Why should we love God?

[Guitar's Cry]

To love God is to love everything, the good and the evil. It is to love ourselves.

 

[Regiomontanus]

...

And the reason we exists is not because of God, it is because our parents had sex.

Not your existence, silly.
LOL

 

[Brian2]

Those who saw Jesus saw a perfect mirror image of God's Attributes, they did not actually see God.

Jesus was like a clear mirror, and God became visible in the mirror. This is why Jesus said, “The Father is in the Son” (John 14:11, John 17:21), meaning that God is visible and manifest in Jesus.

Nobody is like God except God. (Isaiah 40:18)
Jesus has God's glory, power and nature and name. (Hebrews 1:1-4) (Matthew 28:18)

 

[Brian2]

It does not matter which scriptures I look at, God is the same...
God showed His love for us by sending Jesus is also what Baha'is believe.
Baha'u'llah also wrote that God created us out of His love for us, but so what?

Jesus suffered but I do not believe that God can suffer...
God created a world where He knew humans and animals would suffer, that is my issue.
I cannot love such a God.

There are bigger things at stake than us being happy all the time and one day we will find out about them and realise. In the meantime we trust God.
Why don't we know about them now? God tries to tell us but nothing works like seeing.

God would suffer just as God regretted making humankind back in Noah's day. Why would not God's feelings be even more heightened and pure than our's?
God made us with feelings and like Him and so God feels.
God feels all sorts of things including love imo.
For us sometimes love is hard to feel when there are so many questions unanswered. It is nice if our feeling are aligned with our actions but sometimes in this life it is our actions that show our love even though our feelings aren't aligned.
We can act lovingly to our neighbour even though we might not feel it.
It is harder to feel love for God whom we can't even see but we can love Him by doing as He wants us to do.

 

[stvdv]

What is inconsistent?

It is?

I don't know if I want to love God

I would rather love

why should I love God?

 

[stvdv]

but God does not need my love because God has no needs

So, then it's kind of obvious why to love

It is?

Definitely

It's a simple logical solution, and you just said today that you are logical. And always more satisfying (rewarding) to solve puzzles ourselves, don't you think?

 

[InvestigateTruth]

The idea for this thread came from what I was discussing with @Truthseeker on another thread.

A verse in the Qur'an about a possible good outcome for people from all religions

Why is it always our fault if we don't love God enough? Why does that have to mean that we are in some way deficient? What did God ever do to prove His love to us? Oh, I know, He sent His only Son, but big deal. He did not lose His only Son because Jesus is with God in Heaven now.

God also sent other Messengers, but what did God do to sacrifice anything for us? Nothing. Sure, the Messengers of God sacrificed a lot, but they are not God.

Then there is all the suffering in the world that God created and God created a world in which He knew humans would suffer, and worse yet, some people suffer much more than others. Logically speaking, God is responsible for creating such a world so God is left holding the bag.

It even says that this world is a storehouse of suffering in the Baha’i Writings: Storehouse of Suffering quote

I do not understand why Baha’is cannot understand that God is responsible for this suffering since God created this world. Please note that I am not referring to the suffering the results from human free will choices, as I believe humans are responsible for that suffering, God is not responsible for it.

Please spare me the religious apologetic about how suffering is ‘good for us” and how we should be grateful to God for suffering, or how people really don’t have to suffer, implying that their suffering is all their fault because they cannot be more detached. Save this for another day. Nothing could be more insensitive to say to people who are suffering.

I am looking for a reason to love God, other than what the scriptures say about how good God is, and I am coming up empty-handed.

Maybe my downfall is that I am logical rather than just believing what I want to believe based upon scriptures.

Probably there aren't too many people who really love God. So, I don't think you are alone. But, perhaps you don't like this world, and its conditions, and since you believe it is created by God, you don't love God for creating it.
The other side of it, is, the reason the world is so bad, is we may become detached from it, and seek to love something else worthy. That thing is God.

 

[viole]

Why do you see it as "a fault?" God doesn't. He loves us anyways. As a matter of fact, someone said it this way, "We love Him, because He first loved us."

He is just the one who beat us to the draw, so to speak.

He loves us somuch that He roasts us alive for all eternity if you do not submit rto Him.
Prima facie, He looks to me as a vanilla dictator, like the one like in N. Corea, for instance, but on steroids.

ciao

- viole

 

[Colt]

The idea for this thread came from what I was discussing with @Truthseeker on another thread.

A verse in the Qur'an about a possible good outcome for people from all religions

Why is it always our fault if we don't love God enough? Why does that have to mean that we are in some way deficient? What did God ever do to prove His love to us? Oh, I know, He sent His only Son, but big deal. He did not lose His only Son because Jesus is with God in Heaven now.

God also sent other Messengers, but what did God do to sacrifice anything for us? Nothing. Sure, the Messengers of God sacrificed a lot, but they are not God.

Then there is all the suffering in the world that God created and God created a world in which He knew humans would suffer, and worse yet, some people suffer much more than others. Logically speaking, God is responsible for creating such a world so God is left holding the bag.

It even says that this world is a storehouse of suffering in the Baha’i Writings: Storehouse of Suffering quote

I do not understand why Baha’is cannot understand that God is responsible for this suffering since God created this world. Please note that I am not referring to the suffering the results from human free will choices, as I believe humans are responsible for that suffering, God is not responsible for it.

Please spare me the religious apologetic about how suffering is ‘good for us” and how we should be grateful to God for suffering, or how people really don’t have to suffer, implying that their suffering is all their fault because they cannot be more detached. Save this for another day. Nothing could be more insensitive to say to people who are suffering.

I am looking for a reason to love God, other than what the scriptures say about how good God is, and I am coming up empty-handed.

Maybe my downfall is that I am logical rather than just believing what I want to believe based upon scriptures.

God is our Father but he doesn’t compel you to do anything. The Love and worship of God is entirely voluntary. If you don’t think that you have anything in life to be grateful for then don’t fake loving God.

 

[Truthseeker]

Maybe the suffering has benefits but there is another side to it. No believers seem to be able to understand that, only nonbelievers understand it.

Try me.

 

[Truthseeker]

But even though I 'believe' God is there for me, that is not a reason for me to love God, because I still suffer and there is still suffering in this world and not all people can endure as well as others. Not only that, but animals suffer and die, and there is no religious apologetic that will cover that.

True, not all people can endure as well as others. They have more reason to suffer. They have more piled upon them. That's a mystery that will be solved for us after we die. I do believe that those who suffer the most through no fault of their own will be recompensated more. I believe that about my brothers Lloyd and Phil. I believe they are happy now. Sara had a dream that seemed very real to her where Lloyd was dancing with radiant joy, and to her he looked like a spiritual giant. My brother Lloyd couldn't walk, was paranoid, had an unpleasant personality because of his condition. He never married, never had a decent job in his life. He felt unloved. Phil was similar.

As to animals, I have given an answer once to you, and I realize it has it's limitations. I don't really know the complete answer.

 

[CG Didymus]

Probably there aren't too many people who really love God. So, I don't think you are alone. But, perhaps you don't like this world, and its conditions, and since you believe it is created by God, you don't love God for creating it.
The other side of it, is, the reason the world is so bad, is we may become detached from it, and seek to love something else worthy. That thing is God.

If God is real, he should be loved. But does it look like this world was created by an all-loving God? Or something that liked to see people in pain and to test people to see if they really love him?

 

[Truthseeker]

Well since God is a conceptual aspect of the psyche, its not too far fetched to say its a form of loving one's self using the phenomenon of introspection.

In a way I agree with you. The Self of God is within us.

 

[Truthseeker]

Well of course you could have been there and looked right at Jesus in the face and eye to eye and not seen God as so many others did the same and they did not see God. But yet he is God. It took the eyes of revelation to see God. That means God only can show you who Jesus is.

That is what a revelation is. It is something God showed you. Jesus says no one knows who the Son is but the Father and no one knows who the Father is but the Son and he to whom the Son will reveal him.

So you can see God but not with these mortal eyes. You must see him with the eyes of revelation and by faith.

Yes, God was in Jesus. God is revealed in Him.

 

[QuestioningMind]

The idea for this thread came from what I was discussing with @Truthseeker on another thread.

A verse in the Qur'an about a possible good outcome for people from all religions

Why is it always our fault if we don't love God enough? Why does that have to mean that we are in some way deficient? What did God ever do to prove His love to us? Oh, I know, He sent His only Son, but big deal. He did not lose His only Son because Jesus is with God in Heaven now.

God also sent other Messengers, but what did God do to sacrifice anything for us? Nothing. Sure, the Messengers of God sacrificed a lot, but they are not God.

Then there is all the suffering in the world that God created and God created a world in which He knew humans would suffer, and worse yet, some people suffer much more than others. Logically speaking, God is responsible for creating such a world so God is left holding the bag.

It even says that this world is a storehouse of suffering in the Baha’i Writings: Storehouse of Suffering quote

I do not understand why Baha’is cannot understand that God is responsible for this suffering since God created this world. Please note that I am not referring to the suffering the results from human free will choices, as I believe humans are responsible for that suffering, God is not responsible for it.

Please spare me the religious apologetic about how suffering is ‘good for us” and how we should be grateful to God for suffering, or how people really don’t have to suffer, implying that their suffering is all their fault because they cannot be more detached. Save this for another day. Nothing could be more insensitive to say to people who are suffering.

I am looking for a reason to love God, other than what the scriptures say about how good God is, and I am coming up empty-handed.

Maybe my downfall is that I am logical rather than just believing what I want to believe based upon scriptures.

In my case it would be a matter of pretending to love god, since it's impossible for me to genuinely love anything for which I have no verifiable evidence even actually exists.

 

[Truthseeker]

Of course you can leave your situation, if your husband is the one holding you back, you can move to a different place ( dont need to divorce to live different place)

Her husband is in effect helpless without her. Also how would he feel if she abandoned him? She's got to think beyond her own needs.

 

[Truthseeker]

I believe that God exists but I don't believe all the rest of what Christians and Baha'is believe about God, the personal God.

If you would pray for spiritual strength, God might help you. You could pick a prayer or prayers you are comfortable with. I assume you would feel hypocritical saying a prayer where you say you love Him.

 

[Truthseeker]

If the only reason to love God is to get God's love for myself, that is not a reason because I do not need God's love and I don't even want it. I cannot tell you exactly why I feel that way, but try to think about it this way: Why do people want and need God's love? What is the reason? It sounds selfish to me.

It is not selfish.

Definition of selfish

1: concerned excessively or exclusively with oneself : seeking or concentrating on one's own advantage, pleasure, or well-being without regard for others.

Seeking God's love is not being concerned excessively or exclusively with oneself. If you feel God's love, chances are you will give more to others.

 

[Truthseeker]

I hit rock bottom in June 2014 and I have been climbing out of the hole ever since.
It has been up and down ever since but the general direction is up.

When you read Gleanings in 2014 it started up.

 

[Truthseeker]

The other side of it, is, the reason the world is so bad, is we may become detached from it, and seek to love something else worthy. That thing is God.

That's one reason for it, yes. Another reason I offered is that when people suffer this brings out caring for other people's suffering. In effect suffering brings out this attribute of God in us.