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If you really want to understand the difficulties in answering this question: Imagine you and your twin sitting in your Mother's womb asking each other what it is going to be like after you are born . . . using what you can learn about the Womb from the inside.
The problem is 80% of what you say is good stuff. But we need to be honest.
you understand that love can be "illogical". Not right or wrong so to speak, but can distort the reality. Just like "hate" distorts the view of religion for some. The thought of a "relationship with your surroundings" is not bad per say. But you have to be at least honest with the traits you assign to it. Like this walking on water thing. You can "love" the universe. You can focus on a "Jesus human" to place these emotions on or make usable. But why do we have to follow the magic stuff.
Logically explain addiction to yourself. Then see if you are addicted to something. I means it's ok to a point right? we just need to be careful and use control.
When someone falls in love with another, it's much more than a "head" knowledge. It is unmistakeably of the heart. Yes, it does often produce a warm feeling inside. That doesn't mean it's make-believe or a fairytale.
The same can be said about a person who genuinely commits their life to Christ & His work. The Holy Spirit is called the Comforter for a reason. The peace that passes all understanding...
If you have ever been in love, you'll understand.
You're admitting that "God" is actually a psychological phenomenon going on in the brain.
If that's what I said, I didn't mean to. Quite the opposite.
You suggested that believing in the Christian God was analogous to being in love. Being in love is indeed a psychological phenomenon caused by chemical reactions in the brain.
You suggested that believing in the Christian God was analogous to being in love. Being in love is indeed a psychological phenomenon caused by chemical reactions in the brain.
When someone falls in love with another, it's much more than a "head" knowledge. It is unmistakeably of the heart. Yes, it does often produce a warm feeling inside. That doesn't mean it's make-believe or a fairytale.
The same can be said about a person who genuinely commits their life to Christ & His work. The Holy Spirit is called the Comforter for a reason. The peace that passes all understanding...
If you have ever been in love, you'll understand.
You are describing cathexis, the euphoric subjective experience of being in love. The human psyche is not capable of sustaining emotional highs indefinitely. Ask anyone who has been married a few years who is capable of honesty and they will tell you that love is a decision, not a feeling; and it is hard work that demands commitment, determination, devotion, and loyalty.
Some people fall in and out of love regularly precisely because they confuse love with cathexis; when cathexis fades, they want to find a new love-object to rekindle the intense feelings again. It doesn't help that colloquially we use the phrase "falling in love" to describe cathexis. "Lovesick" is probably a more evocative term.
So yes, the subjective experience of cathexis (which can happen with any person or object, real or imaginary) is real and pleasant enough. The question is, what does it signify? The presence of "true" love or devotion? Or a temporary and potentially even transient obsessive fascination with a love-object?
Real belief is informed by a preponderance of evidence; cathexis is just background noise reflecting what we hope is true, not actual facts that prove what is true.
When someone falls in love with another, it's much more than a "head" knowledge. It is unmistakeably of the heart. Yes, it does often produce a warm feeling inside. That doesn't mean it's make-believe or a fairytale.
The same can be said about a person who genuinely commits their life to Christ & His work. The Holy Spirit is called the Comforter for a reason. The peace that passes all understanding...
If you have ever been in love, you'll understand.
Love of God should be much more than just a warm feeling. I know exactly what you are talking about because I used to be an evangelical Christian, and I would have probably said the same things you are saying now.
Aside from the fact the love of God is different than romantic love, the main thing that bothers me with any kind of "exclusive" religion is that it basically tries to say that all other religious beliefs are wrong. By saying that Christianity is the one true faith, you are denouncing Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, folk religions, etc, or just people raised in Christianity who don't buy into the fundamentalist view.
But all these other people love God too, don't they?
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Where will you be in the After-Life?
But we need to be honest.
