For me, Love is the most important thing of all. The problem with the Mormon god, is that it is destitute of love.

"God is love."

That's a nice thought.

However, when I see innocent children who desperately pray to "god" for a bite to eat starve to death...and realize there's no evidence any of the thousands of claimed "gods" exist, it' clear it's just a nice thought. Not something real.

How about "people are love?"

That I can get behind. But only if people do :)

If god is love who is that bastard who lets children die of

starvation or get gassed in Syria, or were starved and gassed

in the holocaust? I could go on and on, but if that isn't

God who is it? Who's the person who "loves" us? Where did

he/she go?

Saucie, you are my chosen woman to honor today on International Women's Day.

Nobody cuts to the chase like you do. No holds barred. Hat's off to you.

Second that!

dagny Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Second that!


Thank you Dagny I love you.

Done & Done Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Saucie, you are my chosen woman to honor today on
> International Women's Day.
>
> Nobody cuts to the chase like you do. No holds
> barred. Hat's off to you.


I love you Done & Done and I'm glad to know you. You give

mighty good compliments too.

All human doings... isn't humanism great?

If you knew what was really going on in Syria, you might shift your views. The west is using Islamic fundamentalists to remove an ally of Russia. Libya, Serbia and Afghanistan were all once Russian allies and the USA has used Islam in all of these places to undermine their governments. If you want to know where Islamic radicalism comes from... Washington plays a huge part in encouraging it.

God is pain, that's what makes sense to my mind and he's a bastard. Watches suffering with no knowledge of physical or even mental healing.

To me, the concept of God makes a lot more sense if you think of "him" as irony.

Man is that he might have joy.

According to spider Robinson if God is an Iron because he commits irony in the same way a felon committed a felony

God is either imaginary or a total asshole. Take your pick.

Human arrogance and greed are the problems. Which is what atheism will leave us with.

If you want to slag off God then pick natural disasters. Most of what you are describing are human activities.

Christian ghawd has never explained himself clearly on why he picked the Jews. Very nice people, the Jews, and I admire the heck out of them...now.

But the Israelites (and Muslims) who are of the lineage of Abraham, were just a sliver of the totality of humanity back when ghawd doted them with his chosen people title. And for much of their biblical history they didn't seem to measure up to what ghawd expected of them.

Now if ghawd had picked the Huns...! They seemed to be a much more diligent peoples!

Love is. Got nothing to do with a deity in my life. I don't need to be a believer to love or feel loved.

This.

I am capable of loving all on my own. In fact I can't even stop it. Just happens. And no nasty phony fantasy supposed god is getting any credit for it.

If you don't know how to love without some God making you do it, what is the point?

Exactly.

but isn't this "conditional" love? Some are lovable, some are not (based on the appeal of their bodies or their body's behaviors).

It sounds like you have a great deal of anti-love toward that "nasty phone fantasy supposed god"--which, according to you, does not even exist. Where in you is that coming from?

Some see Love as a total energy which can't exist partially. What is partial love? Mixed with hate, fear, contempt, anger, etc.--that is love and its opposites which are supposed to be neatly compartmentalized? If you "love" someone but at the same time hate certain of his/her characteristics, is that Love? Sugar and shyt...yumm!

Geez Richard. I said I can't even help loving and you turn that into conditional love? No logic there at all. Period. The key words here are "can't" and "help."

Then this:

"It sounds like you have a great deal of anti-love toward that "nasty phone fantasy supposed god."

Again, where'e the logic? First you are putting words in my mouth that I never said. Don't. I don't hate God because how do you hate something that you lack a belief in?

I dislike the idea of giving some supposed God credit for something I have done myself. I love many people. I even love a lot of people I have issues with or don't even want to spend a lot of time with. Love is complex and multifaceted.

And this bit? If you "love" someone but at the same time hate certain of his/her characteristics, is that Love?

Are you kidding? Ask any parent who has a teenager acting out and who can be a big pain. The parent still loves them. Deeply. Still wants the best for them. Still feels something wonderful as they watch them sleep. But still can't stand them at times when they are brats or doing self destructive things or being obnoxious. But they love them anyway.And that answers your stupid question.

Love.

Love. I have deep feelings for people who have betrayed me. The fact that you still love them is why it hurts so bad. Lovers fight and still love. Someone commits a crime and goes to jail and still we love them. We don't like what they did but we love them. That is what unconditional love is. Can't help it love.

"Sugar and shyte?" Really? First of all it's "shit" not "shyte" and second of all that sounds a little immature and like you had to find any excuse at all to discount my post.

Believe in you god all you want. I don't care.

Hmm...I didn't mention "god" at all except to quote your line. Certainly didn't push "my god." Just observations on love as an energy and how as people we cannot claim to be loving except conditionally.

The teenager example from you, I think, underscores our illusion that we are capable of not being able to stand someone and yet say that we still love them. You are speaking here of different levels, different orders of responses. Are you still centered in that encompassing love while pissed off at them when they're "obnoxious"? Same goes for betraying lovers et al. Because we can switch back and forth to love from other temporarily eclipsing responses gives us the illusion that the love is continuous and thus unconditional (never changing). If it were, people could be serene even while taking corrective actions according to their roles (as parent, family member, person on a jury, etc.).

It looks like there was some irritation at my "stupid" question. The point I was trying to make is that we humans have in our consciousness, along with all our "loving," ambient irritation which comes out whenever our egos are scratched. We "can't even stop it. Just happens."

"ambient irritation" interesting phrase

God is love
Love is blind
Stevie Wonder is blind
Stevie Wonder is god

No, Eric Clapton is God.

You're too young to know who Eric Clapton is.

Bach is a close second.

You are all wrong...

God is, indisputably, Morris Fields. [Ask ANYONE from my high school the question: "Who is God?" and the INSTANT answer will be "Mr. Fields" or "Morris Fields."]

RIP Mr. Fields---you changed more lives forever than you ever imagined possible.

[Mr. Fields was a history teacher, and later a counselor for kids who wanted direction in how to deal with, and get into, the colleges which were going to be best for them. He was this little nebbishy Jewish guy, with a perpetual 5:00 shadow and an incredible wit, who drove a Humber Super Snipe, and dated a seemingly endless series of women who were all at least a foot taller than he was...had long blonde hair...and cantilevered breasts which could have been movie doubles for Jayne Mansfield's breasts (and which were, as the femme du nuit or femme du jour stood up outside of the Super Snipe, more-or-less at the same level as his lips were when he was standing next to her).

At "home" football games, at half-time, the pinnacle of the half-time show would be Mr. Fields slowly driving his Super Snipe onto the field, as we---on OUR side of the bleachers---stood up and went dead silent. He would stop his car on the field...get out of the driver's door...and with an air of great gravity walk around to the passenger door...open the passenger door...and the newest "Jayne Mansfield" lookalike would step out, accompanied by us foot-stomping and cheering...mostly at the recurring lesson that if a little nebbishy Jewish guy, with a perpetual 5:00 shadow and an incredible sense of humor, could attract all of those endless Jayne Mansfield lookalikes, "WE" could too!!! Regardless of our gender, the lesson to all of us was the same: "Believe in yourself, and YOU can do [whatever it is] too!!!"]

To all of us, Morris Fields was "God" [Mr. Fields' actual nickname amongst all the students throughout all of his teaching career]...

...the enormously IRL powerful presence who showed us that---whoever we were, and whatever we wanted to do---we COULD.

To all of the generations of kids who went to my high school, God is (and will forever be) Morris Fields.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/09/2018 04:28AM by Tevai.

Getting all serious on me again, Tevai?

I will concede that such teachers, coaches, and mentors are the incarnation of what God should be. Such people are our hope for the future.

In exchange for that admission, I hope you will permit me to believe that certain artists and composers are also manifestations of the divine, or at least the transcendent within humanity. The wonder of leaving a cult is the ensuing ability to recognize the greatest things in life without having to ascribe them to an arbitrary conception of reality.

Beauty stands on its own, whether in the canyons of southern Utah or emerging from a history teacher's automobile.

I do, absolutely and graciously, concede all of your points, Lot's Wife...

:D

Ahhhh Bach!

Lot's Wife Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> No, Eric Clapton is God.


Without a doubt he's God, there should be no doubt in anyone's

mind about that.

Love:

Kindness, Honesty, Respect for others.

Loving affection usually is both an indicator & component of love.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/09/2018 01:20AM by GNPE.

I love all these posters with their private concept of God. Where do you get these definitions or have you failed to understand the Bible and especially the Old Testament. Christianity is a concept that traces its origin to the Bible. If the Bible is wrong then Christianity is a farce. If the Bible is correct then God is a vengeful being that punishes for slight infractions like "steadying the Arch". Did you ever read the Book of Revelation? Stop with this BS about God being love.

So you are denying that Clapton is God?

Lot's Wife Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So you are denying that Clapton is God?

...not even to mention Morris Fields!!!

:)

Ask Clapton.

He’d tell you it’s Jimi Hendrix



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/09/2018 11:36AM by jay.

Correct...

I'm guessing the progression of this topic wasn't what the OP had in mind when posting...:)

Here's to humans who love - cheers!

Geez Richard. I said I can't even help loving and you turn that into conditional love? No logic there at all. Period. The key words here are "can't" and "help."

Then this:

"It sounds like you have a great deal of anti-love toward that "nasty phone fantasy supposed god."

Again, where'e the logic? First you are putting words in my mouth that I never said. Don't. I don't hate God because how do you hate something that you lack a belief in?

I dislike the idea of giving some supposed God credit for something I have done myself. I love many people. I even love a lot of people I have issues with or don't even want to spend a lot of time with. Love is complex and multifaceted.

And this bit? If you "love" someone but at the same time hate certain of his/her characteristics, is that Love?

Are you kidding? Ask any parent who has a teenager acting out and who can be a big pain. The parent still loves them. Deeply. Still wants the best for them. Still feels something wonderful as they watch them sleep. But still can't stand them at times when they are brats or doing self destructive things or being obnoxious. But they love them anyway.And that answers your stupid question.

Love.

Love. I have deep feelings for people who have betrayed me. The fact that you still love them is why it hurts so bad. Lovers fight and still love. Someone commits a crime and goes to jail and still we love them. We don't like what they did but we love them. That is what unconditional love is. Can't help it love.

"Sugar and shyte?" Really? First of all it's "shit" not "shyte" and second of all that sounds a little immature and like you had to find any excuse at all to discount my post. And this "partial love" think is just red herring. Meh.

Believe in you god all you want. I don't care.

"Believe in you god all you want. I don't care."

But do you love Richard?

deleted



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/2018 05:50AM by jay.

As in "love thine enemy?" Haha. Kidding of course. Don't know him well enough to love or hate.

I almost always disagree with him but I think it's more that we are wired differently that anything else and leaves me feeling misunderstood. Reminds me a lot of my brother.

God represents agape love to me in its purest form.

You're right you won't find that at a Mormon church being taught. If it was being taught the teacher would be dismissed as teaching heresy.

Very few religions actually preach that love doctrine. Very few churches actually preach how Jesus Christ taught when he walked the earth.

It does make it difficult to discern what is truth when it comes to separating the wheat from the tares.

If you take the bible teachings directly, as to what Jesus taught, it was all about love. That was the essence of his life and mission on earth.

Mormons teach conditional love, from being able to obtain a temple recommend, to being accepted as a saint rather than a sinner, etc in worship settings. "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others," is a Mormon mantra. Like Orwell's manifesto, it is a way to discriminate by show of farce. But it isn't love.

All about Love ? Unless when Good ole Jesus was being a rigid sectarian when some non Jew woman asked for help. Then he compares her to a dog and when she kisses his ass then and only then did he offer help. What a guy.

Someone took the blame for all of us. He built a civilisation of plenty and hope. I still love that guy.

Can anybody find me... somebody to god?

God is All it Takes

God in an Elevator

What's god got to do with it, got to do with it? What's god but a secondhand emotion?

See, yeah, the OP has a point. Love and god, totally interchangeable.

I'm just messin' with ya. Couldn't resist.

Maybe I misunderstood the post. I thought he or she meant: there is no god but there is love. Thus, love is god. Or love is the closest thing to god.

jay Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Maybe I misunderstood the post. I thought he or
> she meant: there is no god but there is love.
> Thus, love is god. Or love is the closest thing
> to god.

But...if there is no god, there's nothing to be closest to. Or be....?

I mean, sure -- you can call love "god." But it's still love, not "god."
That's like when koriwhore calls the universe or the Higgs Boson "god." He can do that if he wants to...but they're still the universe and the Higgs Boson, not "god." :)

ificouldhietokolob Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jay Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Maybe I misunderstood the post. I thought he
> or
> > she meant: there is no god but there is love.
> > Thus, love is god. Or love is the closest
> thing
> > to god.
>
> But...if there is no god, there's nothing to be
> closest to. Or be....?
>
> I mean, sure -- you can call love "god." But it's
> still love, not "god."
> That's like when koriwhore calls the universe or
> the Higgs Boson "god." He can do that if he wants
> to...but they're still the universe and the Higgs
> Boson, not "god." :)

Einstein and Sagan called the Nature "God" before me. I like their definitions, even though I'm not sure I agree with Einstein when it comes to God not playing dice with the universe, since God (God particle minus the particle) plays dice on a quantum level all the time. It's just that the dice are loaded, in favor of matter, everything that matters, rather than anti-matter.

What else could this song be about? ("Love Makes the World Go Round")

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTRzy7h6C6Q

(PS, it's not the conservation of angular momentum)

"Love is......what you believe it is"

Love spurts.

The squares, they think they have the corner on the market.

LDSink conflates itself with love. It thinks it is God. It isn't even good.

Mormonism wouldn't know what love was if it slept in the same bed.

M@t