by sinamongurl 21 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
For a long time now I have pondered on this question
"love thy neighbor as thyself"
To me this implies I must love myself first before I can love others. Not love in a selfish way but in a self-caring way, with honor and respect for who we are as individuals.
And that is so far from what the WTS teaches.
I tend to judge people by how they treat me and how they treat people important to me. I tend to judge myself by how the children in my life react when they see me.
I liked reading the history of the Hebrew people. I think Judaism is interesting and has merit. I think the Bible character Jesus was a great man, not followed very closely by those who claim him.
It's interesting to think God has two wills.
To me this implies I must love myself first before I can love others. Not love in a selfish way but in a self-caring way, with honor and respect for who we are as individuals.And that is so far from what the WTS teaches.
so very true and very comforting......today i feel like i will die at armageddon....tomorrow i will be pefectly fine again and wonder why i was so depressed the day before.....
I agree with Scully. This law has been used to promote different groups' agendas. All they have to do is say that "showing love" includes - (insert whatever belief system you are promoting) and anyone who does not (insert belief system again) is not showing love.
When you're a kid you have rules to follow set by your parents, though you often don't know what they're all about.
When you grow up and are in the "know" about things, the rules disappear and are replaced by the one understood fact--that you love your parents. With love comes respect, care, thoughtfulness, and selflessness. Your parents know and trust YOU enough to demand nothing more.
So as Paul said, the greatest...is love.
To love your neighbor as yourself...not like they are you, or as if they are you, but as you love yourself.
The first part of this is to love yourself in the first place, not in a selfish way, but to know YOU and know the grand nature of your own existence. Coming to grips with the reality of life can let you see that your "neighbor" is as much a part of you as anything else, which basically everything is a part of our life, what happens to one of us happens to all of us.
Of course then we get into the whole "eye for an eye" thing, but refer back to the above...what happens to one of us happens to all of us, if someone who is causing harm to us is allowed to continue to do so, what will happen? Approporiate action must be taken, but it is also in view of the good of ourself, which should benefit all others.
"Loving your neighbor as yourself" is a much larger statement than most people choose to realize. Who is your neighbor...the people next door? Across town? Around the world? Do animals count?
Will our neighbor, the cow grazing next door graciously give us something to munch on so we can live another day...are we grateful for that or do we even think about it?
Everything that lives is our neighbor, and yes that means we kill to live...but that is the very nature of life and the conflict that so many are frustrated by.
WLG
Biblical love; John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
Barnes; Joh 15:13
Verse 13. Greater love hath, &c. No higher expression of love could
be given. Life is the most valuable object we possess; and when a
man is willing to lay that down for his friends or his country, it shows
the utmost extent of love. Even this love for friends has been rarely
witnessed. A very few cases--like that of Damon and Pythias--have
occurred where a man was willing to save the life of his friend by
giving his own. It greatly enhances the love of Christ, that while the
instances of those who have been willing to die for friends have been
so rare, he was willing to die for enemies--bitter foes, who rejected
his reign, persecuted him, reviled him, scorned him, and sought his
life, 1Jo 4:10; Re 5:6,10. It also shows us the extent of his love that
he gave himself up, not to common sufferings, but to the most bitter,
painful, and protracted sorrows, not for himself, not for friends, but for
a thoughtless and unbelieving world.
"O Lamb of God, was ever pain,
Was ever LOVE like thine!"
{n} "greater love" Ro 5:7-8
What you said is exactly what Jesus said.
(Matthew 22:40) 40
On these two commandments the whole Law hangs, and the Prophets."
The Love of God and neighbour covers all laws, so is the best guide.
As Scully said, who determines what is loving. You know inside what is the loving and correct thing to do, unfortunately power affected individuals manipulate others, just as the WTS has done with JWs. Any JW that starts to let their heart guide them knows the religion is a farce.
For example:
It is not difficult to realise the religion does not follow Jesus guidelines on love, and love is the identifier of a Christian.
"Loving your neighbor as yourself" is a much larger statement than most people choose to realize
thats why i was wondering if all other "rules" are void due to this one command of "love" because it so much more than just "showing" love it is about "being" love
