What is Love?

I often struggle with accepting unconditional love.

Although I have been surrounded by people professing to believe in the God of Love and following his highest rule, 'Do for others what you would like them to do for you.' (Matthew 7:12 NLT) there is often a 'higher rule' that reigns.

This rule is: my belief is the only good and true belief.

If you believe in this rule, every other belief that varies from yours is wrong. This is why not even Christians can agree. There are lots of different denominations to prove this.

Not only do you disagree, but you will be undoubtably be led to actions that contradict Matthew 7:12.

I heard of a mother who once told her daughter 'If you ever live with your fiancee before you get married, I will not go to your wedding.'

Now how would that mother feel, if her own mother had told her: 'Unless you live with your fiancee before you get married, I am not going to your wedding.'

Is that love? Is being right higher than love?

If you don't receive love, it is impossible to give love.

That is why I cannot judge the mother's statement. Perhaps this is the way she sees her God, and how she receives 'love' from him. By being 'right.'

If she wasn't 'right' maybe she wouldn't be welcome in his house. Or maybe she would- up to a point. Maybe he would 'pity' her. Any way you put it, it's hardly unconditional love.

A Christian once e-mailed me a petition against the building of a mosque in England. I did not sign it. I thought, 'would Christians like Muslims to petition against the building of a church?' The thing is, I did not feel the same conviction that God was on the Christian's side.

When you feel that 'God is on your side' you start to become militant. I met a Muslim who told me once: 'the Islam you see on T.V? That's political. It's not Islam.'

When you feel God is on your side, others become enemies. You start to find out everything wrong about them. Everything you find only serves to justify the belief that God is on your side.

Wouldn't it be interesting to find out how Muslims view Christians? Particularly as America is still seen, to some extent, as a Christian country.

Recently, I have abandoned my fear about Satan and Hell. I renounced my belief in Satan. And Hell is quite close to here. So at least I know it.

This has enabled me to truly be able to embrace other beliefs. And guess what? I have discovered amazing things.

The number one thing is that Love is the foundation for everything. If you look into nearly every religion, the basis is unconditional love.

In fact, I have found more unconditional acceptance and love written into the rules of some other religions than is written into the Bible.

I know many Christians who do love unconditionally. But being a Christian doesn't automatically mean you will. It depends on how you interpret the Bible.

I don't think that Christianity is wrong. It works for a lot of people. For them, it is right.

I do think, however, that either God isn't big enough or our conception of him isn't.