Can loving your neighbor as yourself be a weakness?

Question

"And a second like unto it is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."-Matthew 22:39

The following is taken from Colombus' Journal:

"They are the best people in the world and above all the gentlest--without knowledge of what is evil--nor do they murder or steal...they love their neighbor as themselves and they have the sweetest talk in the world...always laughing."

"They would make fine servants. With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want."

Answer 1

your neighbour hopes you love him more than you love yourself if you are typical.

Answer 2

Sounds like you have it all wrong: Loving people is actually a strength, not a weakness- it takes a lot of strength to love people who do wrong to you. And did you not know that being a servant does not mean being lower than anybody ("whoever is least among you will be the greatest, and vice versa"). It's really pissy when people think that people who are decent and do good should be taken advantage of and looked down upon. Just remember that what goes around comes around and you WILL reap what you sew.

Answer 3

Looks like they were better Christians before the Christians showed up to slaughter them. In this case, loving one's neighbor as oneself would call up arms to defend.

Weapons are the tools of fear;
a decent man will avoid them
except in the direst necessity
and, if compelled, will use them
only with the utmost restraint.
Peace is his highest value.
If the peace has been shattered,
how can he be content?
His enemies are not demons,
but human beings like himself.
He doesn't wish them personal harm.
Nor does he rejoice in victory.
How could he rejoice in victory
and delight in the slaughter of men?

He enters a battle gravely,
with sorrow and with great compassion,
as if he were attending a funeral.
--Tao Te Ching

Answer 4

Columbus's journal suggests he was the truly weak person in that situation- he saw love and thought only of personal advantage. True strength comes when you are willing to give up something for someone else's benefit. It takes strength, not weakness, to sacrifice. Too bad the weak predators of the world haven't figured that out.

Answer 5

The wicked usually think that the kind hearted are weak. Actually, if you just give in to your own selfish instincts, if you allow yourself to give in to your lowest animal appetites, then being wicked is easy. It takes strength to be kindhearted, while wickedness is offering no resistance at all. Just an animal following after your greed and lust.

Answer 6

GOD's strength is made perfect in our weakness. LOVING yoru neighbor as yourself isn't optional, because this is the measure of your LOVE for yourself. Do unto others as you'd have done unto you. You want Perfect Charity from GOD so practice perfect charity unto others. Perfect Charity is LOVE . .. which some have said is the proper name of the HOLY SPIRIT . . . GOD IS LOVE.

Answer 7

Nope. As a fellow Christian, I love you regardless of who you are, where you're from, or what you've done in your past life. We are called to be One Faith in the Body of Christ.

Answer 8

no,loving any of GODs people can never be a weakness. it is what GOD asks of us in this life. but to be able to love our neighbour we first must be able to love ourselves. that's where the problem can come in. if we can't love ourselves we cannot possibly love some else. that's where we need to turn to GOD for help in our life. sometimes that also means we need to turn to to therapy to find out how to learn to love ourselves. but,never turn to your back on a neighbour in need.

Answer 9

Love is the greatest of all virtues. God is love.

St.Thomas Aquinas on Love -
http://www.newadvent.org/summa/3044.htm#7

Answer 10

You might want to think--don't mistake Humility--for weakness.