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I am generally a loving person, but I have my limits with people who are evil, support evil, or act like asses. Jesus himself castigated the Pharisees because of their religious hypocrisy, calling them whited sepulchres full of dead men's bones. Maybe part of love is speaking the truth?
Good point....and good point to discuss.
The fine line of love, acceptance, tolerance, patience, kindness, tact as opposed to saying,
"You are full of xxxx and will never change." (I see that as what Jesus said...you are full of dead men's bones.)
This is what I have come to, personally: 1. Is it my teaching role to call out someone?
2. I'm not Jesus, who had the authority (and maybe it was his job!) to say what he did ...to clean up misconceptions
3. These guys that he called out often were doing harm spiritually to others...against his Father's wishes...they were teaching false things against God Himself. That was part of his mission.
I find regular ole co-workers or neighbors that are cruel, mean, rude, thoughtless and hurtful...
need help* ...not me saying,"You are cruel and you have dead man's bones."
*Help to me is encouraging them to go to counseling to get to the bottom of their inner pain causing them to be this way towards others....this acting out...cuz it's way overboard....but they don't realize it. (And if you don't wanna be punched in the nose...leave a note on their desk.)
I think most people 'love god' because of what religious texts say about god. But why should atheists or agnostics love god? atheists believe that evidence or lack of evidence proves god does not exist. Why love a being who does not reveal himself to you? Now I think god can choose to reveal himself to people if he so chooses ( I believe in god), but if he remains unknown to people, then why worship him or love him? Most people wouldn't say I love that stranger walking on the street because they don't know the stranger. So I think asking atheists to love god is like asking someone to love a stranger or someone they don't know.
I think most people 'love god' because of what religious texts say about god. But why should atheists or agnostics love god? atheists believe that evidence or lack of evidence proves god does not exist. Why love a being who does not reveal himself to you? Now I think god can choose to reveal himself to people if he so chooses ( I believe in god), but if he remains unknown to people, then why worship him or love him? Most people wouldn't say I love that stranger walking on the street because they don't know the stranger. So I think asking atheists to love god is like asking someone to love a stranger or someone they don't know.
No, it’s asking us to love an imaginary being, not a stranger. We can still love humanity.
Because it evokes a loving state of mind toward God and each other, NOT because God needs or wants to be worshiped. God needs nothing from us and we can NOT add any glory or anything else to Him by worship.
I think most people 'love god' because of what religious texts say about god. But why should atheists or agnostics love god? atheists believe that evidence or lack of evidence proves god does not exist. Why love a being who does not reveal himself to you? Now I think god can choose to reveal himself to people if he so chooses ( I believe in god), but if he remains unknown to people, then why worship him or love him? Most people wouldn't say I love that stranger walking on the street because they don't know the stranger. So I think asking atheists to love god is like asking someone to love a stranger or someone they don't know.
I don't think anyone is asking an atheist to love god. Obviously if you don't believe in a deity, it wouldn't apply.
I think most people 'love god' because of what religious texts say about god. But why should atheists or agnostics love god? atheists believe that evidence or lack of evidence proves god does not exist. Why love a being who does not reveal himself to you? Now I think god can choose to reveal himself to people if he so chooses ( I believe in god), but if he remains unknown to people, then why worship him or love him? Most people wouldn't say I love that stranger walking on the street because they don't know the stranger. So I think asking atheists to love god is like asking someone to love a stranger or someone they don't know.
atheist should understand "feeling". people place their feelings on objects around them. dogs, cats, cars, and even trash.
People love their their surroundings. Their surroundings are not better described as non-life. Unless everything is non-life. But then, any non militant, I call millimental, would see the problem there.
Any takers?
Can you muster love for your neighbor cutting trees that give you shade, out of spite?
Can you manufacture love for someone fee loading off the government or a woman, ha?
Can you make yourself just genuinely love period?
Love God?
How do you do it?
Agape love, unconditional love...how do you accomplish that state?
Thanks
Loving God is easy....loving the noisy neighbors upstairs? Not so much....
I don't mind seeing them, it's hearing them at 2 a.m. that's driving me nuts! God doesn't bother me when I'm trying to sleep.
Got it!
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