A serious question for Christians and Non-Christians: How Can Love Hate? (page 3)

possible-san

Hi, sabastious.

This is an interesting topic.

Well, since I do not speak English, I cannot explain using a technical term (difficult words).

In the Greek text, that sentence "God is love", there is no definite article in the word "love."
So, although the explanation "God is love" is correct, it is not "love is God" (love = God).

And the English word that "love" is "agape" in Greek.
That is the "love" exceeding our "emotion/feeling."
Therefore, the word "Love your enemy" does not mean "Like your enemy."

Well, in my opinion, I think that fundamentalists cannot explain about this question correctly, IMO.
Real "enemy" is inside/within us.
Therefore, that does not mean in fact "love your murderer and terrorist."

possible
http://godpresencewithin.web.fc2.com/

cantleave

God is a myth created by control freaks to manipulate the weak minded

PSacramento

@PSac

Very odd reasoning here. So the scripture in Psalms is not different but simply outdated? If this is true it brings up a slew of other questions. You depiction of "God's ultimate plan" is chock full of holes from where I am standing.

-Sab

As Paul mentiones a few times, IF the scribes and such of the OT and Old Covenant had got it "right", there would have been no need for Jesus to come down or for a New Covenant.

I didn't mention anything about "God's ultimate plan", so I am not sure what you mean.

I don't know if ANYONE can say what God's ultimate plan is.

THE GLADIATOR

Little sister: Perhaps in truth we need to look again at what we understand and mean by the term love. It is I think more complex than we realise

full of extremes of emotion both good and bad.

Good comment. Love is an illusion, it is the name we give to the feelings we have towards people and things that we place value on.

In protecting those things we may at time feel other emotions towards those that threaten our values. That emotion can vary from mild discomfort to anger or hate.

Find out what someone values the most because that will be where they place their greatest love. They will hate anything that threatens that value. Two sides of the same coin.

Doug Mason

possible-san,

You are absolutely correct. There are four Greek words that are translated as "love".

The NT writers adopted the word "agape" to describe the Divine Love, which is an unemotional principle; Barclay describes as the ability to love the unloveable, to do what is right because it is the right thing to do.

The other Greek words for "love" refer to emotional love, such as within a family or to erotic love.

So the love that a man has for his wife, or that a child has for their parent, is in no way related to the meaning of "agape" as employed by the NT community.

Doug

sabastious

As Paul mentiones a few times, IF the scribes and such of the OT and Old Covenant had got it "right", there would have been no need for Jesus to come down or for a New Covenant.

Wait just one hot minute here!

You are saying he Bible writers got parts of the Bible wrong?

Doug Mason

Tammy,

It is difficult to translate words and the meanings that the original had (or has) in another language, but it is far more difficult to transport ourselves into the other culture, particularly an ancient one. We also need to recognise the contemporary situation when a passage was written (and edited), who wrote it, their purpose, political and religious power struggles, geography, etc.

This includes the writings of Jesus' words. For example, the first NT writings were those of Paul. He died in 64 CE, before Jerusalem was destroyed. So he was not aware of the writings of Mark, Matthew, Luke or John, etc. And Paul's writings (7 are definitely from him) are arguments written on the run against specific circumstances which we are not fully cognisant of.

When each of the Gospels was written, the people structured their documents to meet their specific purpose; hence the discrepancies between the gospels; they are not literal histories. Further, they wrote of events that none of them was witness to, such as Jesus' birth (there was no census), temptation, final hours or his resurrection.

Doug

Doug Mason

Sabastious,

Correct.

Even their histories are not literally correct, but were shaped to influence their own immediate community.

Doug

Robdar

I do not believe the opposite of love is hatred. It is my opininon that the opposite of love is indifference.

sabastious

Even their histories are not literally correct, but were shaped to influence their own immediate community

And God is okay with this? That's not what I have read in the Bible.

A serious question for Christians and Non-Christians: How Can Love Hate?

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