The Greatest Commandment . . . Emotional Blackmail?

sizemik

In reply to the question "which is the greatest commandment of the law?", Jesus replied . . .

"‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

I have a problem with this . . .

This unreserved, complete, full and unconditional love for the deity of the bible, is a requirement by law. By inference, any who are lacking in this love and devotion are primary lawbreakers. It's a pre-requisite for approval. Those who do not possess it stand condemned.

Then comes the subtle connection . . . "the second is like it . . . " the inference is that neighbor love is inextricably linked with love for God. ie; Godless people are not neighbor lovers either.

The loaded language describing "God love", the non-negotiable need for it, and marrying it up to human morality, is powerful emotional leverage to establish, profess, and maintain "love" for God. It's emotional blackmail . . . using the same old currency . . . guilt and fear.

Chemical Emotions

YES! Exactly what I would have said if I could have phrased it that well!

tec

I think it is exactly the opposite.

The second commandment is like the first because loving God MEANS loving one's neighbors. It does not state or even infer that you cannot love your neighbor if you do not love God (because many do not know Him in the first place) It actually works as a failsafe for those who think they love god... to think again if they do not also love their neighbors.

"For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen."

This is not to state that no one has ever twisted it to mean that you can't love your neighbor unless you love God. But it actually means that you cannot love God unless you love your neighbor.

Peace

tammy

sizemik

I like your answer Tammy . . .

I still have a twitch of discomfort with the package deal being offered as a single absolute . . . but of course, Jesus was a religious man.

tec

I understand. I am also off to bed. G'night, Size.

Peace,

tammy

talesin

The command to "love one's neighbour as one's self" is found in each of the seven major religions, in one form or another, so it is hardly original.

I have questioned if the first one, about loving G*d, is mostly a Xtian concept.

t

still thinking

I think it may be a christian concept tal....

The first commandment is first found in Deuteronomy 6

5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

The second commandment is found at Leviticus 19

18 Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your own people. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the L ORD

However, if you read the a bit further in Deuteronomy you start to see that Loving you lord with all your heart refers to not worshipping idols, and treating each other kindly only ensures that all will go well with you...they are seperate issues.

Deuteronomy 13 Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; 15 for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. 16 Do not test the Lord your God as you did at Massah. 17 Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. 18 Do what is right and good in the Lord ’s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land that the Lord promised on oath to your forefathers, 19 thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the Lord said.

I think that the understanding of the second commandment was changed by Jesus when he referred to whatever you do to them you do to me. Therefore giving a christian idea that doing this is the same as loving god with all your heart.

However, he did not say they were new commandments, he said they were the greatest. So maybe it wasn't him that tried to say they mean the same thing but us?

Deuteronomy 6:20-24 then explains the meaning of these commandments...

20 In the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?” 21 tell him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 Before our eyes the Lord sent miraculous signs and wonders—great and terrible—upon Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. 23 But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land that he promised on oath to our forefathers. 24 The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. 25 And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.”

still thinking

sorry for all strange font size and bold...couldn't sort it out...

WTWizard

What happens when you love someone unconditionally? If that someone happens to be your children, no problem. However, when that person has the ability to put itself between you and what you need for happiness and then prevent you from getting it, I have a whopper of a problem. Jehovah is the one that expects us to love him unconditionally, and then he turns out to be corrupt.

And what when you love people that are actually your enemies? I suppose this means a Christian would be obligated to love Satan, since Satan is their neighbor (like it or not). It would also impose loving someone that continually schemes to rip them off and do all sorts of harm, and usually they get even more and worse abuse. Those people usually end up wearing fake smiles all the time, and are genuinely miserable. Great emotional, and often physical, harm can result when you are always fake-happy, always loving those who abuse us, and inviting more of the same rubbish.

AnneB

Remember that when Jesus spoke, it was to a specific group of people; Israelites in covenant with Jehovah. For them, Jesus' words were an explanation of the terms of the covenant. For them it was not emotional blackmail.

These days Jesus' words are applied to persons outside that covenant. That's emotional blackmail.

The Greatest Commandment . . . Emotional Blackmail?

Share this