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about love?

syo

Well-Known Member
in christianity it is taught that humans must love other humans and in this way they love god. love thy neighbour etc. are there other religions that teach that we should love other humans? or is it christianity alone with such teachings?
 

Quintessence

Consults with Trees
Staff member
Premium Member
Bearing in mind that Druidry is non-creedal - and thus doesn't really have much in the way of "must have" structured teachings - the Order I'm affiliated with doesn't explicitly harp upon love of humans. It doesn't really need to - Druidry (OBOD included) harps on love of life, nature, and animals much more broadly. In other words, Druidry isn't anthropocentric with its expressions of love and includes the entire planetary community - human or otherwise - under its umbrella.
 

PureX

Veteran Member
in christianity it is taught that humans must love other humans and in this way they love god. love thy neighbour etc. are there other religions that teach that we should love other humans? or is it christianity alone with such teachings?
The revelation of The Christ was that God's divine spirit exists in all of us, as we are all reflections of our divine Creator. The religion that was based on this revelation is supposed to be promoting the idea that if we will set our 'selves' aside: our own self-centered fears and desires, and our own egos, and allow ourselves to become the embodiment of that Divine Spirit within, we will be healed and saved from ourselves, both individually and collectively. And the world will be healed and save as well.

Thus, in regards to love, The Christ said that to love one another, is to love God, and to love God is to love one another (including ourselves). Just as it is also true that to forgive others is to be forgiven. This is the unique revelation of The Christ, and therefor of Christianity. Though as the religion is practiced by flawed and weak human beings, it often falls short of both it's message and it's promise.

The message and the promise, however, remain true, regardless of the religion. And they will manifest their truth for those who have the wisdom and courage to trust in them.
 

Vee

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
in christianity it is taught that humans must love other humans and in this way they love god. love thy neighbour etc. are there other religions that teach that we should love other humans? or is it christianity alone with such teachings?

Wouldn't it be wonderful if all those who claim to be Christian actually gave the example in loving other humans?
 

sun rise

The world is on fire
Premium Member
This is a good list to start with.

Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.Judaism Leviticus 19:18

A man obtains a proper rule of action by
looking on his neighbor as himself. Hinduism Mahabharata

Full of love for all things in the world, practicing
virtue in order to benefit others, this man alone
is happy. Buddhism Dhammapada

Seek to be in harmony with all your neighbors;
live in amity with your brethren.Confucianism Shu King 5.17.2

No one is a believer until he loves for his neighbor, and for
his brother, what he loves for himself. Islam Hadith
 

Buddha Dharma

Dharma Practitioner
in christianity it is taught that humans must love other humans and in this way they love god. love thy neighbour etc. are there other religions that teach that we should love other humans? or is it christianity alone with such teachings?

Buddhism teaches to permeate the world with loving kindness. See Metta Sutta.

It is encouraged one devote time to contemplate Loving Kindness in liturgies and daily practice.
 

Father

Devourer of Truth
pff, Christianity fails at that. 90% of religion promotes love for others. does not mean it does not have contradictory verses
 

Buddha Dharma

Dharma Practitioner
I have something that might help expound the Buddhist view on loving kindness. It comes from a work by Nanamoli Thera called The Practice of Loving Kindness:

Where Greek distinguishes between sensual eros and spiritual agape English makes do with only the one word "love." But the Pali language, like the Sanskrit, has many words covering many shades of meaning. The word chosen by the Buddha for this teaching is metta from mitta, a friend (or better "the true friend in need").


Metta in the Buddha's teaching finds its place as the first of four kinds of contemplation designed to develop a sound pacific relationship to other living beings. The four are: metta, which will be rendered henceforward by "loving-kindness," karuna, which is "compassion" or "pity," mudita which is "gladness at others' success," and upekkha, which is "onlooking equanimity." These four are called Divine Abidings (brahma-vihara), perhaps because whoever can maintain any one of them in being for even a moment has lived for that moment as do the Highest Gods (the Brahma Deva).

Buddhists are encouraged to practice these four toward others. I think Karuna is especially important because it helps a person deal with anger or irritation when someone does something hurtful. Thinking about it, you will understand that they did the hurtful thing out of a bad place. They may be intensely suffering. They may be acting in ignorance, desperation, or even hatred. The correct response to hurtful actions done by anyone is pity for their condition and compassion. You want to help if you possibly can, to bring them to a better place.
 

whirlingmerc

Well-Known Member
in christianity it is taught that humans must love other humans and in this way they love god. love thy neighbour etc. are there other religions that teach that we should love other humans? or is it christianity alone with such teachings?

all the commands flowing from loving god and loving neighbor is rooted in the Jewish scriptures
There is a measure of love in all views but still...
Loving your enemies and loving one another as Jesus loved you is probably unique is arguably higher as would be having power from God to love as opposed to pulling yourself up by your bootstraps
 

arthra

Baha'i
are there other religions that teach that we should love other humans? or is it christianity alone with such teachings?

I'd like to share a brief excerpt from the Baha'i Writings here and as I do be aware there are countless other references as well:

"You realize the need of unity and know the great harm which comes from prejudice and superstition.
I ask you, Is not fellowship and brotherhood preferable to enmity and hatred in society and community?
The answer is self-evident.
Love and fellowship are absolutely needful to win the good-pleasure of God which is the goal of all human attainment.
We must be united. We must love each other. We must ever praise each other.
We must bestow commendation upon all people, thus removing the discord and hatred which have caused alienation amongst men. Otherwise the conditions of the past will continue, praising ourselves and condemning others; religious wars will have no end and religious prejudice, the prime cause of this havoc and tribulation, will increase. This must be abandoned, and the way to do it is to investigate the reality which underlies all the religions.
This underlying reality is the love of humanity.
For God is one and humanity is one, and the only creed of the prophets is love and unity."

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, p. 99
 
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