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So that they will see and not understand. You claimed that Jesus never hated, but an understanding of Jesus requiring the Lord of the universe to love good, bad, pointless, boring, gentle and evil at the same time seems a tad shallow, don't you think.

Not at all, Jesus didn't hate anything, but that doesn't mean that we can't hate anything. Only that we are not supposed to hate any person.

If someone called you a snake, you might reasonably think you were being hated, don't you think?

Perhaps, but that could be wrong - and it often is.

Do you include yourself in this warning? Jesus said "you will be hated" for his namesake. Do you think gentle bi-partisan pronouncements earn the hatred of your enemies, or do you think preaching "repentence" (the great commission) does that?

You're suggesting that Christians act in a way so that people start to hate them? Well, in that case, I suggest blowing up buildings. That will no doubt result in hatred by many people.

It's interesting that you see everything as partisan. Religion isn't all that partisan.

Jesus didn't hate anything

Romans 9:13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated
Proverbs 13:5 A righteous man hateth lying: but a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame
Proverbs 15:27 He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live.
John 12:25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

Jesus hates lots of things and he tells us to hate our own lives, to hate bribery, to hate lying, and, speaking as God the father, He says He hated Esau.

Making Jesus over into some sort of Mr. Rogers in a cardigan sweater is just not telling the truth about His ministry. He is also, as scripture tells us, love. Our finite minds need to find a way of wrapping our understanding around what seem to be contradicting realities.

When Anne Coulter lends a voice of condemnation to what God calls "an abomination," I don't think we should be whipping out the Hallmark scented-card Jesus and puttin up our tisk-tisk fingers. It just doesn't represent the historic or the scriptural position.