Unconditional love?

by Snoozy 45 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  sizemik

  People just aren't tolerant anymore..they constantly find fault with others and want others to be perfect like they are. . . . Snoozy

  Not all of them of course . . . but the one's you expect so much more of, often go all hostile over next to nothing. People seem less worried about giving offence but at the same time take offence at everything. It's like everything they do has to be adversarial. Loyalty and genuine unconditional love are rare IMO . . . if you find it in more than 2 or 3 others . . . you are rich.

  I hear ya though. . . I got two older sisters like that . . . never been JW's and married into wealth . . . I'm not good enough for them. One sister introduced me as a "friend" to a friend of hers. I feel very remote to those of my own flesh except for my son's. Maybe in another life . . .

  @clarity . . . my family's not churchy, they're just wealthy . . . my clothes have the wrong labels.
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  flipper

  SNOOZY- I have found that people who many times don't practice unconditional love in their lives- usually have big issues about themselves personally and are messed up within themselves then lash out at others projecting their own insecurities onto others making them scapegoats for their own deficenicies - I see it happen all the time in family and friend relationships - inside & outside JW ville.

  I'm a big subscriber to Bob Marley's view in life of bringing a " Positive Vibration " to others to " help each other along the way , to make it much easier " . It promotes better relations, is healthier physically, mentally , and emotionally for ALL involved the receiver and the giver. Just my 2 cents worth
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  ShadesofGrey

  Honest question: What about people who avoid contact with a narcissistic abusive person (a parent) who messes them up every time they see them? Are they not showing unconditional love? The rest of their family suffers when they see this person, should they not put their children and mate first?
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  DesirousOfChange

  Why is it today so many are willing to shun a friend or relative because they are just too much trouble.....

  yes, it's easy to be friends with someone when they (appear to) have no problems, and are living the easy, carefree life. Once he develops some problems when he could really use a true friend..........he's left all alone. Go away, fix your problems on your own, then ask us if we'll let you back into our private social club.

  DOC
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  Found Sheep

  I believe in unconditional love. Not that EVERYONE deserves it but when they do I try to give it
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  00DAD

  Unconditional love is real, but almost never found in Kingdom Halls.
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  Robdar

  To expect unconditional love is rather immature in my opinion. At its core it means you can do whatever you want to do and everybody else just has to put up with it, no conditions attached. Adults know love is a two way street.

  If you have a friend that you are loving to and they do not treat you well in return, please know that there is no real relationship between the two of you and you are wasting your time. Your love will not save anybody. It is up to each of us to save ourselves.
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  00DAD

  Robdar: I understand your point and agree with most of it.

  For me there is a difference between love and approval. Also, there are different kinds of love depending on the relationship. This type of distinction is one thing that English obscures by having just the one word for love.

  I would not expect all "loving" relationships to be unconditional, just some of them, for example among close families and/or life-long friends. Loving someone does't mean that you approve of or agree with everything they do or believe. Of course if someone is in an abusive relationship they need to protect themselves. In fact, that is the point here for so many current and ex-JWs. The WT policies end up being abusive to so many.

  The point here is that JWs make so much noise with their lips about "unconditional love" but in reality it's more like conditional affection. Withholding affection because a person has a different opinion or even because they make a serious mistake is often a manipulative controlling device. When people make mistakes that is often when the MOST need affirmations of love, not to be shunned!
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  outsmartthesystem

  The problem is that the Watchtower confuses the minds of its followers. Allegiance to them IS allegiance to God because Jesus selected them 90 years ago. And if they say that you need to shun certain people.....then it is GOD that is saying it. You don't want to piss of God do you? Therefore by listening to them and shunning who they tell you to.....you are aligning yourself with as opposed to against God.

  The spin they put on things is amazing.
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  Robdar

  00DAD, I could not have said it better (as I plainly showed by my post). Thank you for clarifying the issue in such a succint way.