Christ did NOT go around teaching everyone self love.

[soulforce]

Originally Posted by SlayerOfLight

Ok if we go by this kind of logic, if I don't love myself it means I can not even love my parents? What kind of presumptuous statement is this?

You love your parents because of the love they've shown you. Why is that so difficult to grasp? You think this concept is so presumptuous... Okay let me ask you a question, because the logic still applies.

If you have to give money over to your parents. Who owned the money first?

sf

[Dargor]

Originally Posted by soulforce

You love your parents because of the love they've shown you. Why is that so difficult to grasp? You think this concept is so presumptuous... Okay let me ask you a question, because the logic still applies.

If you have to give money over to your parents. Who owned the money first?

sf

Me obviously, but nevermind that. What kind of love are we even talking about here? Romantic love or love to strangers we have no attachment to?

[soulforce]

How about the biblical definition of love? That love is applicable to any situation. And you're right the love starts with you.

[Dargor]

Well that's a hard one given how flawed the bible appears. But I personally don't think it's possible to love everyone, even if you already love yourself. But that's just me though, because I've dealt with people claiming to be full of love and 'spiritually advanced' yet in the end they proved to be toxic.

[soulforce]

I agree. I use to be a Christian so I encountered a lot of Christians who talked about love but never knew how to give it. The reason why I left the church was because the culture in Christianity I found inherently toxic.

We were taught to hate ourselves because of "original sin" but love others. The problem is you can't hate yourself and love some one else at the same time. Those emotions are different vibrations. Thus when some Christians talk the talk, they can't walk the walk. With that said I do accept that some people need Christianity to feel apart of a community. So I've grown to realize that Christianity serves a purpose even if I personally find it limiting.

sf

[Dargor]

I'm a former Christian as well. To me the only 'useful' thing about Christianity is the fact that it prevents me from jumping from a bridge because I'm still fearfull what happens in the afterlife if I would've done so, even though I no longer practice Christianity. All the fearmongering about eternal punishment has messed me up pretty much and makes me think twice whenever I have suicidal tendencies. I work in a monastery right now and fortunately my Christian co-workers who live there don't believe in eternal suffering and don't tell me what I should and shouldn't do in order to get to heaven.

But yea, I find a lack of love in the bible so I wouldn't say the bible is a good source to feel inspired with when it comes to love. For example let's be honest here, the 10 commandments are mostly about pleasing God and living up to his expectations rather than being a decent person and showing kindness to others and things like that. I miss commandments such as lending a hand to those in need of aid and treating others how you want to be treated.

[happy soul]

Originally Posted by Honza

Christ's teachings go beyond self love, as does that of the Old Testament. The complete Bible does not teach that self love is the answer; which is what the Hindus and New Age would have us believe.

Self love really is the dark side of love. It is love but it is very self absorbed and not necessarily virtuous or ethical. The Bible is mainly about whole love which Christ summed up as love of self, others and God. NOT just the flaming self.

Get over yourselves! So what you are God, but are not we all. God is God too.

I see your point.

Unfortunately, people often attack others in the guise of 'self-love'. But that's NOT real self-love.

Negative pride and revenge are never self-love.

Forgiving others is a form of self-love.

If someone attacks you, and you hate them because of it, or you attack them in return, that's not self-love. It's UNDERSTANDABLE, but there's a wiser, more self-loving way to handle it. It's healthy to forgive others; it's SELF-loving.

Self-love is a popular subject in the world. The problem is that most people don't know what REAL self-love really is. They think of it in terms of 'sticking up for yourself', ending 'toxic relationships', 'living for you', and other forms of 'loving' yourself AT THE EXPENSE OF OTHERS.

But it's impossible to love yourself at the expense of others - that's not true self-love.

I've realized that a choice is either loving towards BOTH yourself AND others, or towards NEITHER.

To attack another is to attack yourself. What you give, you receive, multiplied.

[Rah nam]

Someone understands

[Nature Grows]

Originally Posted by Rah nam

It simply depends where you see yourself on your development path.

Sure, for those who try to explore what unconditional love mean, will have a window of about 20 000 years; plenty of time. Yet for those who intent to implement unconditional love, need to understand first, dispassion comes before compassion, and humility. There is no way past it, as long we follow the path of the light.


ps: Williamstown is on the other side of the City from where we live. We live near the Dandenongs

mmm.. oh, Dandenong hey, yes iv been there ... once or twice I think, definitely have driven past it on that big freeway there, I have a friend who lives in noble park (kinda near by) and was going to work in Oakleigh (also kinda near by I think) but i don't know if thats going to be a thing now. I really like the rainforest kinda areas over there like furn tree gully, i know thats a bit further out but its a nice area.

[Rah nam]

Originally Posted by Nature Grows

mmm.. oh, Dandenong hey, yes iv been there ... once or twice I think, definitely have driven past it on that big freeway there, I have a friend who lives in noble park (kinda near by) and was going to work in Oakleigh (also kinda near by I think) but i don't know if thats going to be a thing now. I really like the rainforest kinda areas over there like furn tree gully, i know thats a bit further out but its a nice area.

No, not Dandenong, I would not like to live there, the Dandenongs are on the outer eastern fringes of Melbourne, Yes, Ferntree Gully Boronia, Montrose Basin, are just at the bottom the Mount Dandenong Ranges, what we simplify as the Dandenongs. Yes lots of tree ferns lots of birds and very tall gum trees.