Loving but not liking

[nobspeople]

You can love someone without liking them. They may be a good person at heart, but you don't like how the talk to others, their political views, their style....whatever.

Can you love God without liking him?

You may be able to love God for what or who he is, but not like what he's done to people in the past (or what he's doing or allowing currently). Or not?

[nobspeople]

…Does allowing evil to happen to some (and not others) equate to the same as 'doing evil to'?

I don’t think it is evil that God allowed us to have this lesson about good and evil.

Personally I find that to be an excuse
What lessons need to be learned by allowing evil things to happen I wonder?
Surely God would be able to teach any lesson without evil things happening to someone?

[1213]

...If this life is like a virtual reality, would it have been logically possible for our virtual reality to have been programmed such that the consequences of our freely chosen evil actions only resulted in the minimum virtual harm necessary for God to distinguish those souls who love him from those who don't?

I think, if the harm is virtual, it is minimal.

[1213]

...
What lessons need to be learned by allowing evil things to happen I wonder?
Surely God would be able to teach any lesson without evil things happening to someone?

What evil means is the lesson. And there was other option, to learn directly from God's teaching, by asking from Him what it means. But, people wanted to know like God knows.

[nobspeople]

[Replying to 1213 in post #24]

What evil means is the lesson.

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Can you elaborate?

And there was other option, to learn directly from God's teaching,

I think many want this but they don't always get it. I've heard people elude to the fact that to understand God and what God wants, you may need the Holy Spirit. If that's true, that seems circular: you need the HS to understand but you won't know that until you understand God and what he wants, which needs the HS....

But, people wanted to know like God knows.

What's wrong with that?

[JehovahsWitness]

Can you love God without liking him?

No.


Biblically God can love US without liking us because he is essentially overlooking our faults as an act of mercy. Agapé love being a principled love guided by good reason rather than sentiment. The bible encyclopedia Insight on the Scriptures Vol II points out:

... even though “God is love” and even though “God loved the world [of mankind] so much that he gave his only-begotten Son” on mankind’s behalf, the fact remains that mankind as a whole has been in a state of enmity toward God and that God’s love toward the world of mankind was love toward enemies, a love guided by principle (Gr., a·gaʹpe) rather than affection or friendship (Gr., phi·liʹa).​—1Jo 4:16; Joh 3:16; compare Jas 4:4.

True love (as opposed to infatuation, obsession, or sentementality) requires a reaistic view of the object of one's affection. If, as in the case presented in the bible canon, God has no faults, true love for HIM would not require any such seperation of sentiment and principle. It is for this reason Jesus is said to refer to loving God without reservation as the greatest commandement ; such love would rightly include philia (friendship, affection ie. "liking")






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To learn more please go to other posts related to...

LOVE, HATE and ...POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT

[nobspeople]

Can you love God without liking him?

No.


Biblically God can love US without liking us because he is essentially overlooking our faults as an act of mercy. Agapé love being a principled love guided by good reason rather than sentiment. The bible encyclopedia Insight on the Scriptures Vol II points out:

... even though “God is love” and even though “God loved the world [of mankind] so much that he gave his only-begotten Son” on mankind’s behalf, the fact remains that mankind as a whole has been in a state of enmity toward God and that God’s love toward the world of mankind was love toward enemies, a love guided by principle (Gr., a·gaʹpe) rather than affection or friendship (Gr., phi·liʹa).​—1Jo 4:16; Joh 3:16; compare Jas 4:4.

True love (as opposed to infatuation, obsession, or sentementality) requires a reaistic view of the object of one's affection. If, as in the case presented in the bible canon, God has no faults, true love for HIM would not require any such seperation of sentiment and principle. It is for this reason Jesus is said to refer to loving God without reservation as the greatest commandement ; such love would rightly include philia (friendship, affection ie. "liking")

Can you love him without liking some of the things he's done? Speaking realistically of course.

[JehovahsWitness]

Can you love him without liking some of the things he's done? Speaking realistically of course.

Realistically speaking*, if someone does not like some of the things God has done, that person's judgement is skewed and any feelings of dislike would be equally distorted.

JW

* What one accepts as a "reality" especially when it cimes to matters of faith, is highly subjective

[nobspeople]

Can you love him without liking some of the things he's done? Speaking realistically of course.

Realistically speaking*, if someone does not like some of the things God has done, that person's judgement is skewed and any feelings of dislike would be equally distorted.

JW

* What one accepts as a "reality especially when it cimes to matters of faith, is hoghly subjective

Does that mean if you don't like what God's done you don't love him?
Is that realistic?

[bluegreenearth]

I think, if the harm is virtual, it is minimal.

If the harm is virtual, is it still the case that there are varying degrees of virtual harm being experienced such that some virtual harm could have been less than what is currently being experienced?

[1213]

If the harm is virtual, is it still the case that there are varying degrees of virtual harm being experienced such that some virtual harm could have been less than what is currently being experienced?

I think the seriousness of harm is very subjective. For example, if one brakes a nail, it can be very dramatic and cause even greater reaction than if some other person loses whole arm. I think it all depends on how person takes it. But obviously, many things are not nice, still, in Biblical point of view the focus should be on higher matters than this and that can make it easier to face unpleasant matters.