Tuesday, April 01, 2008

What is unconditional love?

Here is one set of answers:

The Love Foundation




Confounding.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

The thing that got me was the prose from the 6-year-old: "Listen to your own inner message about what feels right..."

People just don't live this way in real life. It won't matter how much I believe my "inner message" saying that I will be safe if I jump off a cliff! I'll still be horribly injured or dead.

Jourdan said...

I doubt my "inner message" would assure me it's okay to jump off a cliff. I believe the 6 year old is referring to the change that has to take place in your heart first before you make a decision to go off and change the world... I think, it was a quick read. It seems he's trying to say follow your conscience. I do apply this in my life as instinct. What do you mean "People just don't live this way in real life"?

Jourdan said...

However fearnot4110, the ikea post on your blog is pretty funny.

danay said...

We need to be careful about following our consciences instinctively as they've been influenced by our culture and by our sin nature. If our conscience is Bible saturated, we're better off, but even Adam and Eve, who had walked and talked in the garden with God, followed their "inner message," wanting to "be like God, knowing good from evil" (Gen. 3:5).
As I read the site I kept thinking about Jesus and how He LIVED unconditional love. I'm having trouble picturing Him hugging Himself as He staggered off to the cross to the pay the penalty of my sin.

Anonymous said...

You are right, Jourdan. I should have been more careful to read the web page; I didn't think about what I was writing.

Jourdan said...

I see... I don't know I mean if I'm out with my friends and they want to hit the casino, I use my conscience, which I guess could fall on the more Bible-saturated side of the fence, to know that no, it's not a good idea. I think that what's been influenced by our culture and sin nature may pertain to something else. Our conscience tells us it's wrong, like our gut feeling, but variables such as pressure, lack of self-control, and say desire for money and excitement I think are what lead us to sin.

Jourdan said...

That's funny we kind of posted at the same time. But as you can see fearnot4110 we all interpret differently. You and Danay seem to relate in how the "inner message" could seem corrupt at times.

Emily said...

To clarify, I was not endorsing the Love Foundation or their thoughts on unconditional love. I really liked the way that Danay looked at it. I don't think any of us needs help loving ourselves or following our "inner messages" that tell us that sin is attractive and that what I want is more important than what God says. The struggle is in dying to those things and putting on the mind of Christ.

Allison, I see what you are saying and I've heard the same kind of arguments against moral relativism. The cliff may be an extreme example, but there are all sorts of other harmful "inner messages" that are probably even more dangerous because they're easier to believe.

Anonymous said...

Wow Emily! This one generated a lot of conversation! Well, I didn't have time to read all of the wesite. But the first part of it I read and it was strange.

"I don't think any of us needs help loving ourselves...." (quoted by Emily) Yes I agree!

"The struggle is in dying to those things and putting on the mind of Christ." (quoted by Emily) Yes I agree!

I think we naturally love ourselves. We don't have to be told to. When we get mad when others are mean to us that proves that we love ourselves.

Dan and I have had this conversation before. He points out that the Bible doesn't have to tell us to love ourselves. Where is it found? When he first pointed that out to me my reaction was "wow, you are right........it doesn't". The emphasis should be put on displaying the character of Christ to the world.........which is loving others.

What an interesting conversation. What topic is next?