Another Practical Guide to the Logic, Philosophy, and Thoughts of Christianity

Section 1 - Article 6

Article 6 - Love

I wrote this essay in hopes of bringing a fresh perspective of love in its purest form. In the current day and age, the view of Love is occasionally misrepresented and misunderstood. I do this without the claim to have an in-depth understanding of love, but also admit my deficiency in wisdom, intellect, and linguistic skills to explain as well as CS Lewis's "The Four Loves". However, whilst CS Lewis had given a great explanation of Agape – or as KJV Bible translated as "Charity", here, I am attempting to put 'love' on a different perspective in a more concise manner.

In the current day and age, many in the society have taken the concept of survival to the fullest in existentialism. Whilst there is nothing obviously wrong with existentialism, for the believer, it is a sin. Not a sin that is clearly obvious, as it is easily justified in human means. Surely one can say that his or her life was given by God, and would therefore have the stewardship to ensure that the gift is intact. Unfortunately, one who justifies with this reason has already usually compromised the greater gifts of God of morals, love, understanding, wisdom, and hearkening onto the Holy Ghost. One who loves life itself, has failed to understand and appreciate the gift of life itself. The gift of life is the means to do what God has in store for us to do, to understand, and to grow in. To love life itself, is to be as fallacious as loving the paper, cover, and words of the Bible itself, while failing to appreciate the wisdom and contents. In a parallel analogy, the love of life itself is the same as the love for money itself - both fallacious and horribly mistaken. Yet, it is common and a very easy mistake for everyone to make. Who loves not money in the capitalistic society? Who does not love life itself? Yet, these are merely means to learn and accomplish what God has in store for us, and it is no easy task to always know His will every minute and every second.

In extreme real-life examples of existentialism, poor people in the less fortunate parts of the world have been known to exchange children for food in times of desperation (2 Kings 6:29). As stomach churning as the thought may be to some, the milder examples would be to sell off children or body parts in exchange for money or goods. Whether it happens in modern time, or in history, such things have happened. These are stark examples of loving life itself over other things – in short – for the sake of survival, all is deemed permitted. Milder forms of this existentialism happen frequently in the corporate world where backstabbing, deceit, financial games are being played in the love for money. Laws of a country rarely uphold moral values in the strictest sense, and a ruthless businessman may even be applauded or rewarded for his callousness. Surely one has heard of the expression - "The winner takes all".

In the same parallel situation, the love of money has led to the exploitation of the weakness and loneliness of well-off older folks. Some marry for money, some date for money, some divorce for money. Love is a mere word used in the deceit for the love of money or a hedonistic life. Love is a mere tool of deceit in these examples. With the benefit of doubt, some maybe confused between the love of a lifestyle and the love for a person, but if the ultimate "love" lies in the lifestyle or money, then the professed love for the person is nothing but a mere lie – which some would prefer to believe.

In the imperfect world, it is unlikely that anyone can truly experience the perfect love. As described wonderfully in "The Four Loves", each of the four loves has their own flaws and problems because imperfect creatures are demonstrating it and utilizing it. Even the highest and purest of the human loves, best demonstrated by the love between parents and children, are often riddled with difficulties and problems. The over-loving parent may end up restricting the child, and do more damage than good. So Love is a difficult subject, and possibly beyond complete human comprehension as much as suffering is. Is love good when the love of a man or a woman results in the negligence of rightful duties and tasks? Is love good when the erotic love of a man or woman results in suicide or abandonment of other loves? Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet', often heralded as the "bible for love", is the clear classic example. So the protagonists are willing to die for love, and while many may believe this to be brave and heroic, did anyone stop to think of the bigger implications? In their selfish love for one another, they have abandoned and neglected their love for their parents, their parents' love for them, their buddies, their friends, and their rightful duty as children or as their role to play in the world. They have perhaps committed the biggest sin of all (if sin had grades) by forgetting their love for God and God's love for them (if they were real people). So really, 'Romeo and Juliet' is a classic example of the evils or the imperfection of human love; and erotic love if one must argue that point. In the four different meanings of the Greek word for 'Love' as explained in CS Lewis's "The Four Loves", Romeo and Juliet have sacrificed three out of four for one. Surely, if this is not a sin, then I know not what it is. Let me elaborate this from Dante's Inferno. Of the people in Dante's Inferno, there are examples of adulteresses and adulterers, breaking moral codes and disregarded all other "loves" under the guise of "Love". Does "Love" therefore justify poor decisions and actions as much as existentialism does? I say, 'No'.