God is love? Doesn't work no matter how you slice it

[The Doors of Perception]

So, God is love is still one of the most common ways of describing God it seems. I am wondering how this makes any sense. Normally people argue that God is obviously not loving. If God loves us why does He allow poverty, natural disasters, why hold us responsible for the sins of others if he loves us, why torture us for eternity for human mistakes? Just things like that.

But I realize that the common slap down for this is that it is a different kind of love, specifically Agape (selfless love). Well, this makes no sense either. Before time, whether we look at creationism, the big bang and evolution, however we view creation, before that it was just God. Before anything else existed it would have just been God. This means that God chose to create for personal, selfish reasons (whatever they may be). It is a contradiction to believe that God is selfless while realizing he created for selfish reasons.

Discuss.

[sandandfoam]

What could I gain from a discussion about a concept of god so limited that even it's own author doesn't/can't believe in it?

[Trey of Diamonds]

God is love is a new age hippy thing that Jesus came up with. But even he admitted that God is everything and that means the bad with the good. I think what was originally meant by this, as in what Jesus meant, was that God's focus towards people had shifted from war and hate to peace and love. Very revolutionary thinking for the time.

[The Doors of Perception]

Originally Posted by stephenw

What could I gain from a discussion about a concept of god so limited that even it's own author doesn't/can't believe in it?

I'm so sick of this hate driven ignorance. I reject God because nobody has shown me He needs to exist or does. If provided with an argument that cannot be shot down I would have no choice but to accept God. But, I like how I proved a argument showing how a certain concept of God is illogical and you think the ability to reason makes me limited and ignorant

Originally Posted by Trey of Diamonds

God is love is a new age hippy thing that Jesus came up with. But even he admitted that God is everything and that means the bad with the good. I think what was originally meant by this, as in what Jesus meant, was that God's focus towards people had shifted from war and hate to peace and love. Very revolutionary thinking for the time.

I agree with that. Few religions seem to believe in this unbalanced and incomplete "all-loving" deity. Of course, those are the biggest religions in the world haha.

[no-body]

It's just a metaphor. Love is an emotion it doesn't imply any positive or negative within itself. Remember we are not speaking of the clingy sticky love that most people experience but rather unconditional love.

[waitasec]

god and love have different meanings for different people...
even evil is subjective.

the argument is if god is just how can god love the unjustified? well he doesn't...
you are not saved unless you are justified by faith, then god will love you...even your 1 yr old son who just developed a brain tumor, or contracted some sort of disease that is going around in cambodia...but of course it's their parents fault because they live in a godless society, guilty by association i guess or maybe you really don't have faith...and are not justified which is why your child is paying for your sins, no i'm sorry for adams sin...

people are sick sometimes...

[The Doors of Perception]

Originally Posted by no-body

It's just a metaphor. Love is an emotion it doesn't imply any positive or negative within itself. Remember we are not speaking of the clingy sticky love that most people experience but rather unconditional love.

Define "unconditional love". Are we talking like parent to child or selflessness?

[sandandfoam]

Originally Posted by The Doors of Perception

I'm so sick of this hate driven ignorance.

What are you talking about?

Originally Posted by The Doors of Perception

I reject God because nobody has shown me He needs to exist or does. If provided with an argument that cannot be shot down I would have no choice but to accept God. But, I like how I proved a argument showing how a certain concept of God is illogical and you think the ability to reason makes me limited and ignorant

No, just lacking in imagination.

[The Doors of Perception]

Originally Posted by stephenw

No, just lacking in imagination.

Well if we're just going to accept what we imagine as fact I would say it's all downhill from here.

[sandandfoam]

Originally Posted by The Doors of Perception

Well if we're just going to accept what we imagine as fact I would say it's all downhill from here.

In my imagination 'the Stolen Child' is one of the most beautiful poems ever written. I accept this as a fact.

What is downhill/objectionable about the 'fact' that I perceive it as such?