I know Christians think you are supposed to love everyone (even those you don't like). Please tell me, though, how you are supposed to love someone you don't even like.
Sorry, but I reserve my feelings of LOVE for those who actually have earned it.
2007-09-12 12:04:29 · 30 answers · asked by Linz ♥ VT 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Fuzzy, I didn't necessarily mean to limit "love" to personal intimacy or compassion. If I feel compassion for someone it does not mean that I love them, does it?
2007-09-12 12:12:17 · update #1
I still disagree, Fuzzy. I guess it depends on each person's personal definition of love, then... I might feel aware of another person's suffering, and have sympathy for them, but still would not love them. I guess how I can tell if I love someone is by asking myself whether I would feel comfortable telling them I do.
2007-09-12 12:20:04 · update #2
I think it's two different meanings of the word, "love." If you mean love as in personal intimacy, then yes. If you mean love as in compassion, then no.
2007-09-12 12:09:08 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Love is compassion. Love in the King James is often called charity. Love is not a feeling - it is more of an action. As someone once put it, love is a verb.
If I limit love to how I feel, then that cheapens the idea of love. In 1st Corinthians 13 (a chapter quoted at many weddings by saint and sinner alike), it says, "love is...", not "love feels like", or, "if you love...". So, Biblically speaking, love is action. As it is written, "Love is patient, love is kind..."
The best example of unconditional love is seen in Jesus. He fed, healed, taught and put up with more people, lovable and unlovable alike. Love puts no condition on another. It means that no matter how miserable, how smelly, how contrary or whatever a person may be, they should be worth giving a meal, a cold drink of water, being prayed for or lending a listening ear.
Can I love someone I don't like? I'd better learn if I don't.
2007-09-12 12:27:58 · answer #2 · answered by TroothBTold 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
There are actually about 5 different meanings for the word "love", especially when you look in to the Greek (and Hebrew) Languages. Since the command to love everyone comes from the bible, this is where you need to look.
To have a deep intimate love for everyone is not possible or probable, and yes that kind of love is reserved for those who have "earned it" as you say. However if you have no love (compassion and empathy) for your fellow man, this is where hate, war and death, with no conscious thought or concern for how your actions affect other people causes the problems we have to day.
When you have a love/compassion/empathy for others around you, one tends to stop and think more about their actions. You only cheapen the meaning of love when you say it and don't mean it.
I can say I have a "love" for nature. Or I "love" chocolate. Or any other number of "loves" that I have. This doesn't mean obviously I have a deep intimate relationship for these items. The commandment to "love thy neighbor as they self" is as simply stated as it can be. Care about them, cause no harm, offer respect, etc etc.
Love shouldn't be reserved ONLY for those who have earned it. Stop and think about how many lives could be changed if that one person who is so difficult to even like, felt like just ONE person could say they love them?!
2007-09-12 12:23:54 · answer #3 · answered by swee_pea630 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No it does not! If you can say this in truth from your heart, then you are richer than your wildest dream. How can a person reserve love when it is something without bounds or measure! I'll tell you how! It's because you do not have it but you have something on an emotional level you call love. If you were one with love and living in it, being ruled by it, you would never ask this question. You are as an open book!!
Larry T Son Of God
2007-09-12 12:21:17 · answer #4 · answered by Larry T 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Love is not a feeling. It is a choice. Agape love is unconditional. It means acting for someone's best interests regardless of the cost.
If you can do that, you find yourself being compassionate. Compassion is a word that comes from two greek words. The first Com means "with" and the second "passion" means "to suffer". I think to suffer with someone means making a choice to do so. That is loving.
If you are looking for the feelings to always be there for instance when you get married, you will be gravely disappointed.
2007-09-12 12:11:15 · answer #5 · answered by epaphras_faith 4 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Linz,
In Greek, there are several words that we translate as love. In English, we mistakenly use the word love in many ways and some get confused by this.
When Jesus says to love (v) your neighbor, He's referring to a caring, giving love, not a fondness sort of love. You can perform an act of love for a total stranger whom you have never met by helping someone get their suitcase off the conveyor at the airport or something similar. I hope this helps. Remember, whatever you may give in the way of neighborly love to others will be returned to you by God five-fold. You cannot out give God!
2007-09-12 12:16:50 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I suppose it depends on your definition of love. For a Christian, love is not a feeling. Basically, it's a decision to wish the best for someone, even if you don't have good feelings towards that person. The main reason a Christian can do this is, that he knows that he himself has a lot to be forgiven for, therefore if he wants God to forgive him for his faults, then he'd better be ready to forgive others for their faults. Others don't have to earn our love, because we know that we did not earn God's love. God loved us even when we didn't care anything for him. He gave it to us free, so we have to do the same for others.
Love does not mean always being nice to people. If someone is a bad person, then loving him means trying to make him a good person. That may mean confronting him with his bad behavior, or putting him in jail; or it could mean reasoning with him, or just being nice to him. It depends on the person and the situation. But regardless, we are always required to wish him the best. And "the best" of course means that we wish and pray for him ultimately to go to Heaven.
2007-09-12 12:14:34 · answer #7 · answered by Agellius CM 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
There are many words from other languages that get translated as "love," but they actually mean different things.
There's "caritas" - which sometimes gets translated as "charity" and sometimes as "love." But it means something closer to compassion, "feeling with" someone.
And then there's "agape," a feeling of community or family.
Other words that I hear Christians use are translated as "solidarity."
More of an acknowledgement that we're all made of the same stuff and deserving of been seen and treated with dignity.
2007-09-12 12:26:07 · answer #8 · answered by Ruby 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That meaning is supposed to be opposed to hate everyone. Love is a pretty open word. It has lots of different meanings. People love there country but that doesn't mean there making love to there country. See there is two totally different meanings right there. God knows we aren't going to be able to love everyone. Just like any law though it is more of a guideline to follow so people don't think its good to hate.
2007-09-12 12:21:09 · answer #9 · answered by Allan C 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When I was a teenager I got a hold of the Satanic Bible and it said loving every one makes love worthless. You have nothing to compare it to. That was the one thing I thought was right in that book.
However I care for everyone and dont want anyone hurt. I suppose thats a kind of love
2007-09-12 12:12:11 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋