On Loving One's Neighbor

Well Jesus would call His best friends "Satan" when they pissed Him off. He would call the people from the neighbouring tribes "Dogs". He would wail & lament at how Spiritually Retarded all His disciples were every day. He would curse fig trees with such anger & hatred that it would kill the innocent fig trees . He could be a total moron at times. Like you all! He was half human.

So He had His bad days. We all do.

All my life since I was a tiny child God has taken me to watch people in Hell being judged & then thrown off the cliff into The Fiery Lake. Then I have to watch them burning in agony. Sometimes I talk back to God & say it is not right. And He picks me up & tosses me into The Fiery Lake as well. I have been burning in the lake of Fire a number of times.
So The Father God gets angry very easily as well.

It is good to be nice & loving to all but there are times when you have to take a stand & kick some ass because the people are wrong & are leading the world astray.

Most all people on forums like this are wrong. You can post your truth that you have verified to yourself a thousand times & the only replies you will receive are hateful evil insults from the puke that inhabit these turdhole sites.

Love is nice but people will walk all over you if you are loving. All my neighbours are drug dealer women who send their kids out to deal & transport drugs. I have always been loving & kind to all of them all my life but they are all 100% evil at all times. They are trying to kill me most of the time. They are pure evil. Being loving makes me forgive the evil. It still continues. You all will continue to be evil & hateful whenever you disagree with something that is posted. You have probably bullied people online & then they went & killed themselves? That would make you all probable murderers. I've witnessed many people doing that online over the years on sites like this. But you think you are going to heaven for being good. And if that fails you imagine Jesus has paid for all your evil wickedness. (He Hasn't)

Forgiveness is the main thing. You can walk through the valley of the shadow of assholes & fear no Sh*it because you know everyone is an asshole & all they have to give is sh*it. So you forgive them all without hesitation. You still defend truth however. Whenever one of youze assholes speak lies against spiritual Holy truth then you must be corrected. Truth has to be defended. Spiritual truth that is. The material truths don't matter so much. You all leave those behind after you die & get dragged to Hell to burn .

I love you all at the basic level. I love all creation. Even white pointers are loving as they are biting you to pieces while you are out surfing. I love those critters of the ocean. But I will kill them when they come at me to kill me. And when one of you assholes come at me on the web to attack my truth then I am going to rip you a new online asshole for your troubles.

So I'll see you all in Hell you assholes

a reply to: SourcePage

Forgot your meds today eh...

Awesome thread and I love your honesty!

This one is something I really have a hard time with- MOST days, unfortunately. I love the Dostoevsky quote you included; I get that guy, totally.

My compassion for others is hit and miss. Sometimes I can feel so much compassion for a complete stranger, and so much compassion for someone I know. And other times, I can't muster up an ounce of understanding for someone I know, much less a complete stranger. I don't know if it's related to my conscious effort or not; sometimes I really can just want to dismiss a person completely, but if I really take a few minutes and try to summon compassion, I can do it. Other times it doesn't work. So in those times I have to just ACT as if I feel some kind of love or compassion, so at least I'm not hurting the other person. And then other times it takes no effort and I have no problem being loving in my heart towards someone. What gives?

I'm an introvert. This doesn't mean that I'm shy or quiet- I'm not either of those, generally. It does mean that it takes energy for me to interact with people, both people I don't enjoy and people that I do enjoy, and I need time to regroup after engaging with people. That might affect it too, at least sometimes.

I live in DC, home of the rudest, most selfish drivers on the planet. I drive over three major highways to get to work, so I get LOTS of opportunities to practice loving my neighbor even when they're acting like a jerk. When someone cuts me off or dangerously tailgates me or any of the other aggressive and inconsiderate driving behaviors frequently on display here, I just imagine that they are running late on the way to pick up their child, and so they are really stressed out and probably don't even realize how inconsiderate they're being. That usually works if I really put effort into imagining that. Then it's easy to say a little prayer for them and their day. It's either that or shout an obscenity in my car, which does nothing but make me feel vindicated for about two seconds and then like a crazy biotch after the two seconds of satisfaction.

Thanks for the thread; this is one of my harder struggles, so I appreciate reading that others go through it as well, and it's a great thing to discuss. Your OP is a breath of fresh air.

The Whore of Babylon is loving to all folks. She literally loves you all.

a reply to: zosimov

One can love one's neighbors in the abstract, or even at a distance, but at close quarters it's almost impossible."

I don’t HAVE to judge whether or not I “like” someone to know I have to love them.

Interesting, but true.

While I "love" "people" in the abstract—or rather the idea of people—and want the best for them, in general I have a dislike for them in person, mostly find them annoying, and try to avoid them.

And yes, every person is unique and has a unique experience in themselves.

a reply to: zosimov

I want to tell you a wee story, as it pertains to your OP.

I have a neighbor, who used heavy equipment to knock down six of my trees, claiming that they were on his property. I was enraged. I actually considered killing him. Our 14-year-old cat went missing during that time, and I trudged around the property looking for him. During that process, I punched a 9mm hole in my ankle. Never knew what it was, as it was dark. I cleaned it out well, and thought nothing more of it. The cat came home about 3:00 a.m. and all was well. Sort of.

The hole festered and grew and turned into an ulcerated wound. It grew to the size of a golf ball. That lead to an MRI which showed that I had occluded femoral arteries, and no pulse in my feet. I had surgery and now am now argentus 4.2 upgraded and rebooted. I can now walk without pain in my hips. My glutes were starved for oxygen.

I could have sued my neighbor, as I called for a land survey which made it obvious that he took down my trees. I didn't sue him. I chose to forgive him, because........ due to his flapcrappery, my closed arteries were diagnosed, and I was healed. I can honestly say that I love my neighbor. Since I am human and flawed, I can also honestly say that I still hate the mother#er. I don't wish him ill, because that's bad karma, but when he dies I will go to his services and get some closure.

I know that sounds terrible. I think about what he was, how he built his life and I respect him and yes, love the man who is deep inside, far away from his sociopathic issues. I care about people. I still wave at my neighbor when we pass on the road. Waving is like saying, "hey, you. We share the same condition. Be well." He doesn't wave. I don't mind.

Thanks for tolerating my novella. I think sometimes that forgiveness is the heart of loving the people around you. None of us are perfect, and to see the best of those that you interact with reflects upon you also. Mostly, we choose our happiness or not. We can also choose to be in accord with those around us or not.

In my world, there is nothing lost to think the best of a person, even if they are an asshole. I'm certain that I've been an asshole one time or another, thought I can't directly recall when.

'Love thy neighbor', means to give the same tolerance to others that we give to ourselves.

originally posted by: KansasGirl

originally posted by: Gothmog
A neighbor was defined as anyone's home you could travel to from sun up until sun down
Put that in your pipe and smoke it...
Love thy neighbor takes on a whole new meaning doesn't it ?

Actually....Jesus used the parable of the Good Samaritan to define who was a neighbor. So it actually does mean people other than your travel-distance neighbors. He made that clear several times.

You actually need to concentrate on multiple verses .
The Parable of the Good Samaritan only describes a neighbor in relation to the definition of Samaritan

Thanks for all of the responses. Some very moving and lovely, wish I could respond in more detail but am packing for a trip now and will be offline for awhile.

Even if my replies are quite delayed, I hope to add more to the subject when I get back.

a reply to: argentus

Thanks for the fascinating story. And the stories from others, too.

I'm agnostic, and believe that even the vilest person or neighbour can be encouraged to see their errors, and even change if they focus and realise the innate vulnerability that all 'difficult' people share beneath confident, boisterous or evil surface traits.

However, I'm also a hypocrite in that I don't usually follow that belief (revenge is a strong trait, for example).

But I try to.

my neighbour on the left just used a high powered pressure blaster to wash the asbestos dust off his 100% asbestos house. So he is now a mass murderer because he has killed us all sooner or later. My neighbour on the right kept spraying banned insecticide along his fenceline every week & it made me ill, & his wife just died from it. The neighbour across the road is a machete wielding psycho killer. The neighbour at the back of the property drowned my cat in engine oil. Oh yeah I love my neighbours. Love those guys

originally posted by: zosimov

To love someone does not mean to tolerate everything he/she does, does not mean that we must align every thought, ...

Jesus even said that all those for whom he had affection he reproved. (Rev. 3:19) So never should the person reproved forget that the real motive behind the reproof is love. Reproof is that which is designed to convince others of their having erred, in order to move them to acknowledge their mistakes and correct these. Unlike reproof, a rebuke may be a censure without any laying bare of fault by the presentation of evidence.

In Hebrews 12:4-6 those who want to be sons of God are told not to forget Proverbs 3:11, 12, which reads: “The discipline of Jehovah, O my son, do not reject; and do not abhor his reproof, because the one whom Jehovah loves he reproves, even as a father does a son in whom he finds pleasure.”

Since the Scriptures are inspired of God, all reproof solidly based on them is really reproof from him. (2Ti 3:16) Jehovah’s reproof is an expression of love, not to be abhorred or rejected. (Pr 3:11, 12) Another way in which the inspired “holy writings” are beneficial is “for setting things straight.” (2 Tim. 3:16) In ancient times Jehovah God sent his prophets to help the sinful people to straighten matters out and get a correct understanding of matters and know how to proceed correctly toward God. Today we have his Holy Bible, his inspired “holy writings,” to help us to straighten things out in our lives, that we may become “wise for salvation through the faith in connection with Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim. 3:15)

Ridiculers often refuse to listen to rebuke (Pr 13:1) and do not love those reproving them. (Pr 9:7, 8; 15:12) The person at fault should appreciate that he can get a benefit from the reproof and should try to get understanding from it. Proverbs 19:25 tells us: “The ridiculer you should strike, that the inexperienced one may become shrewd; and there should be a reproving of the understanding one, that he may discern knowledge.”

The sinful human tendency is to resent reproof and the human servant through whom it may be given. But yielding to this tendency degrades one to the level of an unreasoning beast lacking moral discrimination; as the inspired proverb expresses it: “A hater of reproof is unreasoning.” (Pr 12:1) In contrast, the psalmist David, who was himself repeatedly reproved, wrote: “Should the righteous one strike me, it would be a loving-kindness; and should he reprove me, it would be oil upon the head, which my head would not want to refuse.”​ (Ps 141:5)

originally posted by: KansasGirl

Actually....Jesus used the parable of the Good Samaritan to define who was a neighbor. So it actually does mean people other than your travel-distance neighbors. ...

originally posted by: Gothmog

You actually need to concentrate on multiple verses .
The Parable of the Good Samaritan only describes a neighbor in relation to the definition of Samaritan

To build on my previous comment about reproof and to answer the question: Who is my neighbor?

Changing the order a bit from the source:

Love Toward Neighbor Commanded. The Bible, throughout, instructs one to exercise love, kindness, generosity, and helpfulness toward one’s neighbor, whether he be merely a dweller nearby, an associate, a companion, an intimate acquaintance, or a friend. The Law commanded: “With justice you should judge your associate [form of ʽa·mithʹ]. . . . You must not hate your brother in your heart. You should by all means reprove your associate, that you may not bear sin along with him . . . and you must love your fellow [form of reʹaʽ] as yourself.” (Le 19:15-18) (In the Greek Septuagint the word reʹaʽ is here translated by the Greek expression ho ple·siʹon.)
...
To a Jew who asked, “What good must I do in order to get everlasting life?” and who wanted to know which commandments to follow, Jesus named five of the Ten Commandments and added the injunction at Leviticus 19:18 when he said: “You must love your neighbor [ple·siʹon] as yourself.” (Mt 19:16-19)

NEIGHBOR

A person living nearby, whether friend or enemy; or, viewed spiritually, a person who demonstrates to others the love and kindness that the Scriptures command, even though he lives at a distance or is not a relative or an associate. The Hebrew word rendered “neighbor” is sha·khenʹ, which has reference to location, either of cities or of persons, and includes friends and enemies.​—Jer 49:18; Ru 4:17; Ps 79:4, 12.

Other associated Hebrew terms that vary slightly in connotation give us a broader view of the relationships expressed in the Hebrew Scriptures. Reʹaʽ means “fellow, companion, friend” and can apply to closeness of relationship, but it generally means one’s fellowman or fellow countryman, whether he is a close associate, lives nearby or not. In most of its uses in the Scriptures it applies to a fellow member of the commonwealth of Israel or to one residing in Israel. (Ex 20:16; 22:11; De 4:42; Pr 11:9) ʽA·mithʹ is rendered “associate” and is used often in the sense of one with whom a person has some dealings. (Le 6:2; 19:15, 17; 25:14, 15) Qa·rohvʹ, meaning “near, at hand, related to,” has reference to place, time, or persons; it can imply a more intimate relationship than “neighbor” and is thus rendered ‘intimate or close acquaintance.’ (Ex 32:27; Jos 9:16; Ps 15:3; 38:11; Eze 23:5) No one English word can express fully all these shades of meaning.
...
[Remember: "In the Greek Septuagint the word reʹaʽ is here (Le 19:18) translated by the Greek expression ho ple·siʹon." And: "Reʹaʽ means “fellow, companion, friend” and can apply to closeness of relationship, but it generally means one’s fellowman or fellow countryman, whether he is a close associate, lives nearby or not." And:]
To a Jew who asked, “What good must I do in order to get everlasting life?” and who wanted to know which commandments to follow, Jesus named five of the Ten Commandments and added the injunction at Leviticus 19:18 when he said: “You must love your neighbor [ple·siʹon] as yourself.” (Mt 19:16-19)
...
Who is my neighbor? Jesus also deepened the appreciation of his hearers as to the meaning of the word ple·siʹon when another man, anxious to prove himself righteous, asked: “Who really is my neighbor [ple·siʹon]?” In Jesus’ illustration of the merciful Samaritan he made it emphatic that even though one is living at a distance, or is not a relative or an associate, the real neighbor is the one who will exercise the love and kindness to another that the Scriptures command.​—Lu 10:29-37.

Source: Neighbor: Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 2

...
Who Is My Neighbor?

When telling the Pharisee that the second greatest commandment was to love one’s neighbor as oneself, Jesus was referring to a specific law given to Israel. It is recorded at Leviticus 19:18. In that same chapter, the Jews were told that they should view others besides fellow Israelites as their neighbors. Verse 34 states: “The alien resident who resides as an alien with you should become to you like a native of yours; and you must love him as yourself, for you became alien residents in the land of Egypt.” Thus, even non-Jews, especially the proselytes, were to be treated with love.

The Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day, however, saw the matter differently. Some taught that the terms “friend” and “neighbor” applied only to Jews. Non-Jews were to be hated. Such teachers reasoned that the godly must despise the godless. “In such an atmosphere,” says one reference work, “it was impossible for hatred to starve. It had plenty to feed on.”

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addressed this issue, shedding light on who should be treated with love. He said: “You heard that it was said, ‘You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ However, I say to you: Continue to love your enemies and to pray for those persecuting you; that you may prove yourselves sons of your Father who is in the heavens, since he makes his sun rise upon wicked people and good and makes it rain upon righteous people and unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:43-45) Here Jesus made two points. First, Jehovah is generous and kind to both the good and the bad. Second, we should follow his example.

On another occasion, a Jew well-versed in the Law asked Jesus: “Who really is my neighbor?” Jesus responded by relating a parable that described a Samaritan who came across a man, a Jew, who had been assaulted by robbers and stripped of his possessions. Even though Jews in general despised Samaritans, the Samaritan dressed the man’s wounds and brought him to the safety of an inn, where he could recover. The lesson? Our love of neighbor should extend to people other than those of our own race, nationality, or religion.​—Luke 10:25, 29, 30, 33-37.

What It Means to Love Our Neighbor

Love of neighbor, like love of God, is not merely a feeling; it involves action. It is helpful to consider further the context of the command recorded in Leviticus 19 that exhorts God’s people to love their neighbor as themselves. There we read that the Israelites were to allow afflicted ones and alien residents to share in the harvest. There was no room for stealing, deceiving, or dealing falsely. In judicial matters the Israelites should show no partiality. Though they were to give reproof when needed, they were specifically told: “You must not hate your brother in your heart.” These and many other commands were summed up in the words: “You must love your fellow as yourself.”​—Leviticus 19:9-11, 15, 17, 18.

While the Israelites were to show love to others, they were also to keep separate from those who worshipped false gods. ...

Source: What It Means to Love Our Neighbor

a reply to: Akragon

Who is actually your neighbor?

at least as far as Jesus defines it... most think is "everyone"

But that isn't the case

Who is actually your neighbour? (according to the Bible in your opinion?)

What if it is everyone you come in contact with.....even on this site?

a reply to: whereislogic

Nothing but semantics.
If you read your own post "someone that lives close by"
That is defined as anyone you can reach in one day's time
Saying exactly what I said
Yet not even noticing.
One upmanship .
I dont play games.

originally posted by: Gothmog
a reply to: whereislogic

If you read your own post "someone that lives close by"
That is defined as anyone you can reach in one day's time

I would say it is anyone that you have dealings with.......including on the phone and the internet (they maybe the other side of the world nowadays).

a reply to: Gothmog
The whole sentence was:

A person living nearby, whether friend or enemy; or, viewed spiritually, a person who demonstrates to others the love and kindness that the Scriptures command, even though he lives at a distance or is not a relative or an associate. The Hebrew word rendered “neighbor” is sha·khenʹ, which has reference to location, either of cities or of persons, and includes friends and enemies.​—Jer 49:18; Ru 4:17; Ps 79:4, 12.

There's an "or" in there, meaning the first decription there is not exclusive to the other one given. It's also talking about the Hebrew word sha·khenʹ, rather than the word reʹaʽ that is used at Lev.19:18 that Jesus is referring to and is explained in more detail later. And it explains that multiple different Hebrew words are used in the bible that are often translated to the English "neighbor" and that "No one English word can express fully all these shades of meaning." Talking about the exact word that was used at Leviticus 19:18 which Jesus was referring to, it mentioned:

Reʹaʽ means “fellow, companion, friend” and can apply to closeness of relationship, but it generally means one’s fellowman or fellow countryman, whether he is a close associate, lives nearby or not.

That's why I was so busy leaving reminders so one wouldn't talk past or overlook that:

[Remember: "In the Greek Septuagint the word reʹaʽ is here (Le 19:18) translated by the Greek expression ho ple·siʹon." And: "Reʹaʽ means “fellow, companion, friend” and can apply to closeness of relationship, but it generally means one’s fellowman or fellow countryman, whether he is a close associate, lives nearby or not." And:]

To a Jew who asked, “What good must I do in order to get everlasting life?” and who wanted to know which commandments to follow, Jesus named five of the Ten Commandments and added the injunction at Leviticus 19:18 when he said: “You must love your neighbor [ple·siʹon] as yourself.” (Mt 19:16-19)

Now please don't keep ignoring those key points in my comment. I've repeated them enough now.

John tells us that everyone is his neighbor. I know that when I was a kid that John always called the bad guys and even the sheriff his neighbor. Even before John wold pull his six gun from its holster and shoot those bad guys, he always called them neighbor. My hat is off to John Wayne cause he taught me that a neighbor could be bad or good.

Then when I grew up and read about Jesus, He did the same thing. He called everyone His neighbor and although He didn't use a six gun, He put a lot of them in hell so I'm told. Now why would there be a hell if all the neighbors were good guys? Well actually Jesus didn't say that all your neighbors were good guys. He said let them live in peace as long as they live in peace but when they come after your kids then that is another matter.

a reply to: Seede

In John, Jesus says that unless you exceed the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees, you'll never enter into the kingdom of God. Maybe looking in the OT for the answer is not the best way to contemplate this.

We ought to think through the definition in the Samaritan parable.
The original question is about "who is entitled to receive my love?"
On the face of it, Jesus turns this round at the end when he re-aligns the question and forces the answer that the man showing mercy proved himself to be a neighbour.
BUT consider; "Being a neighbour" is a reciprocal thing. If Smith is Brown's neighbour, then Brown must be Smith's neighbour.
If the Samaritan was the injured man's neighbour, then the injured man was the Samaritan's neighbour.
If the man giving mercy is neighbour to the man receiving mercy, then the man receving mercy is neighbour to the man who gives it.
So the answer to the original question is; For the purposes of the command "You shall love your neighbour as yourself", your neighbour is anyone who needs mercy. Jesus confirms that interpretation when he says "Go and do likewise".

Is this a limitation?
Only if you think there is someone in the world who doesn't need mercy.
Otherwise, it comes to much the same thing as "everyone".

originally posted by: Akragon
I always like to see who actually knows their gospels with this issue..

Who is actually your neighbor?

at least as far as Jesus defines it... most think is "everyone"

But that isn't the case

Who is it then?