Why are some people so unkind?

[Whyayeman]

I would not describe myself as a humanist. I think it is a tricky label to wear. Despite that, I still believe humans should be kind to one another.

Not being shackled with the need to follow Biblical admonitions about who and what I must love I have found kindness to be satisfying to offer and receive. I put it above the First Commandment - and all the others. I suppose people would say that I am Hell-bound for that, and yet I have encountered professedly religious people who have shown little kindness but are convinced they have a ticket to Paradise in an afterlife.

 

[Walk together]

I suppose people would say that I am Hell-bound for that, and yet I have encountered professedly religious people who have shown little kindness but are convinced they have a ticket to Paradise in an afterlife.

Being a Christian means that you have chosen to be in God's family and God will show favour for his family that loves him. Do you not love your child more than the stranger's children.

 

[Whyayeman]

Being a Christian means that you have chosen to be in God's family and God will show favour for his family that loves him. Do you not love your child more than the stranger's children.

I am sure there are ample quotations to show that God has favourites - and that I am not one of them! And of course I love my family. That love has never got in the way of showing and receiving kindness beyond the family.

I could find counter-examples to illustrate that the Christian view encompasses love for strangers; I interpret that as an encouragement to show kindness to all. In my view that would indicate that the God of Christianity does not favour Christians over others.

The question is about unkindness, not kindness. Is there a clue in that first sentence perhaps? It is all right to be less kind to outsiders than to the 'family of god'? There is a lot of New Testament to contradict that view.

It is a puzzle posed by differing traditional interpretations of the Bible, I suppose.

 

[FireDragon76]

Being a Christian means that you have chosen to be in God's family and God will show favour for his family that loves him. Do you not love your child more than the stranger's children.

If God is like that, then God is not all loving. Full stop.

 

[Walk together]

If God is like that, then God is not all loving. Full stop.

God is all loving he gave you free will so you can come to his love if you so chose.

 

[FireDragon76]

God is all loving he gave you free will so you can come to his love if you so chose.

But you just said his love is partial. He only loevs you if you choose to love him. That's not love. That's manipulation.

 

[Whyayeman]

God is all loving

With qualifications and outright exceptions apparently. As a family man who loves his family and still finds it good to show kindness elsewhere, I am unconvinced about this version of Christianity.

 

[FireDragon76]

With qualifications and outright exceptions apparently. As a family man who loves his family and still finds it good to show kindness elsewhere, I am unconvinced about this version of Christianity.

Love doesn't have to be partial. For an all-powerful God, there's no reason he would only love some people, unless he is not all loving.

 

[Walk together]

I am sure there are ample quotations to show that God has favourites - and that I am not one of them! And of course I love my family. That love has never got in the way of showing and receiving kindness beyond the family.

I could find counter-examples to illustrate that the Christian view encompasses love for strangers; I interpret that as an encouragement to show kindness to all. In my view that would indicate that the God of Christianity does not favour Christians over others.

The question is about unkindness, not kindness. Is there a clue in that first sentence perhaps? It is all right to be less kind to outsiders than to the 'family of god'? There is a lot of New Testament to contradict that view.

It is a puzzle posed by differing traditional interpretations of the Bible, I suppose.

You miss the point God wants to love you he gave you free will to choose. God has requested for all Christians to share their understanding of Christianity with the rest of the world so you have a choice to make be in the family or separate yourself and that is your choice. God knows people are fallible even Christians in their walk but God's love stands his offer is made you just need to accept God's offering it is very powerful and has a great meaning it cost the sacrifice of God's most loved Son Jesus to show us the inportance of his love for us.

 

[Walk together]

I am unconvinced about this version of Christianity.

I'm not sure of the version that you are referring to.

 

[Walk together]

Love doesn't have to be partial. For an all-powerful God, there's no reason he would only love some people, unless he is not all loving.

Yes, he is all loving you don't understand the meaning of free will you get to choose God will not force you to love him. Can you force anyone to love you, no, Love is free and it is of the choosing God does not choose we do.

 

[FireDragon76]

Yes, he is all loving you don't understand the meaning of free will you get to choose God will not force you to love him. Can you force anyone to love you, no, Love is free and it is of the choosing God does not choose we do.

A loving parent doesn't choose to only love the children that choose to love them.

 

[o_mlly]

Do you even understand what the term "humanist" means?

Yes. Would you like to learn who Jesus Christ is?

 

[FireDragon76]

Yes. Would you like to learn who Jesus Christ is?

No. I don't accept the Catholic religion.

 

[Walk together]

A loving parent doesn't choose to only love the children that choose to love them.

We are all God's children and God loves all his children so yes we should love all too but we can't make anyone love us just as God can't make us love him it is of the chousing. You can't force your child to love you but I bet your child loves you anyway most children do love their family members but you have a moral responsibility to love your child not that you need that responsibility to love as you will love your child regardless if you are of sound mind. Now, what if your child was to leave home one day and say I don't love you anymore can you change that if it was to happen you will continue to love your child regardless even thou your child has chosen to separate and stop loving well God is the same he loves us but we can walk away and separate ourselves from Gods love for us. God won't pull us back like a fish with a hock in it God's offer is made his door is open at all times it's up to the individual to accept.

 

[Whyayeman]

The topic is unkindness. How has it turned into the nature of God's love? The version of Christianity I referred to is the one in which the god figure has a preference for the religionists.

There are people who are unkind to others. Children sometimes bully a weaker class member; favoritism means some people are treated with less proper consideration than others. Usually unkindness requires an effort.

The puzzle remains, unanswerably, maybe.

 

[Ligurian]

The grace of forgiveness is for the forgiver. We can forgive the one who has harmed us w/o the one who harmed us asking for forgiveness (Luke 23:34). Why would we let those who harmed us live rent free in our minds upsetting our equipoise?

Luke wasn't there, so did Matthew or John say that? Nope.
Grace for grace ...that I get... forgive because you've been forgiven.
But let's say, someone upsets you, and you keep nagging that person, expecting them to eventually see what they've done to you... does that have success written all over it?
There is no Jimminy Cricket in the real world. A conscience works, or it doesn't.
Life's too long to worry about things we can't fix, IMO. Let it go, or pray about it, and let God take it from there.

 

[o_mlly]

Would you like to learn who Jesus Christ is?

No.

Well, that explains how in ignorance you could label Jesus as a humanist. Get to know Him before you label Him.

 

[o_mlly]

Luke wasn't there ...

Did Luke tell you that he wasn't there? Do you therefore toss Luke's gospel and the Acts out of the canon?

Grace for grace ...that I get... forgive because you've been forgiven.
But let's say, someone upsets you, and you keep nagging that person, expecting them to eventually see what they've done to you... does that have success written all over it?
There is no Jimminy Cricket in the real world. A conscience works, or it doesn't.
Life's too long to worry about things we can't fix, IMO. Let it go, or pray about it, and let God take it from there.

Did you mean "Life is too short ..."? It seems you agree with me so I'm not sure how to respond.

 

[Whyayeman]

'Jesus was a humanist.' As an assertion it is hard to evaluate without a working definition of the term 'humanist'. I know atheists and Christians who happily describe themselves as humanists.

Most would probably go along with a description of a humanist as someone who valued humanity and offered all human beings a measure of dignity by approving certain rights such as the rights enshrined in the United Nations Charter. At any rate that would be a starting point. Note that there is no human right to protect against unkindness.

(However, while I do approve of the Charter rights, I do not think that such approval makes me a humanist. I do not describe myself as one.)