This recent report reads like a prayer list for me.  The Washington Post has described 2015 as the year of ‘enormous rage’ and there seems to be hatred to go around.  The rhetoric of this political cycle’s presidential candidates has only added to the tension and division.  So, we hate for racial, religious, economic and political reasons.  There seems to be hatred for most if not all things along with fear and hate crimes to go with it.

But, the social construct of race continues to take the cake.  The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) reported that chapters of the Ku Klux Klan rose from 72 to 190.  In a similar vein, black separatist groups also increased from 113 to 180.  With anti- confederate flag messages, the increased instances of police brutality which created the Black Lives Matter movement, I do not foresee a decline on the horizon. And the report does not account for anonymous hate groups that meet online (in country clubs or at the dinner table for that matter).

While the SPLC’s definition of hate has been questioned and rightly so as it seems to reflect their personal interpretations and leanings, the numbers are important.  The growth of hatred for people is something that we should pray against, whatever its form and wherever we find it.  Hatred does not heal our relationships and the rise of it only speaks to our wounds.

Perhaps, we should tone down the rhetoric.  Lower the stakes of this next presidential election.  Lower our expectations of what she or he may be able to do for I assure you, it will take more than 4 years or 8 to “save our country” if that is your hope.  And maybe we should lower our voices and listen to what we are saying because hate is such a strong word.

To read the article which discusses the full report, click here.