48
posted ago by Narg ago by Narg +48 / -0

I can't get out of my mind that "Only humans hate entire groups of people."

Try to imagine dogs or cats or other animals hating large groups of their own kind, who they've never met, for no reason other than that they've been propagandized against the Bad Group.

Imagine dogs or cats imposing pain, suffering, and even death on others of their kind solely because of that propaganda. Imagine them working together to commit genocide against the hated group of strangers.

This -- the human capacity for unreasoning hatred of entire groups of people -- is a flaw or weakness in humanity that has been carefully exploited by those who wish to control others and to gather more wealth and power for themselves.

That's Good and Evil in a nutshell, right there: hatred of others, fanned to bonfilre levels in people who would likely have emotionally healthy (or at least less neurotic) lives had they not been lured into such madness.

Jesus' worldly teachings -- on love for others, on compassion, on not offending children -- on sanity, really -- stand In stark contrast to what the Enemy is doing to Mankind, which is reason enough for me to support Christianity (which I grew up in) as well as other religions (Buddhism, Jainism, Taoism, etc) that also support love and compassion instead of, say, violent Jihad (there are other meanings for that word, but hatred and violence are the problem).

John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 
13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Also:

Matthew: 
18:1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? 
18:2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 
18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 
18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, 
the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 
18:5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. 
18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Mark: 
10:13: And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. 
10:14: But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. 
10:15: Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.

Luke: 
17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Below, a slightly longer version of the quote in the post title:


Much about modern humans, however, doesn't fit cleanly into kin selection or reciprocal altruism. Sure humans are clearly biased towards their own kin. But people still regularly help strangers without expecting anything in return. ... Humans are, relative to other animals, by far the most altruistic to unrelated strangers.

Of course, humans are also one of the cruelest species. Only humans will make incredible personal sacrifices to impose pain and suffering on others. Only humans commit genocide. Only humans hate entire groups of people.

From A Brief History of Intelligence: Evolution, AI, and the Five Breakthroughs That Made Our Brains by Max Bennet