Is love subjective or objective?

[quinntar]

The most spammed verse of the Bible is John 3:16

 

16For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

 

For the Christian this concept is likely paramount, what else could be greater than love? But love for each one of us is an undefined concept. Some say it's a feeling, some say it's an action, some say it's an ideal, some say it's charity. 

 

I'm pointing out here that the idea of love is not as objective as it seems, there's no unified consensus, no tangible evidence that love is a universal constant. If we take the average Christian at their word we'd have to accept that God loves us and that love is no different than E=mc2. 

 

But why can't we detect the love particle? If God is love and made everything by his love then why haven't we discovered the fundamental law of love? Say we did discover that love is the glue that stick's this universe together, how would it behave, what are it's cause and effects?

(I'll let the Christian fill in the blank's)

[TheRedneckProfessor]

In this verse, love is not just subjective; I would submit it is also conditional upon belief.  Sure god loved the world enough to send somebody else to die in his place; but not enough to extend that reward to all.  Instead, only those who believe receive the benefit of life everlasting.

[◊ DestinyTurtle ◊]

2 hours ago, TheRedneckProfessor said:

In this verse, love is not just subjective; I would submit it is also conditional upon belief.  Sure god loved the world enough to send somebody else to die in his place; but not enough to extend that reward to all.  Instead, only those who believe receive the benefit of life everlasting.

Some Calvinists would even argue that God only sacrificed his son for the elect, and to suggest that Jesus died for the sins of everybody is inherently blasphemous (It belittles how special it is that the elect are specifically chosen to receive it). From that world view, love is actually unattainable and incomprehensible to anyone who is not elect, and any talk about love by these people is talk of counterfeit love. It seems pretty brutal and cold but Calvinists are typically really well versed int he bible, and can usually out-argue an average Xian on this issue, suggesting perhaps that the biblical concept of love is much more cold and exclusive and cynical than it is popularly portrayed. "God so loved the world but by the world I DON'T MEAN YOU HOLY HELL NOT YOU!"

[TheRedneckProfessor]

42 minutes ago, DestinyTurtle said:

Some Calvinists would even argue that God only sacrificed his son for the elect, and to suggest that Jesus died for the sins of everybody is inherently blasphemous (It belittles how special it is that the elect are specifically chosen to receive it). From that world view, love is actually unattainable and incomprehensible to anyone who is not elect, and any talk about love by these people is talk of counterfeit love. It seems pretty brutal and cold but Calvinists are typically really well versed int he bible, and can usually out-argue an average Xian on this issue, suggesting perhaps that the biblical concept of love is much more cold and exclusive and cynical than it is popularly portrayed. "God so loved the world but by the world I DON'T MEAN YOU HOLY HELL NOT YOU!"

Who would want to spend eternity eith people like that anyway?

[◊ DestinyTurtle ◊]

42 minutes ago, TheRedneckProfessor said:

Who would want to spend eternity eith people like that anyway?

It's an exclusive VIP ticket to the Club "The Walls Are Closing In On Me". lol.