How has God shown you He loves you?

[robocop (actually)]

The world is tortured, sick, and confused. It would be nice if there was some evidence to leave people that they can turn to God and God will protect, provide, and be faithful to his word. I pray to God unceasingly for guidance and am left sick and confused. Reading the Bible just causes more confusion and anger and makes me want to puke!

Since you liked that maybe I'll try the second paragraph:

Some people feel pretty solid about it and some are confused. May I suggest an old Mormon proverb: Heaven and even Hell is so great that if anyone knew what it would be like they'd commit suicide immediately just to go there (Mormons as far as I know believe Hell is like Earth but better). Maybe you and other people are confused because you can't handle all the greatness yet.

 

[Hockeycowboy]

Is all love between humans love in it's highest aspect? What does "love in it's highest aspect" mean as opposed to any other love? If all love between humans is not love in it's highest aspect, does this not invalidate your original premise? Can you demonstrate in a concrete manner that love is anything but a human emotion?

Indifference does not necessarily equal no connection. I have a connection to my past employer. But I am indifferent to them.

If hate is not the opposite of love, what is the opposite of love? What is the opposite of love? Support your hypotheses, rather than simply making statements

There are certainly degrees of love. I care for people...I’d help them with a flat tire, if they were stranded....but would I give my life for theirs?


“what is the opposite of love?“

Selfishness.

 

[Hockeycowboy]

Those will be very active and volatile threads. I know for a fact that in the English versions of the OT, god directly commands genocide, infanticide, etc. And he spells out precisely where to get your slaves from, how to treat them, and that they are personal property and can be passed down to your heirs. It will be interesting to see someone who knows ancient Hebrew to try and refute this. Of course, it should be noted that this has been attempted many times before on this site to no avail.

Well, I appreciate your refrain from scoffing!!

I can’t deny that some of those things that happened, were approved by God. But it’s the reasons I’ll deal with.

And the ultimate aftermath.

So-long.

 

[Milton Platt]

Well, I appreciate your refrain from scoffing!!

I can’t deny that some of those things that happened, were approved by God. But it’s the reasons I’ll deal with.

And the ultimate aftermath.

So-long.

I do get pointed when necessary, but I see no reason to be vulgar or disrespectful. So you will argue that there are reasons things like slavery and genocide were good and not evil, or that god changed his mind about what was evil?

 

[Milton Platt]

He already said. The opposite of love is indifference. It means that I don't care about you and what happens to you.

So what is the opposite of hate? Because I don't see indifference as opposed to love. indifference is neutral.

 

[savagewind]

So what is the opposite of hate? Because I don't see indifference as opposed to love. indifference is neutral.

The opposite of hate is friendship.
I am sure that love can be without friendship.

Indifference is not neutral. What's the saying?


The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

I also found these:

“A person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his inaction, and in either case he is justly accountable to them for the injury.”
― John Stuart Mill, On Liberty

“One of mankind’s greatest sins is inaction in the face of injustice.”
― John Kramer, Blythe

 

[Hockeycowboy]

I do get pointed when necessary, but I see no reason to be vulgar or disrespectful. So you will argue that there are reasons things like slavery and genocide were good and not evil, or that god changed his mind about what was evil?

When I start the threads, I’ll mention you, so you’ll be alerted, ok? Have a good evening.

(FYI, I’m not one for writing, so much of what I’ll post will be online articles. I can talk to no end...I used to do a lot of public speaking...but I’m not a writer.)

 

[Milton Platt]

The opposite of hate is friendship. This just is not true, and any visit to a decent dictionary and/or thesaurus will point that out
I am sure that love can be without friendship.

Indifference is not neutral. What's the saying? What? If you are indifferent, you do not care one way or the other. The consequences of the indifference are irrelevant.


The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

I also found these:

 

[allfoak]

If you were going to tell a chronically sick tortured soul that God loves them, what would you provide them as evidence for this claim? All the evidence suggests otherwise.

One must love to know love.
To know the love of God one must love oneself.
The evidence of God's love is on the inside not the outside.

 

[Buddha Dharma]

The Abrahamic god you mean? By leaving me the heck alone!

 

[savagewind]

What? If you are indifferent, you do not care one way or the other. The consequences of the indifference are irrelevant.

Maybe like the consequence of murder is death?

If you see a crime being committed and you do nothing but walk away, are you really being neutral? I don't think so.

 

[socharlie]

So I'd like to be able to show the sick suffering poor tortured souls that God loves them. The first obstacle is the fact that God refuses to speak up to them. God hides himself. Would a God who loves people hide himself from them and refuse to speak up and leave people tortured and confused?

The world is tortured, sick, and confused. It would be nice if there was some evidence to leave people that they can turn to God and God will protect, provide, and be faithful to his word. I pray to God unceasingly for guidance and am left sick and confused. Reading the Bible just causes more confusion and anger and makes me want to puke!

How hard is it for God to simply demonstrate that his word is true and that he cares about people and will enlighten them, guide them, heal their wounds? Why is it that one person seeks the truth and winds up Catholic, another person seeks the truth and winds up a Jehovah's witness, another person seeks the truth and winds up Eastern Orthodox, or some other denomination? People are reading the same book and praying to the same God, while winding up with opposite beliefs.

I can't tell you how many people have read the Bible and come to believe the Catholic church is the whore of Babylon... others read the same book and give a Biblical defense of why the Catholic church is the church that Christ founded.

At this time, how does a person know who to listen to? I go to God , and he seems to tell me that the Holy Spirit guides the church councils and established the church as the authority to settle disputes about faith and morals. Yet so many Bible Christians tell me the church is evil, Pagan, and the religion of Satan and the Antichrist.

In the end, I'm just going to have to follow my conscience, because God isn't giving clear answers.

All this time I could be following the whore of Babylon, the religion of Satan.

Which would mean the very Bible these people cherish, they got from the whore of Babylon, because for quite a few centuries there were no Protestant churches.

If God let the world be deceived by this satanic whore, how am I supposed to place my trust in such a God? He failed to guide the church, and the Bible contradicts itself.

Who does a person listen to?

My heart tells me to listen to the church , because Christ said Upon This Rock I build my church and the gates of Hell shall not Prevail against it.

There is an unbreakable chain of popes that dates back to the first century. Protestantism began in the 16th century. How am I supposed to believe the Protestant faith is the true faith when God waited so many centuries to establish a Protestant church?

If God wants me to be a Protestant, then which of the thousands of denominations doesn't preach error?

How am I supposed to tell anybody that God loves them, when God does such a pitiful job of shepherding his flock? Turn to God for answers and get silence. How has this God shown himself to be trustworthy?

How has God shown you he loves you?

If you were going to tell a chronically sick tortured soul that God loves them, what would you provide them as evidence for this claim? All the evidence suggests otherwise.

Agape is translated as "love" , it is wrong and ignorant. Agape is benevolence and care. God created all conditions to provide us with everything we need. Humans in charge of redistribution of what God provided for everybody free of charge. All God wans from us understanding of God and mercy to each other.

 

[Enoch07]

To me, any act of true love from one person to another is an example of God's love. The more we love another, the more God's love manifests. I can't say it any better than St. Teresa although I might use the word "God" rather than "Christ":

Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.

I don't agree with you very often but that was a beautiful elegant answer. Jesus would approve.

Matthew 25 35-40

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

 

[robocop (actually)]

So...

My recommendation is to give "God" some credit. When people find "faint praise" for God it doesn't last and they lose faith. Start by assuming God is at least as smart as you and capable of doing the things you assume He can do. Assume he is doing things for deep reasons. Try to see things from a "Godly" perspective. Maybe you can get out of this funk.

But if you can't get out of this funk, I would be happy to try to keep helping you.

 

[Spiderman]

My recommendation is to give "God" some credit. When people find "faint praise" for God it doesn't last and they lose faith. Start by assuming God is at least as smart as you and capable of doing the things you assume He can do. Assume he is doing things for deep reasons. Try to see things from a "Godly" perspective. Maybe you can get out of this funk.

But if you can't get out of this funk, I would be happy to try to keep helping you.

Thanks, and do you believe God wants Satan to do what he does? It seems obviously he does, because he allows it. If you put a lion in the room with your children knowing it will tear them to pieces, you are just as responsible as the lion, especially if you created the lion knowing in advance what it would do...

 

[Spiderman]

Thanks, and do you believe God wants Satan to do what he does? It seems obviously he does, because he allows it. If you put a lion in the room with your children knowing it will tear them to pieces, you are just as responsible as the lion, especially if you created the lion knowing in advance what it would do...

And you could stop the lion at any time but choose not to

 

[robocop (actually)]

Thanks, and do you believe God wants Satan to do what he does? It seems obviously he does, because he allows it. If you put a lion in the room with your children knowing it will tear them to pieces, you are just as responsible as the lion, especially if you created the lion knowing in advance what it would do...

The Raelian answer is that Satan and God are groups of Aliens from the same race. Some of those Aliens don't think we're even worth having around. That is how desperate we are.

The Christian answer is that the very real threat of failure is what drives us to succeed. Without Satan though, we still have our own Satans. We still struggle with failure anyway. God is just injecting himself into the challenge. Donald Trump might call news fake, but he still recognizes that they have their Constituional rights. Likewise God may make you see Satan in a certain way, but that could be His politics.

But either of the three ways, Satan still has to respect upright action and progress.

 

[dfnj]

Right here, is the key to everything you seek. This is where you will find God.

Stop touching yourself.

 

[dfnj]

How has God shown you he loves you?

Our creator God created the opportunity for me to be able to love others and to be able to experience being loved. So in creating this opportunity for me to experience and participate in love I am thankful to God.

 

[Windwalker]

Stop touching yourself.

"The unexamined life is not worth living". How can you know yourself if you don't explore yourself? How can you know God, if you never look within?