Has the word Love been perverted in our society?

Question

Do you think Love in the bible is defined the same as the word "love" is defined today in our modern world?
Is love a hallmark card?
does love tolerate everything?

What do you think is the true definition of love according to the bible? Use scriptures when you can.........thank you.

Jon Jon........You do not know my motives for this question dear.........
You sound a little unloving yourself. :)

Answer 1

Here is what love is:

1 Corinthians 13 (New International Version)

1If I speak in the tongues[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[b] but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

As for love being perverted-you bet it has!

People talk about "making love", when all it is is having sex. Love has been turned into nothing more than an act, instead of the emotion that it is!

You can't MAKE LOVE!

Answer 2

I imagine we're coming from different points on this, but I'd say that love means what people think it means; no more, no less. I suspect you'd say that there's some perfect definition of the word 'love' (despite it being pressed into service to translate at least three different words in the NT) given by God. I say language is similar to more biological processes - it's evolutionary, jury-rigged, and dependent on time, place, and situation.

Answer 3

LOL...I love how you people are always trying to prove that love is intolerant. Love is "Hate the sin, love the sinner." Love is interfering with other people's lives because you know what's best for them. Love is stern and forbidding and conditional and finger-wagging. Love is burning heretics at the stake so that they won't have to burn in hell.

OK, maybe you don't take it as far as the stake thing - but that's where this mentality leads, o zealous one.

I would argue that people who have a black-and-white, "with us or against us" mentality aren't capable of understanding what love is.

Sister - you know what I'm talking about. I'm gay, and I read your anti-gay remarks on here all the time, "justified" with reference to your religion, so how could I not read that into this? And I'm sure that the point you're driving at is that "love" sometimes means you have to be "intolerant" of "sinful" behavior. I don't know why else you would put that bit about "does love tolerate everything?" in there. And what that means, of course, in practice, is that you take it upon yourself to dictate to other people how they ought to live their lives. And you say that you base it on the Bible, as if that gives your judgment some kind of authority - as if Christians aren't constantly warring amongst themselves over the "correct" interpretation of the Bible, and as if non-Christians care at all!

Sorry, dear, but I'll keep calling you on this. I've read enough of your stuff to make an educated guess as to your motives.

Answer 4

No. no longer in the 1960's. the last decade wherein the united kingdom took a incorrect turn became in the Eighties while the Thatcherites destroyed any experience of community in pursuit of extra wealth for the few on the cost of the numerous.

Answer 5

1 John 3:14 If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to eternal life. But a person who has no love is still dead.

Biblical love is defined as and "action", not a feeling. We are to act out of love in ways that benefit others. Always doing what is in the best interest of others is the way Christ wants us to "act." This has nothing to do with how we "feel". We may sometimes not like or admire someone, but that is not a reason to not do what is best for them. Christ said that we are to even love our enemies.

Answer 6

Yes, the term "love" has been terribly corrupted in modern usage. The biblical definition is certainly not the same as in our modern world.

1st Corinthians, Chapter 13 has my vote for the truest definition of love which appears in the orthodox scriptures (or non-orthodox for that matter). It follows:

"...Love suffereth long, and is kind; Love envieth not; Love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Love never faileth: but whither there be prophecies they shall fail; whither there be tongues, they shall cease; whither there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. "

Compare this with, "if you loved me half as much as I love you, you wouldn't do me half as bad as you do..." which is a typical expression of "love" per the modern conception. This, however is less "love" than barter. Or you could compare it with the more carnal, even raunchy lyrics of popular music that equate physical attraction with "love", then with the lyrics that wonder what went wrong with this sort of "love". The modern concept of "love" is more about sexual attraction, ego-stoking, barter and forming a mutual admiration society of two than about the principles expressed in the above passage.

Love, therefore is not a hallmark card, and no, love does not tolerate everything. Love neither tolerates bullying, oppression, exploitation nor gratuitous hurtfulness towards others or ourselves. Love can discriminate between thoughtless acts and volitional ones and thus to some degree "hate the sin but love the sinner", but even that has its limits.

I would suggest that while one contemplates the contradictions between the popular notion of love and Paul's description, it would be worthwhile to contemplate the contradiction between the notions of divine compassion and divine retribution. Error is not a recent development in human concept.

Answer 7

Not everyone believes in the bible, society is a collection of ALL people that live in it, not just the Christian ones.

I don't know about love "tolerating everything". Not sure what you are asking here. My definition of love doesn't include tolerance of hateful actions, such as murder, rape, assault, etc.

I don't know of anyone whose definition of love does.

Answer 8

I believe love has been perverted to a great extent. In the Bible, it was a genuine affection between a man and woman, or a devotion to mankind in general. "Love one another". Today, it has been reduced to barbaric sex acts and in most lyrics, it has the connotation of the verb instead of the noun, the act instead of the thing or idea.

Answer 9

It is "time" well spent to truly study the biblical verses as outlined by "biblioph"
If one studied and live this truly, love would prevail on earth.

This is absolutely it, when one knows and learns what it is saying.

Peace in the heart

Answer 10

Love in it's true sense is given in 1 Corinthians 13 -not just romantic love but sacrifice, enduring all things, not being provoked easily, patience, kindness...
Society has let it become self-centered, it is not. It is love like Christ's model, and with the promise that is never fails.