A Higher Love

[Sunstone]

I believe there are more than just one kind of love. Personally, I am loathe to rank the various kinds as higher or lower, truer or less true, than each other. I believe ranking loves is as absurd as ranking people. We do it, but it stinks.

Having gotten that out of the way, I am aware of (and have experienced) a certain kind of love, which I prefer to call "unconditional" love, that seems to me likely to be the same as what you are calling "higher love", although you will need to be the judge of that in the end.

To head off any confusion, unconditional love to me is quite a distinct experience from parental love. So, while some people call parental love by the name unconditional love, they are not talking about the same thing as me when I use the word.

Unconditional love is spontaneous, fleeting, and transforming. It is typically unexpected and it typically 'changes everything' within moments. I sometimes refer to it as a quick summer breeze that rises, refreshes, then falls away within minutes.

Some people who have claimed (as do I) to have experienced it call it "altruistic", but I don't like that word. I think it is overall confusing in this context to most people, and so I stick to words like "selfless".

In my opinion, it is a huge myth that unconditional love puts up with injury and abuse. If someone tried to injure or abuse you, you would readily try to escape or do something to stop them. Only you would love them even as you were ducking or blocking their assault.

That's what I have for you at the moment.

 

[Sunstone]

Many people who have never experienced unconditional love reason -- often quite logically -- that it is logically impossible for unconditional love to exist. They offer various lines of reasoning for their conclusions and most often their logic is valid.

If they were talking about an idea in a philosophy textbook, they might have a point. Ideas can be logically reasoned about to either prove or disprove whether they are coherent on the basis of unaided, naked logic. But unconditional love is more than anyone's idea of it. It is a thing, a fact, a reality. It might be rare. It might be something you can no more control nor summon than you can control or summon a summer breeze, but it is real.

I study people's theories that unconditional love cannot possibly exist, I look at the fact I have experienced it myself, and I shake my head. Nope, please go back to the drawing board. Your theory is logically airtight. But it is in effect merely a theory, not an observable fact

 

[loverofhumanity]

“Think about it
There must be higher love
Down in the heart or
Hidden in the stars above”
-Whitney Houston

Many religious traditions around the globe have varying interpretations of Love, and the forms it can take, some taking it as far as to claim that God is Love. And I believe that fostering Love in it’s many forms is the ultimate goal of most religious teachings.

So, As Whitney Houston sang wonderfully, must there be a Higher Love?
What does a Higher Love mean to you?
How do you use the knowledge of Higher Love to better yourself or others?

I associate a Higher Love with the Goddesses Freyja, and Frigga, as well as the Earth (Gaia) itself. A higher love to me, means that I am kind to everyone I meet, regardless of circumstance, and approach All Life with Respect and Reverence.

What is the Importance of Love in World Religions? - World Religion News

To me the highest form of love is selfless love or in my religion, the love for God as it embraces all humanity but in other religions it is described differently. The highest love may probably be called a spiritual selfless unconditional love for all humankind without hope of gain in any form or manner. But as I understand it love cannot fulfil its potential if it be not reciprocated for love is a two way thing between the lover and the beloved.

 

[Jesuslightoftheworld]

“Think about it
There must be higher love
Down in the heart or
Hidden in the stars above”
-Whitney Houston

Many religious traditions around the globe have varying interpretations of Love, and the forms it can take, some taking it as far as to claim that God is Love. And I believe that fostering Love in it’s many forms is the ultimate goal of most religious teachings.

So, As Whitney Houston sang wonderfully, must there be a Higher Love?
What does a Higher Love mean to you?
How do you use the knowledge of Higher Love to better yourself or others?

I associate a Higher Love with the Goddesses Freyja, and Frigga, as well as the Earth (Gaia) itself. A higher love to me, means that I am kind to everyone I meet, regardless of circumstance, and approach All Life with Respect and Reverence.

What is the Importance of Love in World Religions? - World Religion News

I love that there is a higher love. A love that in my humanism cannot fully conceive of. To me God = Love!!
I know that my God loves me unconditionally and sets an example as to how I should be. I think the deepest desire of us is to love and be loved. I believe that because God is love, and that’s the whole reason He created us. He wants to love and be loved. Subject-object relationship. Thank God!!!

 

[Jesuslightoftheworld]

Conditional love (I will love you if you please me) is very common. I'm not sure it should be called love at all since it's manipulative, implying that if the condition isn't met, the love will be withheld.

I'm capable of unconditional love for my wife, children and grandchildren but once we get away from family, unconditional love isn't possible for me.

If a Creator exists, I'm betting it loves unconditionally. I don't know of a religion that teaches that.

That is an interesting post. Judaism and Christianity both belief that God’s loves us unconditionally and perfectly.

However, in my opinion, of researching Islam and the Koran, Allah’s love is conditional upon obedience.

Please correct me if I am misinformed.

 

[joe1776]

That is an interesting post. Judaism and Christianity both belief that God’s loves us unconditionally and perfectly.

However, in my opinion, of researching Islam and the Koran, Allah’s love is conditional upon obedience.

Please correct me if I am misinformed.

I've debated this point with Christians before. We end with Christians making a semantic argument that attempts to turn conditional love into unconditional.

My position is that traditional Christianity teaches that non-believers will go to Hell and suffer eternal torture. Eternal torture for choosing the wrong religion wouldn't be a policy condoned by a Creator that loves unconditionally..