Religious self-defence

Most of my students are not Catholics. Of the 1200 students in Shung Tak, about 40 of them are Catholic and I do not know how many of them are practising. Therefore, I tell my students in RS lessons that I am not so much concerned about preaching the gospel and converting them. Rather, I am concerned about 'religious self-defense'. In this North-Western region of the New Territories, many unorthodox sects are very active. There are the Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses and Zion Church etc. The urban area is already occupied by the traditional churches. Therefore, they are eager to 'go west', to a virgin land uncontested. Many of my students have met some of these sects and some are already converted. Therefore, my aim is to equip my students with orthodox teachings so that they have a yardstick to refer to whenever they are approached.

The Bible is such a rich repository. Taken out of context, many of the verses can be heretic! I remember watching an episode of 【珠璣集】, a precursor of Hong Kong Connection 【鏗鏘集】, in which members of the notorious cult Children of God were interviewed. They justified their prostitution with 'fisher of men'. They brainwashed members with Mark 10:15. The word of God is an invaluable gift from God but men can really turn it into tickets to hell! My God, have mercy on my students.
In the reading today, we can find seeds of heresy. It puts the believers in opposition to the world which is demonized, which belongs to Satan! It cultivates a we-they mentality. We are in the right and any sensible objections belong to the demonized world.
If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you (John 15:18).
How can the believers be wrong when their Master has been crucified by the evil they? If people misunderstand the believers, it is only too natural.
But all this they will do to you on my account, because they do not know him who sent me (John 15:21).
Here, we need an understanding of the historical context in which the gospel of John was written. The Johannine community was persecuted by the Jewish authority. They needed to stand united and consolidated in order to survive the persecution. What better strategy was there than confirming the believers that they were in the right and the opposition was evil? This confirmation was true to a certain extent but it is not the total truth.
Yes, the world is evil and infested with sins. But it is not beyond redemption. Otherwise, why did Jesus bother to take up human flesh? Why did he teach us to pray that God's kingdom come? Why did he call vulnerable men to be his disciples and entrusted the mission of building God's kingdom to them? Why did he bother to die on the cross for sinners? Therefore, no man is beyond redemption.
Biblical verses should not be read out of context, nor should they be read in isolation. To balance the 'only faith' position of St. Paul, we have James epistle which stresses work of mercy. To avoid falling into the extremity of the we-they mentality advocated in John, remember the teaching of Matthew and Luke.
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44).
Bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you (Luke 6:28).

My sweet Jesus, enlarge our hearts to embrace opposites. Open them wide so that they may accommodate both justice and mercy. I pray for my students that they may be more receptive to Your message of love. Grant us the wisdom to discern Your true teachings in the Bible. Amen.