Love and Understanding

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
Jullianna said:
Those things are great, but there's so much more, you know? I seek resolution of these things, not shock and awe or creature comforts:

The end of slavery of all kinds
All children sleeping safely and peacefully at night
An end to torture
An end to prejudice
The protection of childhood innocence
So much more...
Click to expand...

There are plenty of things to appreciate in them though. The value in these so called "creature comforts" isn't the comforts themselves though they often do much to alleviate suffering, encourage public safety, etc (a prosthetic limb here, a water purifier there).

How were these "creature comforts" generated? What principles agreed upon made them come into existence? What grand sacrifices were made to see that product on the shelf, machine at work, or mine dug? How do they contribute to the causes you mentioned above?

Truly free civilizations are productive and groundbreaking. That is why I think such achievements are so important a barometer for where a civilization is headed.

As for what you have mentioned, I do not know what precisely you are trying to communicate here, Jullianna. If they are immediate sociopolitical goals, I'm afraid you are guilty of immanentizing the eschaton.

Good goals, no doubt. We should have people focused on social goals of that kind. But complete realization of them will not come until the day of redemption.

Not to bring everything back to psychology, but I believe what are seeing here is that ugly little NT/NF divide, lol.
 
Ritter said:
There are plenty of things to appreciate in them though. The value in these so called "creature comforts" isn't the comforts themselves though they often do much to alleviate suffering, encourage public safety, etc (a prosthetic limb here, a water purifier there).

How were these "creature comforts" generated? What principles agreed upon made them come into existence? What grand sacrifices were made to see that product on the shelf, machine at work, or mine dug? How do they contribute to the causes you mentioned above?

Truly free civilizations are productive and groundbreaking. That is why I think such achievements are so important a barometer for where a civilization is headed.

As for what you have mentioned, I do not know what precisely you are trying to communicate here, Jullianna. If they are immediate sociopolitical goals, I'm afraid you are guilty of immanentizing the eschaton.

Good goals, no doubt. We should have people focused on social goals of that kind. But complete realization of them will not come until the day of redemption.

Not to bring everything back to psychology, but I believe what are seeing here is that ugly little NT/NF divide, lol.
Click to expand...

BINGO!!! :) That's exactly what I was trying to communicate. :) (Plus, I just wanted to see more polysyllabic words here...makes my heart all aflutter ;) )

I appreciate the cool stuff too, especially those things that give comfort to those with certain illnesses, which the space program has absolutely done. And I do appreciate the little things that make my life easier. I simply long for something much higher...and I have to wait. In the meantime..the things I listed grieve my heart.

Not to bring everything back to psychology, but I believe what are seeing here is that ugly little NT/NF divide, lol.
:P~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Last edited by a moderator:
As for what you have mentioned, I do not know what precisely you are trying to communicate here, Jullianna. If they are immediate sociopolitical goals, I'm afraid you are guilty of immanentizing the eschaton.

P.S. - You really ARE a Buckley fan, huh? ;)

There are limits to the depth my brain can handle within a 24 hr period :D
 
Last edited by a moderator:
LightningClap0002 said:
For several years now I have been intrigued by the following concept:

I think it’s impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves

I see real truth in this. It really seems to pull out the truth behind the power of empathy. It describes, better than anything else I've read, how one can love thy neighbor. It could be used to write up a grown-up "golden rule": Seek to understand your neighbor as well as you understand yourself (or better).

I've found in my life, seeking to understand others opens the door to a lot (not always positive). With a strong foundation, however, it truly seems that misunderstanding fuels both fear and hostility. Love is fostered by understanding.

The quote, above, was certainly not from the Bible, in fact wasn't even from a religious writing of any kind. I'm curious to get opinions from other christians; is this idea of love that I embrace merely fantastic fiction.
Click to expand...

You cant love somebody the way they love themselves.
 
Jullianna said:
As for what you have mentioned, I do not know what precisely you are trying to communicate here, Jullianna. If they are immediate sociopolitical goals, I'm afraid you are guilty of immanentizing the eschaton.

P.S. - You really ARE a Buckley fan, huh? ;)

There are limits to the depth my brain can handle within a 24 hr period :D
Click to expand...

If "immanentizing the eschaton" is within those limits, you are doing just fine.

Half the reason I posted that was so people would find him in a quick internet search. ;)


LightningClap0002 said:
Little, huh? :)
Click to expand...

Okay, try gaping chasm.
 
LightningClap0002 said:
Hmmmm, maybe you mean that you can't. But me... I can! :) Why can't you?
Click to expand...

Owned.

Here for everyone's benefit: a Bill Buckley avatar.

Not to bring everything back to psychology, but we do have the same MBTI type. That and the propensity to exhibit the pensive expression to a ridiculous extent.
 
LightningClap0002 said:
Hmmmm, maybe you mean that you can't. But me... I can! :) Why can't you?
Click to expand...

Oh can you now?
And no thats not what i meant

How can you possibly know how much someone loves themselves, or if in fact that person even loves him or herself. Love requires a certain amount of feeling, unless said person projects his or her feelings on you i dont believe its possible
 
NodMyHeadLikeYeah said:
Oh can you now?
And no thats not what i meant

How can you possibly know how much someone loves themselves, or if in fact that person even loves him or herself. Love requires a certain amount of feeling, unless said person projects his or her feelings on you i dont believe its possible
Click to expand...

Hahaha, who says love requires feelings? :O

Also, I'm too lazy to go find it, but are you an "NF" too??
 
NodMyHeadLikeYeah said:
Thank you, im sure he had no idea ;)
Click to expand...

Oh man, and here I thought I was finally going to get rid of the stigma of only having female friends :P

Seriously, though. You've made another sub-point of this thread... And a point that Jullianna very briefly brought up; there isn't just one type of love. That said, I sure wouldn't say that I have any "feelings" towards myself, so does that mean that I don't love myself? :S
 
Your missing my point.... but that can only be expected of one who only has all female friends.... :D
 
I don't think anyone should know how someone else loves themselves, or how often. Its really something that should be private.
 
If "immanentizing the eschaton" is within those limits, you are doing just fine.

On another day, pondering utopian societies would be within the realm of possible topics, as one was attempted not far from where I presently live. I think they were pretty much total nutjobs, but I admire their spunk.

I probably AM guilty. Just because I know a thing to be impossible doesn’t keep me from wanting it. I’m not going to grow 3 more inches, but I still think it would be awesome. J

The things bogging me down are these:

A. Finding Buckley in a Love and Understanding thread :D; and
B. The fact that I’m hiding in here right now to keep from causing my boss serious bodily harm.

*inhale* *exhale* *inhale* *exhale*

P.S. – When I first skimmed your post yesterday, I thought you said the “e” word that triggers all online sifting systems for the alphabet soups. Ya skeerededed me. :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back