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Is it possible?

Clara Tea

Well-Known Member
We could just stop the person from killing everyone. Maybe send him to an island or lock him away. Whichever way you look at it, loving everyone can be a tough job especially if not everyone else is the same. Having to protect people from the injustices of others can make me look like I do not love the person I am stopping from being mean.

The recent wars were examples of not loving foreigners as much as we love our own families. They became statistics....some faceless enemy....we cheapened human life by killing them so easily (without a thought to their worth as human beings).

Remember, God said "thou shalt not kill." Also you have to remember that God considers all humans to be his children, and we are not supposed to kill the other children of God.
Arnold Schwarzenegger tried to do that (love everyone). In fact, the maid's son is the spitting image of him.

True love doesn't involve just satisfying lust (though those in love satisfy every aspect of their lives with each other). The caring that we have for all of society is very special.

I see kids come out of a Catholic church, then toss candy wrappers on the ground. Sure, it's pollution, but it is an even worse type of pollution....pollution of the soul. It means that they don't care enough about other people to keep the world a tidy place.

To hate is to judge.

"Judge not, lest ye be judged" (Jesus, Sermon on the Mount).

Yet, if we don't judge God and Jesus, we would not judge them to be good and wholesome. If we don't judge the devil, we won't recognize him. If we don't judge someone who is "fightin' evil" we might mistake them for a righteous man, rather than a tool of the devil who makes wars against innocent nations.

We, therefore, have to judge, in our own hearts, but just not bad-mouth others publicly. For example, when President W. Bush called various Iraqis names (Dr. Evil, Dr. Death, et al) he motivated wars against them, and that killed perhaps a million innocent Iraqi people (some were innocent women and children). Of course, that also involved "bearing false witness" (taboo under the 10 commandments).

If we don't judge others, we follow them, and that harms others (it is sinning).

The ability not to hate someone is also the ability to ignore their crimes, and to aid and abet them in further crimes.
 

passerby

Member
Arnold Schwarzenegger tried to do that (love everyone). In fact, the maid's son is the spitting image of him.

Not sure why you are using this as an example.

True love doesn't involve just satisfying lust (though those in love satisfy every aspect of their lives with each other). The caring that we have for all of society is very special.

Yes, we care for each other in many ways, and care for the poor is part of a Christian's calling.

I see kids come out of a Catholic church, then toss candy wrappers on the ground. Sure, it's pollution, but it is an even worse type of pollution....pollution of the soul. It means that they don't care enough about other people to keep the world a tidy place.

Not sure how dropping litter is polluting the soul and why you reserve Catholics as an example. Kids need to be shown how to care for the world, and we haven't made a particularly good job of it.

To hate is to judge.

"Judge not, lest ye be judged" (Jesus, Sermon on the Mount).

Yet, if we don't judge God and Jesus, we would not judge them to be good and wholesome. If we don't judge the devil, we won't recognize him. If we don't judge someone who is "fightin' evil" we might mistake them for a righteous man, rather than a tool of the devil who makes wars against innocent nations.

We cannot judge God- we can only seek to understand him but judgement of others is a very human failing because it somehow makes us feel better, or we are tricked by Satan into thinking it does.

We, therefore, have to judge, in our own hearts, but just not bad-mouth others publicly. For example, when President W. Bush called various Iraqis names (Dr. Evil, Dr. Death, et al) he motivated wars against them, and that killed perhaps a million innocent Iraqi people (some were innocent women and children). Of course, that also involved "bearing false witness" (taboo under the 10 commandments).

We can only judge others according to our own experiences and consciences.

If we don't judge others, we follow them, and that harms others (it is sinning).

No, I don't agree that non-judgement is compliance. We can tolerate other's differences without agreeing with them or hating them.

The ability not to hate someone is also the ability to ignore their crimes, and to aid and abet them in further crimes.

Crimes are civil acts and not always sins- God is not concerned with crime but sin that leads to crime. As citizens we have a duty to obey laws, but I believe we were born to seek virtue and avoid sin. Many virtuous people have disobeyed civil laws and many wicked people have obeyed them but lived very wicked lives.
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
True, and we sometimes need to deal with the actions and words of others in some way also. Justice is a part of love, and justice is for all people.
Normally a justice system will take care of that :) if we see a crime happen, it can be love for the person that is harmed we pick up the phone and call the police
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
I agree, but not hating is not the same as loving unconditionally.

Is unconditional love inviting someone who hurt you to your home because you forgave her for her actions?

Forgiving etc UL of all others is probably doable. Actually expressing that forgiveness (evidence if) would ideally have conditions.

If you have UL you express it not just have it. That. I don't find doable without healthy and spiritual conditions.

If actions speak louder than words how would one reconcile the two?

That or maybe assume one has UL but only shows it to some people naturally (intentional and not) if they set up barriers of safety/conditions....or is UL not an action?
 

Muffled

Jesus in me
As a Christian I believe I have to strive to love my neighbour as myself. This is the radical challenge of Christianity. I accept that God loves my fellow humans equally. Of course, it isn't possible for me to love everyone the same, because I am flawed -this is why I have to seek the help of God's grace in trying to see them as He does. This is really hard, but I do pray for those I fail to love, and try to forgive the hurt they have caused me. This is true freedom and comes from God alone.

I believe that is churchianity or legalism. In true Christianity Jesus is our love for people just as He loved us enough to die for us.
 

passerby

Member
I believe that is churchianity or legalism. In true Christianity Jesus is our love for people just as He loved us enough to die for us.

I thought it was the radical message of the Gospels- I don't know how you get closer to Christianity than that.
 

Trailblazer

Veteran Member
Is unconditional love inviting someone who hurt you to your home because you forgave her for her actions?
Unconditional love would be loving someone no matter what they did to you, loving them with no conditions.
It would include inviting someone who hurt you to your home because you forgave her for her actions.
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
Unconditional love would be loving someone no matter what they did to you, loving them with no conditions.
It would include inviting someone who hurt you to your home because you forgave her for her actions.

I'ma challenge you a bit but not meant to be a full convo (maybe its own thread, I dont know).

How would a person express unconditional love for a criminal (a person) but then condemn her for a crime she did either to that person or someone else?

Unconditional love by definition doesn't have qualifications on who should die and who should not. If we all had unconditional love, we'd have consequences for people's actions but we wouldn't condemn the value of their lives for their actions-their actions condemn themselves.

Since other people don't share my opinions about the value of life, how do you reconcile the two without the nature of the crime being the condition in which one should see her die or not?
 

Trailblazer

Veteran Member
How would a person express unconditional love for a criminal (a person) but then condemn her for a crime she did either to that person or someone else?
Love is a feeling or attitude and punishment for a crime is an action or behavior.
You can love someone and still punish them for unacceptable behavior.
Unconditional love by definition doesn't have qualifications on who should die and who should not.
I think it does. You can love someone and still punish them for unacceptable behavior.
 
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