Unconditional Love

[Kurari]

I've heard Christians throw around the term, "unconditional love,"  my whole life.  Since deconverting, it REALLY annoys me when I hear it, because I'm not sure if there is a much bigger bullshit concept in Christianity than this.  Certainly the "love of god" is not unconditional.  It's COMPLETELY conditional on you accepting him, putting your faith in him, blah blah blah...otherwise you get separated from his love for all eternity and get to enjoy perpertual torment!  Christians are generally the most hypocritical people I've known when it comes to "unconditional love."  No need to expound further to this audience.

 

My real question...Is there such a thing as unconditional love at all?  Does anyone really love without expecting anything in return?  Are there any Biblical evidence/examples of unconditional love?

 

I think there is such a thing as unconditional love, but it doesn't quite work the way that most people think. It's not magical. 

 

My mother and I couldn't stand each other. She was abusive, petty, spiteful, and screwed over my brother and I in more ways than I can count. I hated her so intensely that when she committed suicide, I wasn't even sorry. Just relieved that she was out of our lives and couldn't cause any more damage. 

 

But, she was still my mom and I loved her in ways that WERE unconditional through all that. Even after all the horrible things she did, I still can honestly say I loved her very, very much. And I knew she loved me too in the same way.  

 

It didn't conquer all, it didn't fix the relationship, and it didn't mean that I should just keep putting my trust into someone who was untrustworthy.

 

It simply means I still love her regardless and that was unable to be broken. 

 

Love is unconditional. Life isn't. 

[creative]

I guess a other question one can ask is what is conditional.
If you ask me "unconditional" is simply impossible because everything depends on something.

When someone loves god unconditionally do they realy love god unconditionally? I mean as soon as they start find stuff out and lets say "turn atheist" that love will stop. And in some cases turn to hate (for example satanism).
In order for someone to reach a form of "unconditional love" for god a lot of things have to happen (or in other words someone needs to be conditioned into it) like brainwashing small children to believe in the bible and worship god.

I wouldn't go as far as to say that children get brainwashed to love there parents do.
But are they in both cases no conditioned to have this so called unconditional love?

Can a new condition change "unconditional love"? Well that is up for discussion. As far as i can see for some people it cant and for some people it can. But can someone have "unconditional love" without being conditioned to have it in the first place?