Christ did NOT go around teaching everyone self love.

[Starflower]

Originally Posted by Explorer21

Honza, I think you may be confusing self love with selfishness. They are two entirely different qualities. Actually, Christ DID go around teaching self love because he said in the New Testament, "Love your neighbor AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF." Therefore, the Hindus and New Age people are saying EXACTLY THE SAME THING that Jesus said.
Your own self craves love as much as everyone else does, so it is essential to give love to oneself as well as to other people. Besides, it is impossible to love others sufficiently if love for one's self is lacking.

It's true what you say that the Bible is about whole love, in other words, a balance of self love, love of others and love of God. Therefore, I do not understand why you call self love "the dark side of love." It is only dark when it becomes selfishness, where love for God and others is absent, creating an unbalanced person.

Your comments make a very good point, Explorer21. We cannot embrace anything without realizing how it is connected to the whole. Self love is misunderstood when it is characterized as separate from what naturally is. Self love is innocent and certainly is a way to understand others better as well as feel compassion. The unity of humanity is part of the new age vision. It is not simply about judging one's personal level of awareness. Christ consciousness is also a term many new age/ new thought people understand intuitively as a beautiful state where everyone is seen as a part of Godness.

The idea that self love is to be avoided is like saying that self respect should be avoided and self control, too. Love encompasses all our human nature, our values and is how we relate personally to truth. All we can offer one another comes through our selves. And each self is expressing its relationship to the whole as sincerely as it knows how.

Whether you believe in self love or call it some other name, it is not unworthy; and neither is anyone for questioning it, either. We each have a part to play in seeding the growing awareness that we are not just individuals, but belong to greater fields of higher consciousness.

[Starflower]

Originally Posted by Explorer21

Honza, I think you may be confusing self love with selfishness. They are two entirely different qualities. Actually, Christ DID go around teaching self love because he said in the New Testament, "Love your neighbor AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF." Therefore, the Hindus and New Age people are saying EXACTLY THE SAME THING that Jesus said.
Your own self craves love as much as everyone else does, so it is essential to give love to oneself as well as to other people. Besides, it is impossible to love others sufficiently if love for one's self is lacking.

It's true what you say that the Bible is about whole love, in other words, a balance of self love, love of others and love of God. Therefore, I do not understand why you call self love "the dark side of love." It is only dark when it becomes selfishness, where love for God and others is absent, creating an unbalanced person.

Your comments make a very good point, Explorer21. We cannot embrace anything without realizing how it is connected to the whole. Self love is misunderstood when it is characterized as separate from what naturally is. Self love is innocent and certainly is a way to understand others better as well as feel compassion. The unity of humanity is part of the new age vision. It is not simply about judging one's personal level of awareness. Christ consciousness is also a term many new age/ new thought people understand intuitively as a beautiful state where everyone is seen as a part of Godness.

The idea that self love is to be avoided is like saying that self respect should be avoided and self control, too. Love encompasses all our human nature, our values and is how we relate personally to truth. All we can offer one another comes through our selves. And each self is expressing its relationship to the whole as sincerely as it knows how.

Whether you believe in self love or call it some other name, it is not unworthy; and neither is anyone for questioning it, either. We each have a part to play in seeding the growing awareness that we are not just individuals, but belong to greater fields of higher consciousness.

[Jooshi]

Self love is loving yourself as a part of the greater whole.

[Starflower]

Originally Posted by Jooshi

Self love is loving yourself as a part of the greater whole.

I'm going to remember that, Jooshi. Very simply and clearly stated. One of our biggest challenges in working as a collective is wrapped up right there. Without self love one might contrast themself to the whole and not really see the harmonic overview nor their perfect place of being unique within it.

Originally Posted by soulforce

When you've conditioned yourself to feel unworthy of your own love you've gone astray from the teachings of Jesus. The core of Jesus's teachings is rooted back to the origin of where his love rests the most, in you.

"Love your neighbor as yourself."

How much will you love your neighbor then? A little, or a lot? Well, shouldn't you love yourself as much as you love your neighbor and will it be a little or a lot?


You conflate self-gratification for self-love. Self-gratification is the need to act on one's own impulse's and desires. However this isn't love of any kind. Love is what?

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

If this came from the bible, and this is the definition of true love. Are you going to bath yourself in this true love a little or a lot?

So yes fine do away with self-gratification. And bring the love God has taught you since Leviticus. However remember, you're commended to love yourself. It is part of the second greatest commandment, which is like the first.

Mathew 22: 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Now, here's the truth. Since the word of God is within. All love begins with self. You cannot love anyone before you can love yourself because your spirit is your connection to the Holy Spirit. If you don't love that which God has created out of his own love, first. You will never recognize yourself in some one else in situ.

If you believe, I can love some one else before I love myself, don't you see yourself in that individual in situ? Can't you recognize the humanity and spirit that binds the two of you together? If you understand any of this. You will understand that what we mean by love yourself is really loving everyone in situ. Then you'll understand there is no conflict with God's plan and self love.

.......,,,,,,.

Honza quote:
The point I was originally trying to make is that the Bible teaches whole love - of self, others and God. The New Age emphasis is on ones own self at the expense of others and God.

I am not against self love. But I do feel there is more to the whole story.

I see now, what you meant.
We are always perfecting LOVE as in Gods Love. So I believe it is as Jesus has said "Love God with ALL our heart , mind and soul."
I think perfecting the ALL is a ongoing practice.
Do I really LOVE God with ALL my mind? ALL my heart? ALL my soul?
I honestly say I do not. I however am finding ways of Loving God more and more and have so much more room to grow, which brings me great JOY.

[SimpleMan]

Originally Posted by ImthatIm

I see now, what you meant.
We are always perfecting LOVE as in Gods Love. So I believe it is as Jesus has said "Love God with ALL our heart , mind and soul."
I think perfecting the ALL is a ongoing practice.
Do I really LOVE God with ALL my mind? ALL my heart? ALL my soul?
I honestly say I do not. I however am finding ways of Loving God more and more and have so much more room to grow, which brings me great JOY.

Neither I, my love for God is not yet fully, a part of me is still "in this world", I feel it with all my being just in the same way I felt and heard His call.

[SearchingFreedom]

Well,

I only can judge this topic by my own feelings, and by my own waves I recognize in others. Some people disturb me they seem not to love anybody, the waves I get from them are so "only me".

But people who just want to be themselves, living in an environement who judges them and tries to controll them psychically, to dominate over them, I certainly would teach "self love". For example my grandparents where always like this. I couldn't even take a breath without the try of their control. I could never be myself, breath by myself in their presence. Shure they would find me egoistic when I start to breath deep in front of them because of self love. That is THEIR problem. So I am totally on the view of self love.

[SimpleMan]

When Jesus said love your neighbour as yourself he said nothing about starting with self love to be able to love your neighbour.... The self love is already in you, it's part of our nature, we always think first at our own good and then at our neighbour's good... He merely said to use that kind of love you have for you, for your neighbour...

[sky]

Originally Posted by SimpleMan

When Jesus said love your neighbour as yourself he said nothing about starting with self love to be able to love your neighbour.... The self love is already in you, it's part of our nature, we always think first at our own good and then at our neighbour's good... He merely said to use that kind of love you have for you, for your neighbour...

What a ridiculous idea, how can you love others if you don't love yourself....