Love your enemies

[Spiderman]

“Love your enemies do good to those who persecute you Do not return evil for evil”-Christ

“Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.

On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Romans 12:20

After Jesus was beaten to a bloody pulp, crowned with thorns, and nailed to a cross he demonstrated love for the people who did that to him praying, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”.

Many Christians throughout history have followed this philosophy. Some of them while getting tortured and executed had last words of intercession begging God to forgive the people killing them. On this thread I will give some examples of people who followed this radical teaching of love.

One of them in our 20th century was Pope John Paul II.

After a Turkish gunman shot him multiple times with the obvious intention of killing him, he visited the man in prison. He considered his would be killer to be his brother:

“As the Pope arrived at the Agca's cell in Rebibbia Prison in Italy, he looked at his would-be killer in the eye, shook his hand, and Agca kissed John Paul II's hand. The two talked quietly for 21 minutes. John Paul said, "What we talked about will have to remain a secret between him and me, I spoke to him as brother whom I have pardoned, and who has my complete trust." After the meeting, the two shook hands and the Pope gave Agca a small gift in a white box, a rosary in silver and mother-of-pearl.” Love and Forgiveness in Governance: Exemplars: Pope John Paul II | Beyond Intractability

 

[idea]

Jesus also overthrew tables at the temple... and told a few rather condemning parables... love the sinner, hate the sin? It is not loving to enable sin by removing consequences... Does forgiveness / love sometime involve slapping sense into someone (figuratively speaking)

 

[jeager106]

That philosophy served me well.
In police work yet.
Really it did.
However, not being a perfect person I did beat hell out of a few people when
needed.
I calmed and settled some of the most dangerous and vile of people with
a calm demeanor and kind, soft, words.
Of course the .45 auto under my jacket could have had something to do with it.

I sometime wonder how that fellow made out that broke my back crippling me for life?
I hope he's a preacher and has children and is happy.

 

[rrosskopf]

When I lived in Lima, Peru, I went and saw the torture chambers where the Catholic church tortured Christians until they confessed to imaginary sins. After the confession, they were put to death, and their property was divided between the church and the state. That's one hell of a system of tithing. I forgive those that labored under such darkness, that they thought God wanted to enslave mankind, and who had no concept of right and wrong, or who their master was.

 

[Shiranui117]

Jesus also overthrew tables at the temple... and told a few rather condemning parables... love the sinner, hate the sin? It is not loving to enable sin by removing consequences... Does forgiveness / love sometime involve slapping sense into someone (figuratively speaking)

"Remember the next time you ask yourself "What would Jesus do?" that flipping tables and chasing people with whips is a perfectly valid option."

 

[FearGod]

“Love your enemies do good to those who persecute you Do not return evil for evil”-Christ

“Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.

On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Romans 12:20

After Jesus was beaten to a bloody pulp, crowned with thorns, and nailed to a cross he demonstrated love for the people who did that to him praying, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”.

Many Christians throughout history have followed this philosophy. Some of them while getting tortured and executed had last words of intercession begging God to forgive the people killing them. On this thread I will give some examples of people who followed this radical teaching of love.

One of them in our 20th century was Pope John Paul II.

After a Turkish gunman shot him multiple times with the obvious intention of killing him, he visited the man in prison. He considered his would be killer to be his brother:

“As the Pope arrived at the Agca's cell in Rebibbia Prison in Italy, he looked at his would-be killer in the eye, shook his hand, and Agca kissed John Paul II's hand. The two talked quietly for 21 minutes. John Paul said, "What we talked about will have to remain a secret between him and me, I spoke to him as brother whom I have pardoned, and who has my complete trust." After the meeting, the two shook hands and the Pope gave Agca a small gift in a white box, a rosary in silver and mother-of-pearl.” Love and Forgiveness in Governance: Exemplars: Pope John Paul II | Beyond Intractability

I agree with you, we should love the terrorists and feed them.

 

[FearGod]

When I lived in Lima, Peru, I went and saw the torture chambers where the Catholic church tortured Christians until they confessed to imaginary sins. After the confession, they were put to death, and their property was divided between the church and the state. That's one hell of a system of tithing. I forgive those that labored under such darkness, that they thought God wanted to enslave mankind, and who had no concept of right and wrong, or who their master was.

They weren't true Christians.
The real Christian should care,love and support his enemy.

 

[ChristineES]

I think "forgiving your enemy" might be a little bit misunderstood. Forgiving someone does not necessarily mean you have to condone what the person did or that the person doesn't still need to pay a penalty of some kind to the crime. Yes, Jesus did indeed flip over tables and such, but He didn't torture the men afterward for defiling the Temple. I am sure that if those men would have asked, Jesus would have taught them like his other followers (I don't know for sure).
We need to think things through.

 

[Spiderman]

When I lived in Lima, Peru, I went and saw the torture chambers where the Catholic church tortured Christians until they confessed to imaginary sins. After the confession, they were put to death, and their property was divided between the church and the state. That's one hell of a system of tithing. I forgive those that labored under such darkness, that they thought God wanted to enslave mankind, and who had no concept of right and wrong, or who their master was.

Protestant Kings and Queens did the same thing. If there were Mormon Kings and Queens at the time I'd bet they also would have punished those who opposed the Religion of the King and Queen as well.

A lot of those actions were political, meaning the Sovereigns called for people to convert to their Religion or face imprisonment and sometimes death. Those were the times, and as a said, the Rulers in those times did that whether they were Catholic or not, so to blame the Church always isn't the right approach.

They weren't true Christians.
The real Christian should care,love and support his enemy.

True! Great Post!

 

[Johnlove]

Jesus once came into my living room and told me that we were not to hurt anyone for any reason.

(Matthew 5:39) “You have learnt how it was said: ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ But I say this to you: offer the wicked man no resistance.”

I believe that when the Church allowed for people to fight in Constantine the Great’s army the church stopped being led by the Holy Spirit.

When one preaches/practice a different gospel then what the apostle/Jesus taught they are condemned.

(Galatians 1:6-9) “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!”

(Galatians 1:7-8) “Not that there can be more than one Good News; it is merely that some troublemakers among you want to change the Good News of Christ; and let me warn you that if anyone preaches a version of the Good News different from the one you have already heard, he is to be condemned.”

 

[rrosskopf]

Protestant Kings and Queens did the same thing. If there were Mormon Kings and Queens at the time I'd bet they also would have punished those who opposed the Religion of the King and Queen as well.

Actually, it is our belief that God removes his priesthood when one tries to impose their will on others or deprive them of their agency. We will take up arms to defend ourselves, our wives and our children, but we will force no man to heaven.

 

[mainliner]

“Love your enemies do good to those who persecute you Do not return evil for evil”-Christ

“Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.

On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Romans 12:20

After Jesus was beaten to a bloody pulp, crowned with thorns, and nailed to a cross he demonstrated love for the people who did that to him praying, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”.

Many Christians throughout history have followed this philosophy. Some of them while getting tortured and executed had last words of intercession begging God to forgive the people killing them. On this thread I will give some examples of people who followed this radical teaching of love.

One of them in our 20th century was Pope John Paul II.

After a Turkish gunman shot him multiple times with the obvious intention of killing him, he visited the man in prison. He considered his would be killer to be his brother:

“As the Pope arrived at the Agca's cell in Rebibbia Prison in Italy, he looked at his would-be killer in the eye, shook his hand, and Agca kissed John Paul II's hand. The two talked quietly for 21 minutes. John Paul said, "What we talked about will have to remain a secret between him and me, I spoke to him as brother whom I have pardoned, and who has my complete trust." After the meeting, the two shook hands and the Pope gave Agca a small gift in a white box, a rosary in silver and mother-of-pearl.” Love and Forgiveness in Governance: Exemplars: Pope John Paul II | Beyond Intractability

this is interesting

this " love thy enemy" i think is more " pity thy enemy " because they know not what they do.........just like children

its such a big world now we've come learn this approach doesn't work ........ That's the divide between good and evil.












" if your not my friend, what are you? .... My enemy!! "



its a shame we cant see the equal middle ....... No good no evil

 

[Johnlove]

Actually, it is our belief that God removes his priesthood when one tries to impose their will on others or deprive them of their agency. We will take up arms to defend ourselves, our wives and our children, but we will force no man to heaven.

Yes people have stopped believing in the written Word of God, and doing what God tells us to do.

People just don’t seem to believe that obeying God is the most important thing one can do in this life.

To love God one has to obey him.

(Matthew 10:37) “'No one who prefers father or mother to me is worthy of me. No one who prefers son or daughter to me is worthy of me.”

(John 14:21) “Anybody who receives my commandments and keeps them will be one who loves me; and anybody who loves me will be loved by My Father, and I shall love him and show myself to him.”

 

[wgw]

When I lived in Lima, Peru, I went and saw the torture chambers where the Catholic church tortured Christians until they confessed to imaginary sins. After the confession, they were put to death, and their property was divided between the church and the state. That's one hell of a system of tithing. I forgive those that labored under such darkness, that they thought God wanted to enslave mankind, and who had no concept of right and wrong, or who their master was.

To my knowledge nothing like that ever happened in the OrthodoxmChurch. The only bloody stain on our record (well, on the record of the Russian Orthodox Church; the Greeks were actively opposed to it) was the persecution of Old,Believers who resisted the liturgical reforms imposed by Patriarch Nikon. Actually many Old Believer areas settled in Romania, Turkey and other areas under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Constantinople, who allowed them to continue using their old rites unmolested.

What is really said is the changes involved were trivial. The old believers view the sign of the cross as Christological and make it with two fingers, one bent slightly, whereas other Orthodox make it with the index and middle finger drawn together with the thumb, viewing it as Trinitarian. The introductions to some of the services, as well as the number of bows and prostrations was altered. When it came to music the change was a double edged sword, enabling the beautiful Russian choral music but bringing to an end the whole congregation singing in unison, antiphonally, as two choirs, which is an ancient practice dating back to St. Ignatius.

 

[rrosskopf]

To my knowledge nothing like that ever happened in the OrthodoxmChurch.

I haven't heard anything bad about the Eastern Orthodox Church. In fact, I know very little about the Eastern Orthodox Church.

 

[Khatru]

Doesn't this whole "Love your enemies" thing get junked when Jesus returns at the head of God's armies to slaughter humanity?

 

[Johnlove]

Doesn't this whole "Love your enemies" thing get junked when Jesus returns at the head of God's armies to slaughter humanity?

Yes God is the Law Giver, and the Law Enforcer.

Yes and God’s army in not humans, but his angels.

 

[Khatru]

Yes God is the Law Giver, and the Law Enforcer.

Yes and God’s army in not humans, but his angels.

What law is he enforcing when he slaughters humanity?

 

[Khatru]

They weren't true Christians.
The real Christian should care,love and support his enemy.

Sorry, I nearly missed this one.

Interesting to see you define a true Christian by their actions.

 

[FearGod]

Sorry, I nearly missed this one.

Interesting to see you define a true Christian by their actions.

I was just being sarcastic.