous Christian pastor,author and speaker, best known for his mega church and Nooma video series. Black is a 13-year-old girl who wasn’t known for anything before unwittingly becoming a viral video star. 

Somehow, both managed to get on the wrong side of our angry Machine. It’s not hard to do, because anything can set us off – and just about everything does. We hate Democrats, Republicans, Christians, Muslims, atheists, homosexuals, homophobes, rich people, poor people, jocks, nerds, celebrities, athletes, musicians, movie directors, journalists, dictators, presidents, Helvetica and Comic Sans.

Read the rest.

I have some questions for Michael and his piece:

1.  Biblically speaking, are there not some things that are worth hating?

2.  When you read Galatians or Jesus' condemnation of the Pharisees, wouldn't you see some "hating" going on?  How does that relate to your piece?

3.  Are there not significant differences between Rebecca Black and Rob Bell?  In my mind the motives for the publicity are quite different between those two individuals.

4.  Is it possible to "hate" the theology or ideology of a person without hating the person?  It seems that that notion is becoming more and more scare in our cultural "free" market of ideas.  It is not possible to write a piece condemning Rob's theology and not loathe him as a person?  Seems to me that we need to work hard at promoting that ideal to a much greater measure in our culture.  Without it we anesthetize the any real conversation away from having real substance.