The phrase, "As I have loved you, love one another," can only work if you treat love as an action verb rather than a subjective noun. It may result from doing, but doesn't follow from a state of being. Or does it?
And how can you love someone whom you can barely stand? Is it even possible?
Thus the dichotomy between love and hate, good and evil since time immemorial.
Jesus' work is only just begun. Human nature being what it is.
Is it possible to have pure agape love for others, ie, what's commonly referred to in Mormondom as the "pure love of Christ?" I don't believe it is, except perhaps fleetingly - but not perpetually.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2017 05:05PM by Amyjo.
My patriarchal blessing says I have that, but I do not.
In fact, knowing that I am sarcastic, snide, and cynical despite that glorious PB is probably what undermined my shelf, despite all the scaffolding, bracing, brickwork, duck tape and superglue I slathered on it.
Hearing that insipid primary song drove the point home that the real me was quite the opposite.
I do know two people who *seem* to have that quality. Both were swearing, smoking, drinking, loud-laughing womanizers (both happily married now). One is a law-enforcement officer and one is my son, a craps dealer in Las Vegs. So no matter how Christ-like they may be, they won't be seeing the mormon side of the celestial kingdom.
After Primary age, that becomes "Love your neighbor, but don't get caught".
These teachings must have a real impact back when life was much harder than it is today, even if they came from a storybook character. I figure love is what's left when you take everything else away.
In one of my favorite movies, The Vikings, a soothsayer-type character tells Tony Curtis's character: "Love and hate are horns on the same goat". Maybe that's the explanation for the separation of goats and sheep that Jesus spoke of. Goats feel both emotions and sheep are just loving and trusting. I don't mind being a goat because I feel both of those emotions; especially when anyone, LDS or not, tries to mess with my loved ones. It's difficult to have unconditional love for anyone other than my family, but I'm trying to work on it.