Adonael

"P is P." Wow. No way!

Asking a rhetorical question does not substitute an explanation as to why it is conditional love.

You have yet to answer the question. Please answer the question: why is it conditional love?

Adonael

You are begging the question. You cannot explain why it is conditional love with stating in different words that there is a condition of love. It's like stating: P is P because it's P.

ryanm

You seem to be purposely neglecting the obvious here:

1. God does not love some people. Most people would agree that God does not love individuals being tortured in hell (I'm accepting its existence for the sake of argument). Hell is supposed to be complete separation from God, a place where God's love does not reside. Even if you want to argue that there are people in Hell who God does love (really, an incoherent idea), there are plenty of other biblical verses (e.g. Romans 9:13 mentioned above) that definitely support the idea that God is not lovin' on all people at all times.

2. Unconditional love entails that neither the object of such love nor anyone else can do absolutely anything at any time or place to change the properties of the love expressed towards the object. In other words it never changes. Conditional love is love that can come or go, wax or wane, based upon any number of variables.

3. Since God seemingly (and here the burden is placed on the person who believes otherwise to show that I am mistaken) does not love all people at all times, his love better fits the definition of conditional love. I'm open to being persuaded otherwise, but I would need to see good reason to accept that God loves all people equally at all times and places (even Hell). On the surface at least, the Bible clearly does not teach this. One verse that comes to mind which seems to argue for unconditional love is Romans 8:38ff. It's a very nice, poetic verse, but it really only applies to Christians and is therefore not unconditional. Any other opinions?

Amaleq13

Sorry, I didn't realize you were asking why would God make God's love conditional. What I offered was why the love described is called "conditional love".

I would assume that God's love is conditional because it is more about control than love. Same as for humans.

Doug Shaver

Sure. The same way the Christian God's love is conditional.

The Quran's message is about the same as the New Testament's. If you are obedient to God, then you will be eternally happy. If you are not obedient, then you will eternally wish you had been.

kged

"I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

If that's unconditional, I'm Otto von Bismarck.

Edited to add: I'm not, by the way.

xaxxat

Yeah, it would be a burden for you to try to polish that turd...

Toto

Adonael - I see from your profile that you identify yourself as Catholic.

Do you think that the Christian God offers unconditional love? Is this a matter of doctrine? or Biblical interpretation?

Do you think that all Christians have the same view of God? Does your view of God differ from that Protestant heretic William Lane Craig's?

Ben C Smith

Ben.

Adonael

That statement does not tell me why.
I don't see why a punishment is grounds for claiming that the punisher does not love the punished. You have certainly failed to argue that point. Furthermore, even if I grant you your point, you would not necessarily have that God's love is conditional. What you'd have is that god's love is inconsistent with hell. Now you should be able to note that this does not mean that God's love is not unconditional; it could be the case that hell does not exist.

but, I think you should tell me your interpretation of the context and meaning of Romans 9:13?


I have no disagreement here.


Where have you argued that god has not loved all people at all times? The best you gave is a quote taken out of context and with no argued meaning.

Please argue for your interpretation.