Website owner:  James Miller

On Enemies

   What can we say on the topic of "enemies"? 

   Q.  How can you tell an enemy?  What kind of behavior 
   characterizes an enemy?  What kinds of things do enemies do?

   A.  Well, an enemy wishes you ill and is likely to try to do 
   you harm in any way he can think of:  He may talk badly about 
   you, attempt to set other people against you, verbally attack 
   you, look for faults or weaknesses (and expose or exploit any 
   he sees), attempt to put you down, accuse you of wrong, 
   attribute bad motives to you, distort and misrepresent your 
   actions in some negative way, slander you, call into doubt your 
   character or ability, attempt to make you look bad and, in 
   extreme cases, even perhaps physically attack you.  These are 
   all the kinds of behavior that characterize an enemy.

   In general, an enemy is likely to wage warfare against you and 
   that warfare may be principled or unprincipled depending on his 
   own character.  Depending on his scruples, or lack of scruples, 
   and the depth of his hatred, he may resort to any trick, device 
   or stratagem his imagination can conceive of and may lie, 
   misrepresent, alter facts, slant evidence, etc. in an attempt 
   to hurt you.  If your enemy lacks scruples don't expect 
   objectiveness, fairness or honest treatment from him.  And 
   don't expect logic and reason from him as passion and hatred 
   easily distort and warp clear vision and overpower sense, logic 
   and reason.

   When you have good fortune your enemy is likely to be angry, 
   unhappy or sullen; when you have bad fortune he will probably 
   be happy and gloat over it.


   Q.  What causes an enemy?

   A.  There are many things:  envy, jealousy, religious bias, 
   racial bias, and class bias are some things.

   Q.  How do you handle an enemy?

   A.  Jesus taught us how to handle enemies:  He said, "do good 
   unto your enemy, don't act against him.  Leave vengeance and 
   justice to God". 


   What observations can we make in regard to enemies? 

   1.  If you have an enemy there is probably little likelihood of 
   him ever becoming a friend.  Depending on the reason for his 
   dislike or hatred, it is quite probable that nothing you can do 
   will ever change the situation.  If, for example, he hates you 
   out of envy or jealousy nothing that you can do will change his 
   feelings.  The better you do in life the more he will hate you.  
   He will be unhappy about all your good luck and be happy in all 
   your bad luck.  You just have to accept the fact that the man 
   is your enemy.  It is something that probably won't change. 

   2.  People can have enemies and groups of people can have 
   enemies.  Liberals hate conservatives, they are the enemies of 
   conservatives, and they will do what they can to harm them.  
   And conservatives hate liberals.  There is mutual warfare.  A 
   liberal mass media wages a subtle warfare against a 
   conservative president that they despise, trying to turn the 
   public against him.  Countries can have enemies.  An excellent 
   example of a country with enemies is the United States.  Its 
   enemies are manifold.  The degree of dislike ranges from simple 
   dislike to intense, passionate hatred.  The Muslim peoples of 
   the world are the outstanding examples of people with a really 
   intense hatred of the USA and for good instruction on the kinds 
   of behaviors that characterize enemies it is only necessary to 
   listen to them and watch them.  Listen to their arguments and 
   opinions.  You will see their press slandering the West 
   continually, accusing it, attacking it, speaking negatively 
   about it, attempting to set people against it.  You will see 
   logic twisted by hatred, and passions that overpower all 
   objectivity, reason and sense.  You will see moral principle a 
   victim of hatred.  And from whence comes their great hatred?  A 
   combination of religious bias, envy and jealousy.  The enmity 
   might not be so great were it not being continually stirred up, 
   stoked, and fanned by their religious clerics.  At bottom of it 
   all is the deep hatred of their clerics --- and their power and 
   influence.  From whence comes the hatred of the clerics?  The 
   Koran, with its venomous diatribes against the infidel (i.e. 
   any non-Muslim).  Is there any chance of the situation 
   changing, of Muslims losing their hatred of the USA?  I doubt 
   it.  Considering the reasons for the dislike I see little hope 
   for that. 


   Apr 2003