John 3:16a

[Hexagon222]

As I understand it the Bible is about going from lower nature, sin, imperfection to sinlessness, perfection, Christ. The Bible is about surrender, rising above the personality, above the mind and that is non duality to me. Just from experience at first there is love from God and love of God then there is becoming the love itself. The more the personality dissolves, the more free of sin we become, rising from imperfection to perfection the more room for God to enter in until there is only God, only one, non duality. Purpose of life? I can agree it’s to learn to love and to rise from our lower nature to the higher, from imperfection to perfection where unconditional love arises naturally. The Bible lays out a clear path but there are other paths as well teaching the same truth just told in different ways. “Nothing new under the sun” Thats just my understanding though, yours may be different.

RR! Yes eyes to see and ears to hear and I agree we cant do it alone without God/divine grace.

[sky]

Originally Posted by Molearner

Sky,

Perhaps this is accepted by philosophies other than Christianity but it cannot be accepted by Christianity.

That is your opinion Mo and you and others are entitled to express them. Obviously I don't agree, the way I look at it through my personal experiences is that if you love ' yourself ' unconditionally you feel that love for others (unconditionally), you love your neighbour as you love yourself. Unless you know what love is you can't give it away. Another way of looking at it is if you love all alike and start with 'yourself' you love all as one (person) and that all is both God and Man. Now if that's not 'Christianity' so be it...... I don't allow a Scripture to always alter my way of thinking/feeling....

[innerlight]

Originally Posted by sky

Imo only, unconditional love is neutral and has no opposite so you can love yourself unconditionally without knowing conditional love.....

Without knowledge of another, there is no concept of something. Comparison, and understanding of another. You can love yourself unconditionally automatically. But you won't know what it is, until one learns what it isn't. Otherwise it just is. You wouldn't even know you were doing it unless you realized you weren't at a time.

[Molearner]

Originally Posted by sky

. Now if that's not 'Christianity' so be it...... I don't allow a Scripture to always alter my way of thinking/feeling....

Sky,

Our difference seems to revolve around the source of love. You seem to obviously believe that the source of love is the self whereas I believe that the source of love is God. For me that is a difference of significance…….

[muffin]

Originally Posted by innerlight

Without knowledge of another, there is no concept of something. Comparison, and understanding of another.

Good afternoon innerlight

You know deep down inside

Maybe you should try something against your own nature

[Molearner]

Originally Posted by sky

. Unless you know what love is you can't give it away. ....

Sky,

I neglected to agree with this….sorry. Knowing comes from having an experience of love…..specifically love from another. Not so likely to come from an emotion or feeling that you worked to create…..imo….. I repeat the conduit concept….it flows into us and then out of us to the world….too precious to keep to ourselves….

[innerlight]

Originally Posted by muffin

Good afternoon innerlight

You know deep down inside

Maybe you should try something against your own nature

One cannot go against their own nature without being able to go against it, and that has to have been created. Such as the creation of freewill. You can't do something without an ability to be able to on some level.

Deep down, our souls, our spirits may know of this "love" but that goes back to the original post on where this love came from.

[sky]

Originally Posted by innerlight

Without knowledge of another, there is no concept of something. Comparison, and understanding of another.

We will have to agree to differ. Intuition goes beyond the senses, a process that gives us the ability to know something directly without analytic reasoning. I will leave it at that as we are going way off Mo's original question.

[sky]

Originally Posted by Molearner

Sky,

Our difference seems to revolve around the source of love. You seem to obviously believe that the source of love is the self whereas I believe that the source of love is God

What is the 'Source' of self ?

[Maisy]

Originally Posted by Hexagon222

surrender, rising above the personality, above the mind and that is non duality to me - the more room for God to enter in until there is only God, only one, non duality.

I enjoyed your thoughts there.