God is Love

@Pikachu Why do you say that?

@cev77

Because his love comes with conditions: Obey and love him or suffer.

Imagine a parent who demanded that their child love them back or else be kicked out on the street or even abused. Everyone would recognize that as a toxic, abusive relationship.

@Pikachu

So, atheists have a problem with conditional love? Well, that's surprising to hear. I've heard atheists preach that love has to be earned, and that they have a problem with unconditional love of Christians; that it's rather silly to turn the other cheek. Atheists can judge God, but God can't judge people?

@Carazaa

1) I'm not convinced you've heard atheists "preaching" that love has to be earned.
2) Even if you have heard that, atheists are a diverse group of people unified only by a single belief on a single subject so take it up with the ones you hear saying that.
3) I have no problem with conditional love in certain circumstances. But in the context of a relationship wherein one party has all the power over the other, the idea of love with strings attached becomes abusive. When the consequences of not meeting the conditions carries such a terrible punishment it becomes, in my opinion, downright evil.

I'm not really interested in getting into an argument about god being loving or abusive not least because i know such discussions inevitably make you angry.
I just wanted to point out that while you can say god is love, it is absolutely a conditional love.

@Pikachu OK I guess it depends on your definition of "love". God loves until we lose his favor, until then he gives you a lot of chances. He has no right to do that? Why wouldn't someone jump at the chance to have his favor? Because once you're in his family, you can't lose it ever.

@Pikachu And yes atheists preach about God all the time about one thing or another, for sure!

@Pikachu God's love is exactly the opposite, unconditional! He doesn't Force his love on anyone. That's why he gave us choice. He does not demand that we love him. But mankind has to realize why he needs Jesus. Jesus came and died on the cross to save us from hell, not to put us in it. But sin cannot enter Heaven. It is a holy place and we cannot drag our sins into it. Therefore we must ask Jesus to forgive us of our sins so that we will be fit for heaven. If Heaven had sin in it then it wouldn't be called heaven. Jesus' love is also unconditional because he loves everyone and anyone, regardless of what they have done in their life. He doesn't like what some people do, yet he loves us as a person and he proved that on the cross. If he didn't love us and care he would not have provided heaven for us. He wants no one to perish. If anyone goes to hell it's because they chose not to believe that Jesus could save them and keep them from hell. That was their choice, not God's, and therefore they have to live by that choice. God won't force them to love him. It's not about that. Whatever we choose shall be our destiny and our responsibility.

@LadyGrace


The definition of unconditional love is not "doesn't force you to love them". It's love that has no conditions associated with it.

I don't call it love when someone is willing to let the them suffer and die if they don't love them back.