The Religeon of LOVE

Originally posted by dnero6911
I also wish to point out something else..

Saint For God... the idea is a funny one to me, because, to me it sounds like you are saying .... God for God...

Uh, no. I am not God. I'm one of His believers. Recently I've been directed to do some of His works.

Originally posted by dnero6911
You cannot be something for something you ARE.... lol

This is true. Fortunately this is not what I'm claiming.

Originally posted by dnero6911
but perhaps one day you will wake up and realize I am you and you are me. Love.

Sorry, we're not each other, separate both physically and spiritually. But, I do consider you a friend and love not just because I am to "love your neighbor" and "love your enemy", but because of that wisdom I have learned and acquired that as part of who I am. If I am you, then change me . I will prove I'm different by saying I cannot force you to change.

[edit on 2-4-2006 by saint4God]

perhaps one day you'll feel true love and understand the truths that I'm talking about, but until then you will continue to see God as something seperate and as an entity existing alone that punishes and judges, God is something even I cannot understand no one is concious enough to truly understand God.

God said Do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil but he never said it was a bad thing, We judged that after judging that..... if you follow... You are always on the defensive as if we are attacking your being.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
For many years, I have said that if I were to claim a religion as my own, it would be the religion of Love. And, even though I wouldn't consider the religion of Love a "bible religion," I may even quote a scripture or two, even though I rarely do that.

1 John 4:8 - He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

1 John 4:16 - And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

It's interesting to see which words of the bible that different people choose to take literally. I choose these.

Ahh.. but see then you get into the questions, "What IS love?", "When is it something else?", "How do I express, do, show, love with equity and justice?", and many more such like questions. The answers to these questions are found in the rest of The Bible.

Is it love to ask your loved ones to answer these questions, without a source (that Great Nations were built on), before making life altering/risking decisions?

Sure it takes constant, deep, honest study, including the advice it gives of studying all of creation, but isn't that a quality you would search for in one who's advice has merit?

It is The Living Word. Some Books are sealed untill their time, and it answers those in honest search, in a time and language/way they can best receive it.

Originally posted by suzy ryan
Ahh.. but see then you get into the questions, "What IS love?"

It's simple, not complicated...

Love is:

• long-suffering
  
• not envious
  
• not proud
  
• not self-glorifying
  
• not unseemly
  
• not selfish
  
• not easily provoked
  
• does not think evil of others
  
• does not rejoice in injustice
  
• rejoices in the truth
  
• bears all things
  
• believes all things
  
• hopes for all things
  
• endures all things
  
• weeps with those who are weeping
  
• rejoices with those who are rejoicing
  
• reserves nothing for self
  
• causes no fear
  
• has compassion for others, without reservation
  

Love is about other people, not about one's self.
Love is about giving.

Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

And where do you find that discription of what Love is, but the Good Book,The Holy Scriptures and Good News of Christ, that so many want to replace with their personal re-write.

That's the point I was getting at.

If Christianity wasn't THE 'Religion of Love', I wouldn't be a Christian.

Mod Edit: to remove quote of previous post.

[edit on 3-4-2006 by Benevolent Heretic]

I do not find my definition of love in the bible. It is not found in a book. I find it in life. In my experience. The bible has nothing to do with my experience of love.

Originally posted by suzy ryan
Ahh.. but see then you get into the questions, "What IS love?", "When is it something else?", "How do I express, do, show, love with equity and justice?", and many more such like questions. The answers to these questions are found in the rest of The Bible.

Again, I do not discover the nuances of love in the bible.

I can understand and accept that you do, but I don't

[edit on 3-4-2006 by Benevolent Heretic]

Originally posted by saint4God
I quoted Exodus here and am also referring to Revelation as well.

But you didn't answer my question. You said:

Originally posted by saint4God
Pardon, but one may not "choose" which words to take literally.
...
One must take the whole thing literally else it's "cherry picking" to find things that we ourselves want to believe..

My question is, then:

saint4God: Do you take every word of the bible literally? Revelations? Exodus and Leviticus?

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
I do not find my definition of love in the bible. It is not found in a book. I find it in life. In my experience. The bible has nothing to do with my experience of love.

I can understand and accept that you do, but I don't

[edit on 3-4-2006 by Benevolent Heretic]

Well I'm just glad that the life you've experienced, isn't one of the many around the world, where female circumcision is something a mother has 'lovingly' done to her daughter.

Countless harmfull practices are perpetuated because of being passed down the generations as acts of 'love'.

The thing I'm getting at is; throughout human history, wise men and fools have been moved to seriously ask, "What is Love?", and The Bible answers it, so comprehensively, most only pick up on the most obvious.

I understand that you don't find these answers in it, but others searching and yet to search The Bible, may find it there, like countless others have.

Well, I wasn't circumcised, but the life I've experienced includes many 'acts' and events of power, hatred and fear disguised and perpetrated as acts of love, so please don't assume that I've had some kind of glorious, pain-free life, because trust me, I haven't. But believe it or not, I was able to come to the understanding that these acts weren't really love. And I did that without the guidance of a book.

I also have a very clear picture of what love means to me and what is right and wrong, also without the guidance of a book, rather by the guidance of my inner spirit, my own knowledge center, my 'observer'. And I am not special. I don't have anything that everyone else on the planet doesn't have.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against those who wish to or need to get their information about life and love from the bible or other book, my point is that not everyone needs that. The bible is by far not the only place to discover what life and love are all about.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
But you didn't answer my question. You said:

Apologies, let me try again please.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
My question is, then:

saint4God: Do you take every word of the bible literally? Revelations? Exodus and Leviticus?

The Parables that Christ spoke of are not supposed to be taken literally, but rather applied to different situations (that's what parable means ). The parts where God states an instruction, then yes, I do. The Bible is pretty clear in the areas of "how to think" vs. "what to think". Proverbs are wise sayings, not literal ones. The ten commandments are literal. I do not take the bible literally where it directs me not to, but would that not be taking it literally? Specific examples would help if you have them.

[edit on 3-4-2006 by saint4God]

saint4God, I'm not EVEN interested in getting into one of these huge discussions about what the bible says and what it means. And I won't be drawn into some kind of biblical verse-off. I've got better things to do.

You said ALL of the bible must be taken literally and we cannot pick and choose. And then you turn around and pick and choose, claiming that certain parts are not meant to be taken literally, as if somehow you know how the bible is supposed to be interpreted by everyone.

I honestly don't care how you interpret it. But this started when YOU told ME that "one" cannot pick and choose. But it's clear that you do. It seems if we pick and choose the same things you do, then it's all right to pick and choose.

Originally posted by saint4God
one may not "choose" which words to take literally... One must take the whole thing literally

Originally posted by saint4God
The Parables that Christ spoke of are not supposed to be taken literally,

Originally posted by saint4God
Two opposing statements cannot both be truth.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
saint4God, I'm not EVEN interested in getting into one of these huge discussions about what the bible says and what it means. And I won't be drawn into some kind of biblical verse-off. I've got better things to do.

I wasn't meaning to start one, just trying to answer your question as directly as possible per your request.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
You said ALL of the bible must be taken literally and we cannot pick and choose. And then you turn around and pick and choose, claiming that certain parts are not meant to be taken literally, as if somehow you know how the bible is supposed to be interpreted by everyone.

As I've said, if I follow the Bible when it says "this is a parable" then I'm being literal by not taking it literally. If you want a simple answer with that disclaimer, I'll err on the side of caution and say "yes, take it literally" minus those nuances.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
I honestly don't care how you interpret it.

I don't care how I interpret it either. I'll go even further and say it shouldn't be interpreted. Please don't take my word. Read His word.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
But this started when YOU told ME that "one" cannot pick and choose.

This is correct. One cannot believe one part of the Bible and neglect/not believe another part. It needs to be taken as whole in mind.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
But it's clear that you do. It seems if we pick and choose the same things you do, then it's all right to pick and choose.

I disagree. It's not alright to pick and choose. I don't see where I have. If I've neglected or not believed a part, please be a brother/sister and let me know.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic

Originally posted by saint4God
one may not "choose" which words to take literally... One must take the whole thing literally

Originally posted by saint4God
The Parables that Christ spoke of are not supposed to be taken literally,

Two opposing statements cannot both be truth.

This is a flaw in my communication (and/or the language itself). If I literally am told a parable then I take it for the meaning, I'm not supposed to take it literally. Maybe someone who has a Bachelor's Degree in English or greater can help me out. Apologies for any confusion cause by it. If I made no mention of Parable or Proverb then my first statement should/would be clearer (as we were not even discussing parables or proverbs in our case). It's a very dynamic book though, one that I'm still studying so instead of taking my word for it, go to God Himself.

If God gives a command or instruction, take it literally.

[edit on 3-4-2006 by saint4God]

Originally posted by dnero6911
God said Do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil but he never said it was a bad thing, We judged that after judging that..... if you follow... You(Saint4God) are always on the defensive as if we are attacking your being.

In the bible you read the parables and they are distorted and have little meaning, if you were to read the aquarian gospel of jesus the christ you would have a deeper sense of the words.

[edit on 4/4/06 by dnero6911]