do you agree??
2007-09-29 06:21:33 · 9 answers · asked by Eartha Q 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Hi, Eartha. You ask good questions, and I'm encouraged by all these right answers.
Yes, there is no love without the ability to choose not to love. That is why romantic love is so exciting. A free, lovable, wonderful person of the other sex has chosen me from among billions of humans to mate with me for life, to become one flesh, to join with God and with me in the lifelong project of creating, nourishing, and educating our children.
This insight is also basic to understanding God's creation of human life. God created the heavens and the earth so that one particular species, the creatures he made in his own image, would freely love him, become his children, and live in perfect happiness with him forever.
God MUST allow his creatures the freedom not to love him back, and to actively oppose his designs for human happiness by committing sins and doing evil. If we obey him because we are programmed to obey, there is no love and no virtue in our obedience. We are simply marionettes moving because the puppeteer is pulling our strings.
One final thought: Those who claim predestination have not fully understood our radical freedom as creatures made in the image of God. He longs for our loving yes, but he leaves us completely free to say no.
Cheers,
Bruce
2007-09-30 05:40:39 · answer #1 · answered by Bruce 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
That is absolutely correct. The fact that we have the ability to choose otherwise makes our choice of what to love that much more special. Nothing forces our hand but our own will. Not even God forces us to love him, making our choice to love him that much greater.
2007-09-29 13:25:54 · answer #2 · answered by Jude & Cristen H 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I do agree. I would add that there is value in forgiveness and sacrifice motivated by love.
I'd also like to note that there is a difference between love, attraction, and sex. These things are kind of muddled in modern western culture.
2007-09-29 13:39:49 · answer #3 · answered by Lao Pu 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
At first I had a big question mark in my brain but then I guess the coffee kicked in. Yes, I do agree because I'm totally against arranged marriages for that reason, or marriages of convenience, since one of them probably doesn't know it is for the convenience of the other person.
2007-09-29 13:27:56 · answer #4 · answered by Que bella 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't know. I've felt that you can't help who it is you fall in love with. But you do choose whether or not to be with that person.
2007-09-29 13:26:01 · answer #5 · answered by Becca 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is one aspect of the value of love, yes. If my beloved were with me only because he had no choice, I would question his "love".
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2007-09-29 13:23:57 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Of course. This is the classic "free will" argument for why a good god allows the existence of evil.
2007-09-29 13:26:48 · answer #7 · answered by Randy G 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
love should be, and is strongly suggested to remain free to come/go
2007-09-29 13:25:07 · answer #8 · answered by voice_of_reason 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
well, if they can't choose otherwise it's either rape or molestation
2007-09-29 13:24:17 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋