If you believe in love, you believe in God

[ChristineM]

oh dear. taking grief from others. par for the territory. oh well.

Trying to be sarcastic and failing doesn't help you

 

[columbus]

God taught us to take your ridicule. God Bless

God didn't teach me to take your ridicule.

I had to learn it on my own. The hard way.

God Bless You too.
Tom

 

[Quintessence]

There's something about worshipers of the one-god proclaiming their god is love that just perplexes me on a theological level. Why make that declaration at all if your god is supposed to be omnimax? Isn't it implicitly understood that your god is, well... everything? Or is there something I'm not understanding?

And because I can't help myself, what about Eros? Or various other gods that are mythopoetic personifications of love in polytheistic religions?

 

[Nakosis]

Because God is love.
So all the atheists who believe in love?

No need to believe in love. Either it is something you have experienced or perhap not for some I suppose.

Emotions are simply a feedback system the body uses to let the conscious mind know if things are going well or not. Just a bunch of hormones, oxytocin, dopamine, testosterone, adrenaline etc... We know the hormonal cocktail released by the body, doesn't require belief in it.

 

[Terry Sampson]

Because God is love.

Congratulations. Having defined God, you have enabled theists to bring in the evidence for that God. Unfortunately, it appears that the evidence confirms that either He is multifaceted or that there are at least 27 gods. ... To be determined.

 

[sciatica]

Congratulations. Having defined God, you have enabled theists to bring in the evidence for that God. Unfortunately, it appears that the evidence confirms that either He is multifaceted or that there are at least 27 gods. ... To be determined.

more obsessive intellectualism. God is amused.

 

[Windwalker]

Because God is love.
So all the atheists who believe in love?

I think I'm one of the few ones who gets what you are saying. To say God is Love, is not talking about emotional love, or feelings in general. Love in the divine sense is in the embracing and accepting sense of security and freedom, like the love of a mother. Mother may be emotionally unhappy, angry, or bubbling with joy and whatnot. But those are all human emotions. When you speak of her love to her children, that is unconditional and not bound to emotional states.

It is actually an attitude, a perceptual lens through which we hold our thoughts and impressions of the world, which informs values systems, and ones actions in the world and to others. Love is an approach to life. Emotional love, is not love in this sense. Emotional love, is not what we think of when we speak of a parent's love for their child, or an adults love for their mate. If that love is nothing but emotional, that marriage won't last for long.

So, any human who embraces that attitude to life, that sees love as the greatest good to live by, they are in fact "obeying God", or "Love" as it were. They serve love, for love's sake. It's not about themselves. And since "God is Love" is talking about that, whether or not anyone intellectually believes in God, they are "serving" what "God" symbolizes. In this sense, the atheist who loves his neighbor as himself, is much more a child of "God" in this sense, than the believer who claims faith, but does not love unconditionally this way.

People get hung up on beliefs, both the theist and atheist alike. Whereas the focus is on love, and which is why Jesus said that sinners who know love, will enter heaven before the righteous who have their firmly held beliefs. (Mt. 21:31)

 

[sciatica]

A lot of atheists believe in hate so there shouldnt be a problem.

 

[Terry Sampson]

more obsessive intellectualism. God is amused.

Momma always said: "If you can't think of anything intelligent to say, be funny or bring gifts."

 

[Audie]

Because God is love.
So all the atheists who believe in love?

that is just silly

 

[sciatica]

I think I'm one of the few ones who gets what you are saying. To say God is Love, is not talking about emotional love, or feelings in general. Love in the divine sense is in the embracing and accepting sense of security and freedom, like the love of a mother. Mother may be emotionally unhappy, angry, or bubbling with joy and whatnot. But those are all human emotions. When you speak of her love to her children, that is unconditional and not bound to emotional states.

It is actually an attitude, a perceptual lens through which we hold our thoughts and impressions of the world, which informs values systems, and ones actions in the world and to others. Love is an approach to life. Emotional love, is not love in this sense. Emotional love, is not what we think of when we speak of a parent's love for their child, or an adults love for their mate. If that love is nothing but emotional, that marriage won't last for long.

So, any human who embraces that attitude to life, that sees love as the greatest good to live by, they are in fact "obeying God", or "Love" as it were. They serve love, for love's sake. It's not about themselves. And since "God is Love" is talking about that, whether or not anyone intellectually believes in God, they are "serving" what "God" symbolizes. In this sense, the atheist who loves his neighbor as himself, is much more a child of "God" in this sense, than the believer who claims faith, but does not love unconditionally this way.

People get hung up on beliefs, both the theist and atheist alike. Whereas the focus is on love, and which is why Jesus said that sinners who know love, will enter heaven before the righteous who have their firmly held beliefs. (Mt. 21:31)

awesome post. and i agree wholeheartedly

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Because God is love.
So all the atheists who believe in love?

Yes and no. Each person defines love differently. We experience love and no one knows quite our experiences except for the people we chose to be with and family and those we choose to consider family. A lot of us experience love through service while others in a state of awe. So, yeah. Most of believe in god.

Since everyone experiences love differently, we can't use one term to describe every else's experiences.

You'd have to describe love in a way that everyone agrees to before assuming because atheists love, they believe in god.

 

[Quintessence]

I think I'm one of the few ones who gets what you are saying. To say God is Love, is not talking about emotional love, or feelings in general. Love in the divine sense is in the embracing and accepting sense of security and freedom.

It sounds like a different choice of words would be in order when the English use of the word "love" is as problematic as it is.

That aside, thanks for posting this. Interesting read.

 

[The Kilted Heathen]

Yes, love that punishes for two dumb innocents hitting the self-destruct button that was installed in paradise. Love that drowns the whole world rather than saying "Oopsie woopsie, I did a f***ie wuckie". Love, that revokes the free will of a Pharaoh and kills all the firstborn of Egypt just to prove a point.

Feelin' the love...

 

[sciatica]

Yes, love that punishes for two dumb innocents hitting the self-destruct button that was installed in paradise. Love that drowns the whole world rather than saying "Oopsie woopsie, I did a f***ie wuckie". Love, that revokes the free will of a Pharaoh and kills all the firstborn of Egypt just to prove a point.

Feelin' the love...

you might want to look at the hatred within. it seems to be distorting your lens

 

[WhyIsThatSo]

Hmmm... so God is a human emotion produced in our brains that motivates us to find mates and other companionship?

That seems to be an unusual definition of God to me, but if it works for you, go for it.

pssst…..hey Poly....
what is an "emotion" ?
could it be ...ENERGY......in motion ?
or was Einstein wrong too ?

 

[QuestioningMind]

Because God is love.
So all the atheists who believe in love?

Yeah, I've heard that claim before. It's rather silly in my opinion. Claiming that god is love is no different than people claiming that God is the universe. But we already have perfectly good words for love and the universe... they're love and the universe. I suppose we COULD decide to change it and people can start telling their spouses that I god you with all my heart, candy hearts on Valentines would start reading I God You! and Kurt Coban's former wife would now be called Courtney God. But like I said, I think it would be rather silly.

 

[pearl]

So all the atheists who believe in love?

In Neal Donald Walsch's first book, 'conversations with God' he states 'God is your experience of love.' So from that I guess non believers who love...…..

 

[Unveiled Artist]

more obsessive intellectualism. God is amused.

how do you know god is amused? is it in scripture?

 

[sciatica]

too sharp for me.

Yeah, I've heard that claim before. It's rather silly in my opinion. Claiming that god is love is no different than people claiming that God is the universe. But we already have perfectly good words for love and the universe... they're love and the universe. I suppose we COULD decide to change it and people can start telling their spouses that I god you will all my heart, candy hearts on Valentines would start reading I God You! and Kurt Coban's former wife would now be called Courtney God. But like I said, I think it would be rather silly.

Interestingly I didnt mean to annoy atheists but it really gets under their skin.