loving your enemy

truelight Mike · Post by **truelight Mike** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 10:47 pm

Is there any higher teaching than the teaching of Jesus to love one's enemy?

Divine Insight · Post by **Divine Insight** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 10:55 pm

How about not thinking of anyone as your enemy in the first place?

truelight Mike · Post by **truelight Mike** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 11:04 pm

[Replying to post 2 by Divine Insight]

That's probably part of " Loving" your enemy
Not counting someone your enemy who has set them self up as your enemy.

Divine Insight · Post by **Divine Insight** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 11:26 pm

truelight Mike wrote: [Replying to post 2 by Divine Insight]

That's probably part of " Loving" your enemy
Not counting someone your enemy who has set them self up as your enemy.

And exactly how do you go about loving someone who has set themselves up to be your enemy?

If someone comes to your home and destroys your property, vandalizes your home, and steals whatever they can get their hands on. What are you suppose to do to show them that you "love" them?

And while we're at it, supposed more enemies come and break all the bones in both your arms and legs, and then brutally rape your wife and daughter right before you eyes before they kill them right in front of you.

What do you do to show these men that you "love" them?

And is your love for them sincere? Or would you just be doing this to make Jesus happy?

Please, tell me so I can at least have some idea of what you are talking about.

Divine Insight · Post by **Divine Insight** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 11:32 pm

By the way, how is Jesus not a hypocrite when he proclaims that he will send his enemies into everlasting punishment?

How does that equate him to loving his enemies?

truelight Mike · Post by **truelight Mike** » Thu Jan 21, 2016 12:09 am

[Replying to post 4 by Divine Insight]

I'm not exactly sure how I would handle all those "what if" scenarios. But when I have real every day situations where someone crosses me or is unkind I try to forgive them and look for a way to do good for them.

And as far as "sincere" love, I don't think the type of Love the Lord is talking about is a s much about feeling as it is about action.
Usually loving (the action kind) someone who does not deserve it is very hard.
But it is good and right!
That's why I believe it's from God

truelight Mike · Post by **truelight Mike** » Thu Jan 21, 2016 12:12 am

[Replying to post 5 by Divine Insight]

I think Hell will be for those who chose that way. I don't think Jesus is to blame. Remember He is the one who tried to make a way of escape for mankind

Divine Insight · Post by **Divine Insight** » Thu Jan 21, 2016 12:52 am

truelight Mike wrote: But when I have real every day situations where someone crosses me or is unkind I try to forgive them and look for a way to do good for them.

For me this has always come natural and easy. I have always been quick to forgive people for the normal kind of everyday things we typically encounter. I don't typically follow these people around looking for ways to do them good. But I have done polite things for people who have treated me wrong. I see no reason to treat them bad just because they treated me bad.

And the thing of it is, I didn't need Jesus to get that attitude. That's just naturally what I am like. So I don't stand in such great awe of teachings that basically teach people to do things that I do naturally.

In fact, when I read through the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelations. Jesus is the only character in the whole book that I can actually identify with, on many levels. And I certainly never identified with Yahweh.

So that's seems pretty strange right there. Why should Jesus look better than Yahweh?

truelight Mike wrote: And as far as "sincere" love, I don't think the type of Love the Lord is talking about is a s much about feeling as it is about action.
Usually loving (the action kind) someone who does not deserve it is very hard.
But it is good and right!
That's why I believe it's from God

Seems to me that this is just common sense. It's basically the Golden Rule, that most certainly didn't originate with Jesus or the Biblical God.

And personally don't see that type of love to be very difficult at all. I will grant you that it would be extremely difficult in the very personal and horrific scenarios I had previously described. Our emotional desire to utterly destroy the perpetrators of such hideous acts is naturally going to kick in. And when truth be told even the most devout religious believes will almost always confess that they would totally destroy the enemy in those cases, and then afterward, simply confess to Jesus that they did it and will accept being sent to hell, or whatever.

In short, even religious people who claim that this is such a great teaching, aren't about to embrace it when it comes down to seeing their own loved ones abused, tortured, or killed. There's a limit to where any human will draw the line. And as far as I'm concerned that's perfectly rational and healthy.

It's simply absurd to pretend that we could actually love someone who has done such heinous crimes against our loved ones. To do so would necessarily need to be pretentious love in some sort of effort to do what we think might please Jesus or whatever. In fact, on a purely psychological level that kind of thinking would no doubt be selfish, because the only reason we would be doing it would be to win the favor of a supposed God.

Divine Insight · Post by **Divine Insight** » Thu Jan 21, 2016 12:57 am

truelight Mike wrote: [Replying to post 5 by Divine Insight]

I think Hell will be for those who chose that way. I don't think Jesus is to blame. Remember He is the one who tried to make a way of escape for mankind

And remember also that what we need to escape from is HIS WRATH.

You don't need a "savior" unless someone is threatening to harm you. And that's the oxymoron of Christianity. The "savior" is supposedly saving us from the wrath of God.

And that opens up a huge can of worms. Is Jesus the "Nice Son of God" who is saving us from the angry wrath of his horrible Father?

Or is Jesus himself an incarnation of this very same wrathful Father God?

The first would be polytheism where Jesus is a demigod trying to save us from the wrath of a God.

The second could remain monotheism, but then we have God supposedly saving us from his very own wrath.

It seems to me that it makes no sense either way.

bluethread · Post by **bluethread** » Thu Jan 21, 2016 12:07 pm

Divine Insight wrote:
And exactly how do you go about loving someone who has set themselves up to be your enemy?

If someone comes to your home and destroys your property, vandalizes your home, and steals whatever they can get their hands on. What are you suppose to do to show them that you "love" them?

And while we're at it, supposed more enemies come and break all the bones in both your arms and legs, and then brutally rape your wife and daughter right before you eyes before they kill them right in front of you.

What do you do to show these men that you "love" them?

Lev. 19:15-17 â€œ â€˜Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly. Do not go about spreading slander among your people. Do not do anything that endangers your neighborâ€™s life. I am the LORD. Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt. Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself."

1. Judge your neighbor fairly.

2. Do not go about spreading slander.

3. Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart.

4. Rebuke your neighbor frankly.

5. Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge.

In short, provide due process and don't let anyone live in your head rent free.