Is it even a posibility?

[PJM]

QUESTION:

Is it possible to love without accepting God?

Is it possible to love another human being without God?

 

[LoyalViews]

QUESTION:

Is it possible to love without accepting God?

Is it possible to love another human being without God?

No, and no. A person may “think” he can love, without accepting God. Same, where a person only “thinks” he can love another human without accepting God. God is love, and true love cannot exist without accepting God most high.

God Bless :byzsoc:

 

[JRKH]

No it is not possible to Love without God.
God gives us life,and bestows on us grace to do His will. The absence of or suppression of that grace is what allows evil to flourish.
No God - no grace
No grace - no love (agape)

We revert to animals…

Peace
James

 

[butterbattle]

That would depend on what you define “love” to be. If God is love and required for love, then obviously, you cannot love without God, by definition. However, if you are describing love as just a human emotion, then you don’t need God.

 

[gtrenewed]

No it is not possible to Love without God.
God gives us life,and bestows on us grace to do His will. The absence of or suppression of that grace is what allows evil to flourish.
No God - no grace
No grace - no love (agape)

We revert to animals…

Peace
James

So, you are calling all non-christians animals?

What specific works of love testifies that you have “accepted” God?

 

[Flavius_Aetius]

So what can be expected of Hell when they completely lose the ability to love? Will the people down there still have thoughts and emotions? Is it still free will if your left as nothing more than a wild animal?

So, you are calling all non-christians animals?

What specific works of love testifies that you have “accepted” God?

I think what is being said is that regardless of our religious beliefs God offers us his grace while on Earth and at any time we are free to accept it. Once you reach Hell however that grace is taken away.

 

[JRKH]

So, you are calling all non-christians animals?

What specific works of love testifies that you have “accepted” God?

You seem to have read a lot into my comments that was not there.

Love exists because grace exists and it exists in all human beings whether they have “accepted God” or not. Even Atheists have received grace…They just have not acted on it or they have suppressed it or they simply don’t recognize it. But every human has at least the germ of the seed of grace in their soul…

Of course accepting God and Christ increases grace and building a relationship with God increases faith even more. Where Grace abounds , Love abounds…
Likewise suppressing grace, acting contrary to grace hardens the heart. Where grace is suppressed Love is suppressed and evil florishes…

Peace
James

 

[gtrenewed]

You seem to have read a lot into my comments that was not there.

Love exists because grace exists and it exists in all human beings whether they have “accepted God” or not. Even Atheists have received grace…They just have not acted on it or they have suppressed it or they simply don’t recognize it. But every human has at least the germ of the seed of grace in their soul…

Of course accepting God and Christ increases grace and building a relationship with God increases faith even more. Where Grace abounds , Love abounds…
Likewise suppressing grace, acting contrary to grace hardens the heart. Where grace is suppressed Love is suppressed and evil florishes…

Peace
James

Good to hear and I agree with this post for we are all on a journey and God sees the end of our journey.

 

[seagal]

No, and no. A person may “think” he can love, without accepting God. Same, where a person only “thinks” he can love another human without accepting God. God is love, and true love cannot exist without accepting God most high.

God Bless :byzsoc:

I don’t think that’s entirely true. The capacity to love exists in all humans whether they know God or not. I believe that is God’s gift to us. Having said that…

Is it possible to love without accepting God?

The way the question is phrased leaves it open to interpretation whether or not the hypothetical person has learned about God and rejected him, or has never learned about God. The act of rejecting God I think would diminish a person’s capacity for love depending on the degree of rejection.

Is it possible to love another human being without God?

I’m not sure if the OP intended this question exactly as it is, or meant to say “without accepting God”. There is a distinction. If it was meant as written, since God is love it would not be possible to love if there was no God. Of course we wouldn’t be here if God didn’t exist so the point is moot. If the word “accepting” was left out by mistake then it’s the same as the first question.

 

[Touchstone]

No, and no. A person may “think” he can love, without accepting God. Same, where a person only “thinks” he can love another human without accepting God. God is love, and true love cannot exist without accepting God most high.

God Bless :byzsoc:

It seems Jesus “thought” otherwise:

46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?

Maybe that claim of yours could be amended to reserve on the best and most valuable kinds of love for “theists only”, but if Jesus is any kind of expert on this, it seems even the pagan and the tax collector can love.

-TS

 

[JRKH]

It seems Jesus “thought” otherwise:

Maybe that claim of yours could be amended to reserve on the best and most valuable kinds of love for “theists only”, but if Jesus is any kind of expert on this, it seems even the pagan and the tax collector can love.

-TS

Our view is this -
Even an Atheist has been given grace and from that grace is able to Love…Such love is restricted in some ways (depending on the views of the individual) but it is none the less there by the grace of God.
It’s like this - Some people who go to the store have little or no idea where their food comes from - yet the food does come from a specific source and is there and it nourishes them.

Peace
James

 

[Touchstone]

Our view is this -
Even an Atheist has been given grace and from that grace is able to Love…Such love is restricted in some ways (depending on the views of the individual) but it is none the less there by the grace of God.
It’s like this - Some people who go to the store have little or no idea where their food comes from - yet the food does come from a specific source and is there and it nourishes them.

Peace
James

OK, that was my belief as a Christian, too. That would provide a “yes” to the OP, though, just so we’re clear. A pagan can and does love. That love may be only there by grace, but it is there without accepting God.

-TS

 

[PJM]

=Touchstone;7529042]OK, that was my belief as a Christian, too. That would provide a “yes” to the OP, though, just so we’re clear. A pagan can and does love. That love may be only there by grace, but it is there without accepting God.

-TS

THANKS for ALL the great replies so far!

So Touchstone: are you saying that the way a Chrsitian loves is different than the way; say, an atheist loves? How so and why?

God Bless,
Pat

 

[Touchstone]

THANKS for ALL the great replies so far!

So Touchstone: are you saying that the way a Chrsitian loves is different than the way; say, an atheist loves? How so and why?

God Bless,
Pat

Not from my perspective. I was pointing out that from the Christian’s own perspective, at least insofar as s/he is informed by the words of Jesus, one does not need to accept God to love others.

From the Christian standpoint, the believer understands the source and grace of the love given. Unbelievers love, but are just blinded by their unbelief to the true source of their love, etc. Infidels love, but don’t know why or whence comes their love…

From an atheist standpoint, that’s badly mistaken and highly conceited. Love is a basic emotion for humans, and all humans have the capacity and motivation to love and be loved. Some love better than others, but the capacity for love is no different than our capacity for anger. It’s a feature of our evolved psychology.

-TS

 

[The_Exodus]

From a strictly philosophical perspective, no one can do anything – even sin – without God. That’s not to say that God gives the defect in the sin, but he does give the motion in which that defect is personified in whatever physical or psychological act that is sinful. Insofar as good acts are concerned (like love), no creature – atheist, theist, gnat or seraphim – can do anything at all without both grace and motion.

 

[JRKH]

OK, that was my belief as a Christian, too. That would provide a “yes” to the OP, though, just so we’re clear. A pagan can and does love. That love may be only there by grace, but it is there without accepting God.

-TS

Yes you are right - The actual OP question (which I got a bit off from) is can we love without accepting God - - and yes we can, for God has provided the grace for it…

Peace
James

 

[gtrenewed]

From a strictly philosophical perspective, no one can do anything – even sin – without God. That’s not to say that God gives the defect in the sin, but he does give the motion in which that defect is personified in whatever physical or psychological act that is sinful. Insofar as good acts are concerned (like love), no creature – atheist, theist, gnat or seraphim – can do anything at all without both grace and motion.

I need help here. Let’s say I sin in thought and deed by spreading a false rumor about a person I am competing with for some position.

How is God involved in that? What is the motion? What is the personification?

Thanks

 

[PJM]

=Touchstone;7530245]Not from my perspective. I was pointing out that from the Christian’s own perspective, at least insofar as s/he is informed by the words of Jesus, one does not need to accept God to love others.

From the Christian standpoint, the believer understands the source and grace of the love given. Unbelievers love, but are just blinded by their unbelief to the true source of their love, etc. Infidels love, but don’t know why or whence comes their love…

From an atheist standpoint, that’s badly mistaken and highly conceited. Love is a basic emotion for humans, and all humans have the capacity and motivation to love and be loved. Some love better than others, but the capacity for love is no different than our capacity for anger. It’s a feature of our evolved psychology.

-TS

Thanks!

 

[fhansen]

QUESTION:

Is it possible to love without accepting God?

Is it possible to love another human being without God?

Yes, people love all the time, often better than believers, without formal knowledge of God, specifically the God Who is love. But as all love flows from Him, love could not even exist without Him. Of course, neither would we. The benefit of our faith is that we know that Love is at the foundation of the world and that we’re expected to love as well and can receive help (grace) to do so if we seek it.

 

[PJM]

Originally Posted by Touchstone
OK, that was my belief as a Christian, too. That would provide a “yes” to the OP, though, just so we’re clear. A pagan can and does love. That love may be only there by grace, but it is there without accepting God.

-TS

Yes you are right - The actual OP question (which I got a bit off from) is can we love without accepting God - - and yes we can, for God has provided the grace for it…

Peace
James

So are you saying GRACE can be accepted without knowledge of God?