Atheists , Christians, Muslims, and Everyone Else - Do You Believe 'True Love' Requires Sacrifice ?

Question

I believe it does and in fact I know it does . However there seems to be a difference of opinion with atheists . I asked a couple of questions yesterday that asked atheists if they were willing to forget their 'opinions' and pray for their parents or children if ever faced with the tragedy of a terrible car-wreck and their loved one had only a 10% chance of survival .
Since no atheist can Prove that there is no God I figured that some or even many of them would be willing to 'sacrifice their opinion' in the interest of possibly helping save a loved one . . . . . well , none of them were willing to do so . Most gave insults because 'my opinion' is that you cannot know True Love without making sacrifices . Period .

So What Do You Think ? Do You Believe True Love Requires Sacrifices ? - Please Add Whether You're An Atheist, Christian, Muslim, or Whatever Denomination .

Thank you and Merry Christmas !!

Answer 1

Here's a true story about the sacrifice of true love...

I'll keep it short...but hopefully the point will be made...

My father of 72 years of age was diagnosed with lung cancer. Not terminal...but cancer all the same. At 35 years of age, and the youngest of his 4 children...I sat at his bedside every night until the nurses threw me out. We had many heart-to-heart talks during those nights. He explained that he was ready to 'Go Home' and if I were to pray for him...pray that he went peacefully. My brothers and sister insisted that he go through surgery and chemo, which he denied. After he died, within the first year both my brothers had nervous breakdowns (stemming from their non-acceptance that he was 'home with God') and my sister, still to this day, cannot talk about Dad without feeling that she is responsible. I, to this day, am fine with his death, as this is what he wanted...and I knew it.

I spent time with him and understood his wishes. Do I miss him....ABSOLUTELY! Do I want him back with me...ABSOLUTELY...but I would never want him back if it meant his suffering. So the sacrifice was to honor his wishes and let him go even though I wanted him to stay and knew they could keep him here!

And yes....I would give my life to keep a family member alive. I have given my brother a kidney to keep him alive! I have spent Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's in the hospital when I was pregnant as my water broken early..so I sat to protect the unborn life of my son.

There are sacrifices that we do everyday for our loved ones..some may not be big sacrifices...but they are sacrifices, nonetheless.

Answer 2

Repetitive. But because your one of the fun people I'll take another crack at it.

Beliefs do not decide whether you love your family or not. I can decide that God is a complete (censored to not offend) and still love my family.
And I would like to see your answer (if you haven't already) to some of the major intelligent points made. Would you pray to a different god to save your family? Would you pray to Ra, to Hera, to Baldur, to Buddha, to the Pilsbary Dough Boy?
I think part of the problem is that you basically try to paint those who have a different opinion into the corner.
This isn't to say that God doesn't exist, I believe in God (not always fond of Him but I believe in the insane egotistical ruler of our little universe). And I've prayed to him before as well.
But if I was Ancient Egyptian I would pray to Ra, Isis, Ptah, whoever to save my family. If I was Wiccan I would pray to whatever nature is calling herself this week (sorry I coudln't help but pick), if I was an Atheist I probably wouldn't pray if my belief was that strong.
Doesn't mean you don't love your family, it just means you believe what you believe.
If one of my family is in a car accident and required internal surgery. Should I take them to a priest instead of a doctor to get this done?

Sacrifice isn't praying to God out of desperation (which is pretty much what we are talking about). Sacrifice is turning the steering wheel of the car so the oncoming vehicle hits your side rather than a family member's (if having no other option). Or attacking a gunman you know if going to kill you and your family anyway (or a man with a knife on a plane).
True love may require a strong enough feeling to do these things or be willing to.
But another kind of sacrifice is where a person in your life tries to change you into something you aren't. I don't believe in sacrificing my core being to become what someone else wants me to be.

Hope that helps.

Answer 3

True love does require sacrifice. And I think if most of us looked at how we've shown our love over the years, we will realize how badly we've probably let down those we do love.

It isn't just the example you give, although it could be. I recently had a daughter move home with a granddaughter in tow. As a father, I can't say I'm terribly impressed with this. And as a grandfather, I don't feel young enough to have a toddler running around the house, and to pick up after her and do all the things that being a dad two decades ago entailed.

But I know they need me. My frustration and fatigue at the situation serves me - it doesn't serve them. So I (mostly) keep my mouth shut, and just try and love.

That's all - I just try and love. Without conditions or judgement.

Answer 4

If an after life doesn't exist, no amount of preparation will send your "soul" there. Atheists believe that everyone ceases to exist because it is a logical outcome of death. Becoming a teacher or scoring a job are tangible consequences of hard work. You can't just prepare and work hard to become an airplane and eventually it will come true, the universe as we know it doesn't work that way. And also, if someone spent their entire life doing hard drugs they could, scarcely possibly, come out fine and live longer than most people.

Answer 5

True love does mean making sacrifices at times, religion aside, true love makes a person put other needs above their own at times. Most parents have it for their children and go without things they want or sometimes need to meet the needs of their children.
I really think people in general are getting way too crazy about how they interpret questions and look for offense where there is none intended or implied. Just chalk it up to boredom and neurosis. Purposely omitting religious preference because I don't want to stir whatever pot this is.

Answer 6

I dont know if id say true love REQUIRES sacrifice... but there tends to be an ample amount of it present in true love... ill give u a TRUE story similar to the 1 u provided...

in August my grandfather had a major stroke... so bad that he needed brain surgery... but he had a bad heart n the doctors said if they took him into surgery his heart would DEFFINITLY give out... so i was by his side in the hospital for at least 10 hours of everyday in the 3 weeks he was in there... everything seemed to stay the same... nothing got better but it didnt get worst either... when i felt there was nothing else left to do i prayed... for the first time since i was 11 years old... but it was funny b/c it seems like everytime i prayed the doctor came in with bad news... and only 2 days after i started to pray he died... u would probably say this is just paranoia... n u may be right... but this just made my disbelief in 'GOD' that much stronger.

Answer 7

What is the point in sacrificing our beliefs, just to make you happy? Praying is wrought by specific religions, atheists do not have a religion, therefore do not pray.

The best we could do is give support to our loved ones, whether it be mentally, physically, or financially. These are the only things that could help to preserve their lives, not praying.

As soon as some theist prays because of some dire event, and by chance their prayers come true (although statistically could have been backed up and acquitted with science), automatically they think it is some miracle from god, and their belief has been proven true.

I do not believe true love requires sacrifice. Compromising, understanding, and having an open mind does. I still love my father, yet he doesn't call me, never sent me any letters, and probably doesn't know I have moved.

Answer 8

I believe that true love only exists when you are willing to put the source of that love ahead of yourself. Sometimes that does require sacrifice -- sometimes a huge sacrifice. I don't really understand why that concept is difficult for anyone to grasp, regardless of their religious beliefs or non-beliefs.

Answer 9

It does, of course. If it's worth it to you to love someone, it's not always going to be easy times and when you hit hard times it is going to require sacrifice. If the sacrifices aren't their, you can really make a case it wasn't true love.

Answer 10

I believe I once heard a battered wife tell me that true love requires sacrifice. An excuse for her husband.

I will say that I believe love requires the willingness to sacrifice if one had to. Sometimes we are put to the test in life, but not always.

Would you sacrifice your opinions, my close minded friend? You don't understand why an Atheist wouldn't pray in the same way many don't understand why a black man wont answer to "boy".