# What does "God loves you" mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 4, 2007, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-god-loves-you-mean/402744 "2007-05-04T14:52:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![lekatt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lekatt/32/7269_2.png) [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-god-loves-you-mean/402744/61 "2007-05-05T19:47:41Z")
[QUOTE=Der Trihs] You should really try to avoid contradicting yourself so blatantly. We are lowly creatures that can never deserve anything but death, and are worthy of joy, peace, and love ? That’s not even coherent. [/QUOTE] My statement was: We are made in the image of God, perfect, eternal, and worthy. It is a mistake to belittle ourselves and claim unworthiness. We are worthy of joy, peace, and love. It is within all of us just waiting to be acknowledged and released. No contradiction at all. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-god-loves-you-mean/402744/62 "2007-05-05T19:48:51Z")
Most commonly, what “God loves you” _really_ means is, “I know God seems like a right bastard, but really He’s not. You kinda hafta have, oh, I dunno, elevated morals and improved perception to see it, but really, God loves all of us. No, seriously. Now, give me money so I can keep telling you what God thinks and wants. Amen.” ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-god-loves-you-mean/402744/63 "2007-05-05T20:11:46Z")
Going to work so I cant post anything long right now. All I will say is that one cant feel God’s love if one does not practice God’s love. This kind of agape can be discussed academically, but it must be given and received to be believed. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-god-loves-you-mean/402744/64 "2007-05-05T20:35:33Z")
[QUOTE=lekatt] My statement was: We are made in the image of God, perfect, eternal, and worthy. It is a mistake to belittle ourselves and claim unworthiness. We are worthy of joy, peace, and love. It is within all of us just waiting to be acknowledged and released. No contradiction at all. [/QUOTE] You ALSO stated that we are lowly creatures worthy only of death; a statement you conveniently leave out ( surprise ! :rolleyes: ). Saying both IS a contradiction. ---
**Author:** ![the\_PC\_apeman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac8455/32.png) [@the\_PC\_apeman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_PC_apeman)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-god-loves-you-mean/402744/65 "2007-05-05T20:46:16Z")
[QUOTE=Der Trihs] You ALSO stated that we are lowly creatures worthy only of death; a statement you conveniently leave out ( surprise ! :rolleyes: ). Saying both IS a contradiction. [/QUOTE] I think you’ve confused **kanicbird** with **lekatt**. ---
**Author:** ![lekatt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lekatt/32/7269_2.png) [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-god-loves-you-mean/402744/66 "2007-05-05T21:13:14Z")
[QUOTE=the PC apeman] I think you’ve confused **kanicbird** with **lekatt**. [/QUOTE] Yes, you are right, I would never say anything so wrong. ---
**Author:** ![lekatt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lekatt/32/7269_2.png) [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-god-loves-you-mean/402744/67 "2007-05-05T21:39:01Z")
[QUOTE=Autolycus] Going to work so I cant post anything long right now. All I will say is that one cant feel God’s love if one does not practice God’s love. This kind of agape can be discussed academically, but it must be given and received to be believed. [/QUOTE] Yes, academic discussion of love will never end in love. Only the daily practice of giving love will produce the receiving of love. Do you think skeptics would ever be willing to use spiritual principles to enhance the quality of their lives? ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-god-loves-you-mean/402744/68 "2007-05-05T21:47:56Z")
[QUOTE=lekatt] Yes, academic discussion of love will never end in love. Only the daily practice of giving love will produce the receiving of love. Do you think skeptics would ever be willing to use spiritual principles to enhance the quality of their lives? [/QUOTE] An interesting proposition; since it itself is the result of a skeptical viewpoint, I would have to say that yes, skeptics would be willing to do so - you yourself are an example. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-god-loves-you-mean/402744/69 "2007-05-05T21:50:31Z")
[QUOTE=the PC apeman] I think you’ve confused **kanicbird** with **lekatt**. [/QUOTE] :smack: Bah, you’re right. They sound similar enough to me that I somehow confused them, _despite_ the fact that **lekatt** was arguing with **kanicbird**. Which explains his “contradicting” him/herself. Just ignore my posts on that subject, then. \< Pushes History Eraser Button \> ---
**Author:** ![the\_PC\_apeman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac8455/32.png) [@the\_PC\_apeman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_PC_apeman)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-god-loves-you-mean/402744/70 "2007-05-05T21:53:12Z")
[QUOTE=lekatt] Yes, academic discussion of love will never end in love. Only the daily practice of giving love will produce the receiving of love. Do you think skeptics would ever be willing to use spiritual principles to enhance the quality of their lives? [/QUOTE] Do you think that a copy of a body duplicated down to the last protein, atom, and quantum particle would experience love any differently than the original? ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-god-loves-you-mean/402744/71 "2007-05-05T22:12:24Z")
[QUOTE=lekatt] Only the daily practice of giving love will produce the receiving of love. [/QUOTE] Wow, hookers must be _really_ loved. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-god-loves-you-mean/402744/72 "2007-05-06T01:15:27Z")
God loves you is just something someone says when you’ve been harmed by events that a loving god would have prevented. It’s like an abusive boyfriend saying "Of course I love you, I’m fuckin’ you, ain’t I? If god doesn’t love me, I’m being assraped on a daily basis by someone without even the common courtesy of a reacharound. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-god-loves-you-mean/402744/73 "2007-05-06T03:31:53Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise] Wow, hookers must be _really_ loved. [/QUOTE] Ok that was funny. But you know I didn’t mean it that way, I think. ---
**Author:** ![lekatt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lekatt/32/7269_2.png) [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-god-loves-you-mean/402744/74 "2007-05-06T03:59:04Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise] Wow, hookers must be _really_ loved. [/QUOTE] Love has no more to do with sex than it does with eating. ---
**Author:** ![lekatt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lekatt/32/7269_2.png) [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-god-loves-you-mean/402744/75 "2007-05-06T04:01:19Z")
[QUOTE=the PC apeman] Do you think that a copy of a body duplicated down to the last protein, atom, and quantum particle would experience love any differently than the original? [/QUOTE] Elucidate. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-god-loves-you-mean/402744/76 "2007-05-06T04:23:09Z")
[QUOTE=lekatt] Love has no more to do with sex than it does with eating. [/QUOTE] You wouldn’t say that if you’d had a really good pizza. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-god-loves-you-mean/402744/77 "2007-05-06T08:15:25Z")
[QUOTE=Valteron] Originally Posted by Psalm 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart: We all know that quote: “The Fool has said in his heart “There is no God”. They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none that does good.” If you would like to see a video featuring a list of those alleged fools who do no good, see [this Youtube video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdVucvo-kDU). It has been viewed over 400,000 times and received four out of five stars. Most interesting, it appears to be produced by a young man or teenager. **AND PLEASE DO NOT BOTHER TO RESPOND WITH A LIST OF SMART PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN OR ARE THEISTS.** That is not the point of my posting. The point is to refute Psalm 14:1, NOT to hold a smarter-than-thou competition. [/QUOTE] Oh, all right. Meanwhile, don’t bother bolding and capitalizing those parts of your posts which you feel I really, really need to get. My comprehension skills are quite adequate. I wouldn’t want to get into a smarter-than-thou competition. I hold it unethical to get into a pie-eating competition with a catwalk model, too. How about you address the inanity of entering into a thread discussing what God’s love means and ignoring the basic premise - that the discussion necessarily entails an acceptance (for the sake of the argument) that God exists? Oh, wait, because on this hotbed of rampant evangelism that is GD the atheists don’t get enough opportunity to bellow that there is no God. That right? ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-god-loves-you-mean/402744/78 "2007-05-06T12:30:49Z")
[QUOTE=leKatt] We are made in the image of God, perfect, eternal, and worthy. It is a mistake to belittle ourselves and claim unworthiness. We are worthy of joy, peace, and love. It is within all of us just waiting to be acknowledged and released. [/QUOTE] Except for man being created in the image of God, I think what you describe is of unfallen man at best and don’t find scriptural support. On the contrary scripture speaks that all we are and all we have is a gift on loan from God, every joy and every sorrow. “Praise the God that gives and takes away”. The image of God can be though of as a reflection of, one which God has to be present to actually cast the image. Or another more modern way to look at it is like a compass, which we all have, and it works good when we are in a strong magnetic field (God). But as God has withdrawn that, we have no guidance, and align ourselves with much weaker other fields and with each other, creating a bunch of false and secular moralities, which is not in alignment with God and again makes us unworthy. ---
**Author:** ![lekatt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lekatt/32/7269_2.png) [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-god-loves-you-mean/402744/79 "2007-05-06T13:20:21Z")
[QUOTE=kanicbird] Except for man being created in the image of God, I think what you describe is of unfallen man at best and don’t find scriptural support. On the contrary scripture speaks that all we are and all we have is a gift on loan from God, every joy and every sorrow. “Praise the God that gives and takes away”. The image of God can be though of as a reflection of, one which God has to be present to actually cast the image. Or another more modern way to look at it is like a compass, which we all have, and it works good when we are in a strong magnetic field (God). But as God has withdrawn that, we have no guidance, and align ourselves with much weaker other fields and with each other, creating a bunch of false and secular moralities, which is not in alignment with God and again makes us unworthy. [/QUOTE] We are discussing two different things, you are talking about religion, and I am talking about spirituality. Spirituality has no text, no doctrines, just the purity of experience. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-god-loves-you-mean/402744/80 "2007-05-06T13:31:21Z")
[QUOTE=lekatt] We are discussing two different things, you are talking about religion, and I am talking about spirituality. Spirituality has no text, no doctrines, just the purity of experience. [/QUOTE] So, you have labeled your religion “Spirituality”? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-god-loves-you-mean/402744.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-god-loves-you-mean/402744.md?page=5)