God's Love Different (sorry If This Has Been Asked Before)

[Mark of the Cross]

[quote name='Anomaly' timestamp='1343073127' post='2458178']
- God does love us differently. I think that was agreed by all, now what does that mean?

- Is this 'difference' quantititve, so your response would be God love's some of us more?

[/quote]
I think love is digital. It either is or it isn't. It's other factors that confuse the issue. Example a parent has a normal and a disabled child. The parent gives more time, affection and care to the disabled one. Does this mean that the parent loves the disabled child more? I don't think so! The love of the children is the same, it's the response to their needs that is different. Knight brought up a good point, Mary! The OT teaches that we must honour our parents, therefore Christs relationship with his mother is one of parental repect. He loves her as a child loves its mother, even though he has power over her. There is a lady I know who has been crippled with rhumatoid arthritis all her life. She literally has more metal parts than a robot, has suffered intensely and become very depressed at times, yet prays everyday inspite of how she feels, goes far out of her way to help others. Gods relationship with her is one of a loyal servant. It's different than Gods love of Mary. Does God love Denise less than Mary? I don't think so!
I consider myself blessed because of my faith and relationship with Jesus, but I don't for one minute think that God loves me more than anyone else. God challenges me to if necessary lay down my life for his work of helping others. I think it comes back to the 'parable of the talents' because of the faith that he has given me he expects more from me, but does not love me more or less depending on what I give back.

[quote name='fides' Jack' timestamp='1343050926' post='2458085']
Agreed. But if the Church turns to him, we probably should, too.
[/quote]
That kind of thinking sort of rings to a time when people were forbidden to read the Bible because only priests had the intelligence to understand it. Scripture commands that we [b]all[/b] go forth and spread the good news. The Church is the head, but is not the be all and end all. I always like to use scripture as the first port of call, because it is the infallable word of God. However scripture is often very difficult to comprehend. As we see here on these discussions, people have very different views. It's here that we look to the Church scholars for guidance. Matthew 8:15 is more to do with sin, but I think it still has an underlying application here. If you disagree with your brother on an interpretation of scripture then take it to the Church. For example, In RCIA we try to answer and teach as best as we know how, but if an issue arises that we cannot answer then we must take it to the PP.
However their is nothing wrong with the attitude of placing full trust in the Church. I'm sure your faith will be rewarded.

[quote name='sixpence' timestamp='1343080813' post='2458259']
I started thinking about this (that's where I made my first mistake).
[/quote]
No mistake, you've done well. Exercise the mind is essential and to do it for God is commendable.

[quote]1. Even if God loves you only 10[sup]-10 [/sup]times as much as someone else, it is still more than you deserve and more than you can imagine....[/quote]
I don't think deserve has much to do with love. Gods love is unconditional or else we would all be lost!

[quote]2. For something to be more or less, it has to be measurable to begin with.....[/quote]
Is God measurable? If no then how can you measure his perfect love?

[quote]3. A prof I know pretty much showed a proof that one infinity could be smaller than another infinity, while still both maintaining infinite-ness. However, time was involved so I don't know if that is relevant in relation to God.[/quote]
If time was involved then it wasn't infinte! There are ways to apparently prove logic wrong, but it's a magicians trick usually.

[quote]4. I'm confused.[/quote]
No more than the rest of us, you seem to do okay.

[KnightofChrist]

[quote name='Anomaly' timestamp='1343073127' post='2458178']
Thank you, Mark and Knight for the thoughtful responses. I see things from a slightly different perspective, so my conclusions are different, however, I'd like to be sure I'm getting your points correct, as far as they relate to Ice's original topic.

- God does love us differently. I think that was agreed by all, now what does that mean?[/quote]

I'm unsure if all agree with that or not.

[quote]- Is this 'difference' quantitative, so your response would be God love's some of us more?[/quote]

The love of God is unmeasurable by human standards. The word "more" is in great part insufficient to describe why Love Himself favors, has favorites, or choses one person or people above others. The closest measurement is given by Aquinas which I posted earlier in the thread. God loves more the ones more like Him.

Again, Love Himself clearly and undeniably favors, has favorites, or loves some more than others. While we do not know why He does, because we cannot judge hearts, we can know that He does when He reveals it to us. All things that God has created He loves, thus in some way He still loves Satan, but it would be absurd to believe His love for Satan is equal to or the same as His love for Saint Michael, because Saint Michael is more like God than the devil, much much more, duh. In like manner He loves the souls in hell as well, because He created them, and saves them in hell from non-existence, but certainly not as much as He loves the souls in Heaven and Purgatory.

Love also favored Abraham over any other man to be the father of all nations, Moses over any other to proclaim His law, Abel's sacrifice over Cain's, the Jews over any other people, Noah and his family over any other, Mary over any other women to give birth to His Son, the men God has chosen to be Pope over the men who were not, the Catholic Church and her children over any other faith, because as Augustine states "God loves all things that He has made, and amongst them rational creatures more, and of these especially those who are members of His only-begotten Son Himself."

[quote]- Regardless of how or how much God loves us (or not), it is the 'perfect amount of love' we need or we deserve?[/quote]

We need His love indeed, but we do not deserve His love. Also, He does not need our love, but He deserves it.

[quote]- Our suffering we endure through no fault of our own, we are born with it or born into the circumstances, it's still God's love because it's "redemptive" for anything wrong we've done. So in effect, we deserve it (suffering) anyways? [/quote]

Suffering is an effect of Original Sin, and a fallen world.

[quote]Let's not muddle suffering caused by human "Free Will" into this.
[/quote]

No. Let us not deny that much of the suffering in this fallen world is caused by man abusing his free will and causing the suffering of his fellowman.

[sixpence]

[quote name='Mark of the Cross' timestamp='1343085928' post='2458276']

Is God measurable? If no then how can you measure his perfect love?

[/quote]

of course not, you can't that is the point... hence I don't think it could be "more"


Maybe if God's love for us was all identical, then We ourselves, made for His love, would all be identical..and that might be boring...

[KnightofChrist]

[quote name='sixpence' timestamp='1343091738' post='2458291']
of course not, you can't that is the point... hence I don't think it could be "more"


Maybe if God's love for us was all identical, then We ourselves, made for His love, would all be identical..and that might be boring...
[/quote]

Again while I would agree the word "more" is in great part insufficient to describe why Love Himself has favorites. I do not believe it is so ineffective that it cannot be properly used to describe the love that God has for His creations. The case of Satan and Saint Michael is a prime example of where the word "more" is indeed acceptable and needed.

[Ice_nine]

So while "more" isn't the right word it's the closest approximant we have and/or the closet correlation between the divine and human concepts?

That smells of elderberries.

Again, I don't mind "difference" of God's love between various people. But if "more" is the best word to describe for this difference, I am a bit wary. It's not the idea that God might love me less really, but as Mark said that God may love others, ones very dear to me, less than I. And that scares me. When I imagine my family members and friends who, for lack of better term, don't seem to give a flying floopy about God or religion, being cut off forever from the God they don't seem to care about, it more than tears me up inside. And seeing as I don't think I love the people in my life more than God loves them, I no understand why God would give me the grace of faith and trust and not them. Not to sound pretentious like I'm already a saint btw. Just that . . . idk.

Like, is it more painful to God should my soul be eternally damned than say, if my best friend's should be? Like, sure I love this guy, but if he chooses not to love me nbd, I'm not gonna love him enough to save him?

I don't know if I'm making sense. In fact I'm probably not. I just don't like the idea that my love might not mean as much to God, or mean much more, than someone else's. Because if that's the case then it's implied that salvation of certain people is not as high a priority as others.

And I don't like the husband/wife analogy. Again I would say this difference is not a more/less situation. It's a different exclusive love, and its nature (erotic) is different than other forms of love, but I wouldn't say that a husband must "love his wife more than any other woman." Pagans love their own family, and we are called to love others in a radical way. Nor the country analogy the Cardinal provided. I don't love the USA more than any other country. I'm more familiar with it, I have more ties to it, and it has in many ways substantially formed who I am, but I don't love her or her people any more than say Iraq or Tajikistan.



To me this concept invites all sorts of doubt into the words revealed to St. Faustina. Within her diaries there are just wonderful descriptions of God's love and calls to trust in His infinite and unfathomable mercy. The God loves some people more even though "more" is not the right word shtick seems to undercut all of that. It would seem to imply that God's love towards others is somehow lacking. Mind does not compute

[KnightofChrist]

I don't know how to answer all your concerns. I believe any human words used to describe the love of God are insufficient. Perhaps I should go about it another way. One in which you can see the positive side of why God may love some of His creatures more than others, or shows more love to some of His creatures than others.

What is grace? Can it be said that grace is the love of God bestowed upon us as a gift? I believe it can and I can think of no other creature that has received more special and greater graces from God than those He has given to Mary. She was conceived without the taint of Original Sin, and free from sin the whole of her life upon the earth. She conceived within her womb the King of kings and the Lord of lords and He took on her flesh. As she raised Him He was subject to her. She uniquely shared in the agony and sufferings of His sorrowful passion. She is the Queen of Heaven, Queen of Angels, her prayers are always and automatically answered by Christ. There are move proofs that she has received greater love and graces than we have received. What is important is that it is ok that Love favors her more or greater than us. Nor should it bother us if He should favor others above us.

Also let me be clear I do not think it possible to know whom God favors with greater gifts of love if He does not reveal it to us. So when Mark asked earlier in the thread about wether or not God loved him more or less than He loves me cannot be answered. But we could perhaps have a better idea if sometime in the future the Holy Spirit chooses Mark to be the Pope. But seriously, I do not believe that God may love some of His creatures more, or show more love to them can or should be viewed as negative, when in fact it is a positive.

Edited July 24, 2012 by KnightofChrist

[fides' Jack]

[quote name='Mark of the Cross' timestamp='1343085928' post='2458276']
That kind of thinking sort of rings to a time when people were forbidden to read the Bible because only priests had the intelligence to understand it. Scripture commands that we [b]all[/b] go forth and spread the good news. The Church is the head, but is not the be all and end all. I always like to use scripture as the first port of call, because it is the infallable word of God. However scripture is often very difficult to comprehend. As we see here on these discussions, people have very different views. It's here that we look to the Church scholars for guidance. Matthew 8:15 is more to do with sin, but I think it still has an underlying application here. If you disagree with your brother on an interpretation of scripture then take it to the Church. For example, In RCIA we try to answer and teach as best as we know how, but if an issue arises that we cannot answer then we must take it to the PP.
However their is nothing wrong with the attitude of placing full trust in the Church. I'm sure your faith will be rewarded.
[/quote]

I'm not sure what your point is. I'm also not sure what the command for all of us to go forth and spread the good news has to do with what I said. We look to the Church for a whole lot more than simply interpreting Scripture. In fact, I was referring mainly to morality, which certainly gets a lot from Scripture but isn't based on Scripture. And the Church, specifically with regards to morality, even in the Catechism, says that in matters of confusion (not exact words) we should turn to Aquinas for theological truths.

I don't see how this "rings" of a time when people were forbidden from reading the bible (though, honestly, it might solve a lot of problems). But that's entirely beside any possible point here. Seriously - what does it have to do with anything?

I'm also not speaking at all about my personal faith - but rather what the Catechism says in black and white. (I think it was the Catechism - may have been a Church document or possibly Canon law).

[fides' Jack]

[quote name='Ice_nine' timestamp='1343108269' post='2458375']
So while "more" isn't the right word it's the closest approximant we have and/or the closet correlation between the divine and human concepts?

That smells of elderberries.

Again, I don't mind "difference" of God's love between various people. But if "more" is the best word to describe for this difference, I am a bit wary. It's not the idea that God might love me less really, but as Mark said that God may love others, ones very dear to me, less than I. And that scares me. When I imagine my family members and friends who, for lack of better term, don't seem to give a flying floopy about God or religion, being cut off forever from the God they don't seem to care about, it more than tears me up inside. And seeing as I don't think I love the people in my life more than God loves them, I no understand why God would give me the grace of faith and trust and not them. Not to sound pretentious like I'm already a saint btw. Just that . . . idk.
[/quote]

I think it's also important to remember that we don't really understand love. You say you love these people, and I'm sure that's true, but God's understanding of what it actually means to love is far, far, far superior to any possible comprehended thought we could ever hope to have for all eternity.

If it's true, and if God does love some people less than others, we have to trust that God knows better than we do how to properly love someone.

Just my random thoughts - I'm not trying to correct you, just offering another perspective.

[KnightofChrist]

I've just been reminded of something in mathematics that can help us understand why God can love each of us perfectly, but love some of us greater. When we think of infinity we typically think of it as an unsurpassable absolute. But actually this perception is incorrect. Some infinites are greater than others and/or less than others. For example 1, 2, 3 to infinity is greater than 4, 5, 6 to infinity.

But perhaps I should let Scientific America explain it better.

[quote]Take, for instance, the so-called natural numbers: 1, 2, 3 and so on. These numbers are unbounded, and so the collection, or set, of all the natural numbers is infinite in size. But just how infinite is it? Cantor used an elegant argument to show that the naturals, although infinitely numerous, are actually less numerous than another common family of numbers, the "reals." (This set comprises all numbers that can be represented as a decimal, even if that decimal representation is infinite in length. Hence, 27 is a real number, as is π, or 3.14159….)

Read More: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=strange-but-true-infinity-comes-in-different-sizes[/quote]

[Mark of the Cross]

[quote name='Ice_nine' timestamp='1343108269' post='2458375']
but as Mark said that God may love others, ones very dear to me, less than I. And that scares me.
[/quote]
Not me, I'm on your side!
[quote name='Ice_nine' timestamp='1343108269' post='2458375']
So while "more" isn't the right word it's the closest approximant we have and/or the closet correlation between the divine and human concepts?

That smells of elderberries.
[/quote]
No! Some people here disagree with the word 'more'. Eg. A parent has two children, one is naughty the other is well behaved. The parent may be more pleased with the model child, but still love them both the same. On this basis I think Knight is confusing 'more love' with other descriptors. When we sin, God is displeased with us, So it follows that the more or worse we sin the more God may be displeased. It then follows that Gods pleasure with us will more or less depend on what we do with the opportunities that he gives us. Knight inspite of his health problems spends a great deal of time spreading the 'good news' to others. Joe Blogs walks past someone who has collapsed in the street and instead of giving aid picks up the victims wallet. Who is the apple of Gods eye? Knight is of course! Does God love JB less? No! God asks Knight to love JB. When Knight or Ice_nine expresses love to a sinner or friend they are giving perfect love to God because God loves the sinner and the Best friend equally.

[quote]
I just don't like the idea that my love might not mean as much to God, or mean much more, than someone else's. Because if that's the case then it's implied that salvation of certain people is not as high a priority as others.[/quote]
Excellent point!


[quote]And I don't like the husband/wife analogy. Again I would say this difference is not a more/less situation. It's a different exclusive love, and its nature (erotic) is different than other forms of love, but I wouldn't say that a husband must "love his wife more than any other woman." Pagans love their own family, and we are called to love others in a radical way.[/quote]
I can assure you my relationship with my wife has nothing to do with errotic!

Seriously though if we are talking about human love that's different. Humans love to varying degrees because we are not perfect. Pagans love because all humans are made in Gods image..Love!

[quote]Nor the country analogy the Cardinal provided. I don't love the USA more than any other country. I'm more familiar with it, I have more ties to it, and it has in many ways substantially formed who I am, but I don't love her or her people any more than say Iraq or Tajikistan.[/quote]
I think love of country is something different than love of other people or even a pet maybe even a misnomer. I watched a youtube of a simulation of an asteriod destroying the earth and my soul cried out at the thought of Gods creation being destroyed even though he can create an infinite amount of planets. Or a video of a troop carrier of American soldiers teasing thirsty Iraqi children with bottles of water. My heart of course goes out to the children because I'm human. But on the cross when people taunted a thirsting Jesus, he said "Forgive them Father" If he did not love them as much as others then his sacrifice was in vain.

Edited July 25, 2012 by Mark of the Cross

[Mark of the Cross]

[quote name='KnightofChrist' timestamp='1343090643' post='2458288']
Again, Love Himself clearly and undeniably favors, has favorites, or loves some more than others.
[/quote]
I spent in total, a paltry 6weeks in East Timor. Fr. Robert McCullogh has spent most of his life in Pakistan. Does God love him more than me? Would I have not done the same as Fr. if given his talents and opportunities? God gives to each of us challenges based on those gifts that he gives to each of us. Some are great some are small. .[i].I will not let your burdens become one ounce too great for your strength[/i].. It seems illogical to give a person more talents and opportunities than another and love them more because of it.


[quote]Thus in some way He still loves Satan, but it would be absurd to believe His love for Satan is equal to or the same as His love for Saint Michael, because Saint Michael is more like God than the devil, much much more, duh. [/quote]
I know there are many that hold the view that even satan is saved from destruction. But satan seems to be the pure essence of evil in our lives and the representation of pure hatred and all other negative aspects. Can Love love hate? But if you are correct! On the basis that I know nothing of angels, I would have to say that he may love the perfect ones and not so much the fallen, IDK. But with humans it is taught that we are all equal in the eyes of God.


[quote]In like manner He loves the souls in hell as well, because He created them, and saves them in hell from non-existence, but certainly not as much as He loves the souls in Heaven and Purgatory[/quote]
This does imply though that Hell is a more severe Purgatory rather than eternal damnation.


[quote]Love also favored Abraham over any other man to be the father of all nations, Moses over any other to proclaim His law, Abel's sacrifice over Cain's, the Jews over any other people, Noah and his family over any other, Mary over any other women to give birth to His Son, the men God has chosen to be Pope over the men who were not, the Catholic Church and her children over any other faith,[/quote]
We're using a different word here! favour! As they say ' word '
Of course God loves the Catholic Church because he started it. But he still loves sinners
[i]John 10:16 And there are other sheep I have that are not of this fold. They too will listen to my voice and there will be one flock and one shepherd.[/i]

[quote]

because as Augustine states "God loves all things that He has made, and amongst them rational creatures more, and of these [u]especially those who are members of His only-begotten Son Himself."[/u]
[/quote]
This would raise Ice_nines complaint that God loves her but not her friend.


[quote]We need His love indeed, but we do not deserve His love. Also, He does not need our love, but He deserves it.[/quote]
Pure love is unconditional. God loves you unconditionally! It has to be that way because he made you what you are. Therefore deserve or more are redundant..

[quote name='fides' Jack' timestamp='1343143180' post='2458420']
I'm not sure what your point is.
[/quote]
Maybe we're on a different bus.

[KnightofChrist]

[quote name='Ice_nine' timestamp='1343108269' post='2458375']
So while "more" isn't the right word it's the closest approximant we have and/or the closet correlation between the divine and human concepts?

That smells of elderberries.[/quote]

After giving great thought to your post I now feel better at attempting to answer all of your concerns. I worried that because you seem emotionally concerned over the topic I may without intending to, insult you, and I do not wish to do any such thing. I know the topic is hard to grasp, and perhaps as you stated earlier 'an hard teaching'. So I've had to think on your reply and pray on it before I could give a point for point reply, well almost point for point.

Again any human words used to describe the love of God are insufficient.

[quote]Again, I don't mind "difference" of God's love between various people. But if "more" is the best word to describe for this difference, I am a bit wary. It's not the idea that God might love me less really, but as Mark said that God may love others, ones very dear to me, less than I. And that scares me. When I imagine my family members and friends who, for lack of better term, don't seem to give a flying floopy about God or religion, being cut off forever from the God they don't seem to care about, it more than tears me up inside. And seeing as I don't think I love the people in my life more than God loves them, I no understand why God would give me the grace of faith and trust and not them. Not to sound pretentious like I'm already a saint btw. Just that . . . idk.[/quote]

I understand your concern, and I shall pray for those in your family and your friends who have separated themselves from God. Yet there is no need to see this as a negative, it shouldn't scare you. God loves them perfectly, if He shows greater love to others that doesn't take away His perfect love for them. As Cantor showed in mathematics there can be different kinds of infinities, some greater and lesser than others, yet still be infinite. In like manner God loves perfectly each of His creations, but a chosen few He has a prefect but greater love He shows them.

[quote]Like, is it more painful to God should my soul be eternally damned than say, if my best friend's should be? Like, sure I love this guy, but if he chooses not to love me nbd, I'm not gonna love him enough to save him?[/quote]

If a man chooses not to love God, that man damns himself should he die unrepentant. The fault is not in God. God gives each man enough graces to choose to love Him and come to salvation.

[quote]I don't know if I'm making sense. In fact I'm probably not. I just don't like the idea that my love might not mean as much to God, or mean much more, than someone else's. Because if that's the case then it's implied that salvation of certain people is not as high a priority as others.[/quote]

The problem with man is that our love for God isn't perfect. Clearly there are those of us who love Him greater than do others because many do not love Him at all. It's sad but it is our doing. The love of those that always strive to love Him and obey Him will have more meaning to Him than the love of those that do not always strive to love Him and obey Him. (John 15:6-10)

But this does not imply that salvation of certain people is not as high a priority as others!

[quote]
And I don't like the husband/wife analogy. Again I would say this difference is not a more/less situation. It's a different exclusive love, and its nature (erotic) is different than other forms of love, but I wouldn't say that a husband must "love his wife more than any other woman." Pagans love their own family, and we are called to love others in a radical way. Nor the country analogy the Cardinal provided. I don't love the USA more than any other country. I'm more familiar with it, I have more ties to it, and it has in many ways substantially formed who I am, but I don't love her or her people any more than say Iraq or Tajikistan.[/quote]

I will only focus on the husband wife analogy. I would state that a man must indeed love his wife more than any other woman. The love of one's wife should be greater than the love of one's friend. Because they are one flesh. That means he cannot just love his wife in a different way than other women but more and greater than other women. Even after they grow old and the erotic stage of their relationship is long passed he should love his wife more than any other woman. Imagine the damage it would do the wives if their husbands were to tell them "Honey I love you different than other women, but I do not love you more than other women." It could destroy marriages.

[quote]To me this concept invites all sorts of doubt into the words revealed to St. Faustina. Within her diaries there are just wonderful descriptions of God's love and calls to trust in His infinite and unfathomable mercy. The God loves some people more even though "more" is not the right word shtick seems to undercut all of that. It would seem to imply that God's love towards others is somehow lacking. Mind does not compute
[/quote]

I do not see where it would conflict at all with the private revelations of St. Faustina, nor with the wonderful descriptions of God's love and His call to trust in His infinite and unfathomable mercy. An infinite is still a infinite even if there are greater infinities. God has prefect love for all and that love is infinite even though He shows and has greater love for others which is infinite.

I would like to know your thoughts on the points of Mary I gave in post #96. Do you believe it possible that Mary is more loved by God than you or I? Based on the examples given.

Edited July 25, 2012 by KnightofChrist

[KnightofChrist]

[quote name='Mark of the Cross' timestamp='1343177201' post='2458592']
I spent in total, a paltry 6weeks in East Timor. Fr. Robert McCullogh has spent most of his life in Pakistan. Does God love him more than me? Would I have not done the same as Fr. if given his talents and opportunities? God gives to each of us challenges based on those gifts that he gives to each of us. Some are great some are small. ..I will not let your burdens become one ounce too great for your strength.. It seems illogical to give a person more talents and opportunities than another and love them more because of it.[/quote]

Again...

[quote name='KnightofChrist' timestamp='1343123744' post='2458388']
Also let me be clear I do not think it possible to know whom God favors with greater gifts of love if He does not reveal it to us. So when Mark asked earlier in the thread about wether or not God loved him more or less than He loves me cannot be answered. But we could perhaps have a better idea if sometime in the future the Holy Spirit chooses Mark to be the Pope.
[/quote]

[quote]I know there are many that hold the view that even satan is saved from destruction. But satan seems to be the pure essence of evil in our lives and the representation of pure hatred and all other negative aspects. Can Love love hate? But if you are correct! On the basis that I know nothing of angels, I would have to say that he may love the perfect ones and not so much the fallen, IDK. But with humans it is taught that we are all equal in the eyes of God.[/quote]

Cold is the absence of heat in like manner evil is the absence of good. If Satan were completely evil he would cease to exist. The good that remains is only because he is a creature of God.


[quote]This does imply though that Hell is a more severe Purgatory rather than eternal damnation.[/quote]

What?

[quote]We're using a different word here! favour! As they say ' word ' [/quote]

Word to Big Bird.

[quote]
Of course God loves the Catholic Church because he started it. But he still loves sinners
John 10:16 And there are other sheep I have that are not of this fold. They too will listen to my voice and there will be one flock and one shepherd.[/quote]

Indeed He does love sinners. He especially loves sinners who repent.


[quote]This would raise Ice_nines complaint that God loves her but not her friend.[/quote]

Nope. Nadda. No how. It does NOT say that.


[quote]Pure love is unconditional. God loves you unconditionally! It has to be that way because he made you what you are. Therefore deserve or more are redundant..[/quote]

Again I beg to differ. We do not deserve the love of God, we do not deserve any gift of God. It is important to remember that. It is also important to understand that He loves some creatures, like Mary, more than others. But again, an infinite is still a infinite even if there are greater infinities. God has prefect love for all and that love is infinite even though He shows and has greater love for others which is infinite.

Edited July 25, 2012 by KnightofChrist

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

[quote name='MissScripture' timestamp='1342815097' post='2457340']
On the topic the OP posted:
From my understanding, God loves us all 100%, but not all of us have the same capacity to accept that love, so if it were quantified into volume, someone might be able to contain 10 mL worth of God's love and someone might be able to only contain 5 mL worth. Both are loved 100% by God, but the amount is less for the 5 mL person than the 10 mL person. That's how it was explained to me, at any rate. I could be totally off with it, though.
[/quote]

St therese of the child jesus. " a cup that is full is as full as a bucket is full,both are full."

Just reading through the posts and yes truely it is possible that GOD loves all equally but the willingness of the creature to recieve that love in full is impared by sin.

edit: Also whether a really habitual sinner,or rarely sin, or sometimes you do and sometimes you don't or whatever measurement of sin your entangled in small or large GOD does love you,all we have to do is to be open to recieve that love because only love can heal us and since god is love than only god can save/heal us and love isn't always some lofty feeling though at times it may be, some constantly i guess too because
GOD knows they need it.

edit2: Also may be able to look at it like this , each has the fingerprint of gods love upon those whom seek GOD willingly and those whom seek un-beknowingly, some get the thumb print some the little finger pring but each part of the love of GOD and equally part of his body.

Edited July 25, 2012 by Tab'le Du'Bah-Rye

[Ice_nine]

schadenfreude

and gesundeit

I'm not that emotionally distraught over it, as it might have seemed. I just don't like what I'm hearing

As to the husband and wife thing, I guess we should just agree to disagree. There's cultural things that surround marriage that we are conditioned to and even tho they may or may not be moral absolutes that doesn't mean violating these social mores don't do damage. This idea of romanticism and emotional exclusivity may have been born from Christendom but AFAIK not all Christian cultures do or have approached marriage with this romantic-emotional lens. So yes, a husband saying "I love you differently but the same amount as I love other women" would most likely cause harm because it would imply the couple's emotional exclusivity was somehow violated, and that's an important facet of marriage in the current era we live in. That doesn't make it an intrinsically bad concept.

And yes even after erotic love has passed, the two would still be one flesh, it would still be a different type of love of an entirely different variety than he/she would love anyone else. What does "loving your wife MORE than any other woman (or man?)" mean anyway?

And in one way you kinda make my point how shiitake mushroom it would feel for someone to say "I don't love you as much as x."

But that's really I all I have to say on THAT topic. Maybe I shouldn't ever get married cause I no no what I talk about.



I pray about it. I'll let y'all know when the heavens open up and the answer dawns on me. I'm in the beginning stages of becoming a level 5 mystic so like . . . in 4 . . . 5 weeks tops, I'll have this whole shebang figured out.