“PARANOIA” DRIVEN HATE – A PORTRAIT

Christians have been subjected to hate right from the LORD Jesus’ times, till date. Even though Christian message has been of love and forgiveness, yet Christians were and are being hated. If we have to boil down to one single world, the hate for Christians, I would choose “paranoia” over any other word. I believe it is paranoia about the LORD Jesus Christ, about the Christian concepts of sin, forgiveness, the moral and ethical life we are called to live, and the exclusive claims of the LORD Jesus, which drive this spiteful hate for Christians, down through the ages.
– “Paranoia is a Greek word…[and] is defined as unjustified suspicion and mistrust of other people. This irrational sense and feeling that someone is out to get you or hurt you, or is withholding something from you…” – Spencer Loman

The LORD Jesus and the Bible claim exclusive position when it comes to sin and the way to salvation. This is at the core of the hate. Such blind and paranoid hate leads people to believe that, the other ideas and thoughts about sin and salvation will be made redundant, thus become irrelevant, and put out of “business” – if not stopped at all costs – even forcefully if required.
– “6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” – John 14:6
– “5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,” – 1 Timothy 2:5
– “12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12

Let us now see how paranoia operates. Let us see what makes a person paranoid. When we see this dimension, then we will see, how the world, instead of seeing the good in the LORD Jesus, allows itself to be driven by blind hate for the very good of Christianity, that helps the whole world.
– “Paranoia is generally understood as intense anxiety or fear that others intend harm. While Scripture does not use the modern clinical term “paranoia,” it extensively addresses fear, distrust, and distress that can escalate into unhealthy suspicion. Biblical teaching acknowledges that human frailty and the fallen nature of the world can prompt unwarranted suspicion…” – Bible Hub

Let us look at Saul and David to understand the fear psychosis which is foundational to paranoia. Saul was rejected by God because of his own intentional disobedience. Young David was anointed in his place. This led Saul to become insecure about his future; and intensely paranoid about David. This led Saul to pursue David, and try to kill him at any cost, and by any and every means possible, disregarding the right and the wrong of it. Saul chose this path because, “the object of his predicament” is thought to be David, and not Saul himself. This is what paranoia does to any person, who gives in to fear and suspicion.
– “29 Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David’s enemy continually.” – 1 Samuel 18:29

A “PARANOID” PERSON is an intelligent man. He is no dumb guy. He is smart and sees things that are happening. But the problem with the “PARANOID” person is that, he is working from a “conclusion” that he already has in his mind, and is trying to fix the blame on to a person or to a context, so that his hate can have a direction and a purpose, that would make sense to him – to satisfy his guilt pangs of the wrong and the evil.

The best example of a “PARANOID” person is the “PERENNIALLY SUSPICIOUS HUSBAND.” 
– Firstly, the suspicious husband has concluded that his wife is immoral, and is having a relationship with someone else, behind his back, unknown to him. So all his efforts are concentrated in catching that man, who is meeting his wife…the imaginary man, and not addressing the root causes.
– Secondly, the PARANOID person will never consider himself to be wrong in any of his “ASSUMPTIONS.” For the paranoid person, they are not assumptions, but the very gospel truth. He can never be wrong – he is so very sure about his conclusions. 

When someone begins on the above two fundamental faults, they are bound to find all the answers to the questions they have set out to find. When we are led by paranoia, it is not too difficult to find answers to our imaginations. The two faults of a paranoid person are…
– The conclusion is already arrived at first, and then the answers are sought.
– There is no room given for the person to be wrong in his assumptions. That thought doesn’t even occur.

Sadly, there is no cure for such paranoia. When the paranoid person has power and influence, it gets even worse. There is no stopping this man. Saul’s unjust and evil pursuit of David is a fine example.

Christians all through its history have faced persecution. The persecution is because of paranoia. 
– Christians are bad and evil people – the conclusion is already made – plenty of muck is thrown in to justify it.
– The hate for Christians can never be wrong. It is not even brought up for consideration at all. It is always right to hate Christians, because they are evil people.

The people in power have persecuted Christians, and are still persecuting, and will persecute in the future too. Read the history and it will speak for itself. People in power and those in the government, where power is always, all over the world, beginning with the Jews, to almost all till date, in many countries, were and are paranoid about Christians. 

The church too has its own dark and shady past when it was paranoid about those who differed from its doctrines. Both the Roman Catholics and the Protestants have been paranoid about people, and have murdered them at their will, with a cold and cruel heart – much unlike the Master they claimed to follow.  Pages of history, both secular and sacred of Europe, the North America, and other similar places, are stained with blood of the martyrs, and that of the innocent…killed by those who thought they were doing a great service to the LORD Jesus Christ.

Of the few countries were Christians were not hated, whatever their denominational affiliations, is India. One doesn’t know if it can be said that the same will hold in the future too. Already we read in the newspapers about the increase in the incidents and the intensity of Christian persecution. All persecution of Christians, all over the world, is fuelled and driven by suspicion and fear…paranoia.

Let us as Christians, learn to lean upon the LORD Jesus, and walk ever so faithfully to Him. May the LORD Jesus grant us His grace and strength to stand up for Him, firm and strong, in the face of paranoid driven hate for us. Even so, the LORD help us.