What is Love?

No, not the 1993 song by Haddaway. The dictionary describes "love" as "a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person; a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend; a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart." But what is love? (Photo credit to: Women at the Cross)

Well, before I go any further, understand that I am not going as deep as I could, merely scratching the surface of this divine gift. Whether you choose to adhere to what is written here or not is your choice and yours alone, not mine. The verses about love are taken from God's Word. Verses on love are scattered throughout the Bible, and many verses imply love. If we were to go over each and every one, we may as well type up the majority of God's Word. Proverbs 15:17 gives a good example. "A bowl of vegetables with someone you love is better than steak with someone you hate." While this is merely a wisdom, love in many forms is talked about in the Bible.

Other such wisdom, Proverbs 17:9 for example, says "Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends." This is true. Solomon was one to speak often of love. In the Song of Solomon, 8:6-7, he tells us, "Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned."

St. Paul also often spoke of love. Ephesians 5:25, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." He goes on in Ephesians 5:33 to say, "However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." When St. Paul speaks of love as a virtue, he says, "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." (Colossians 3:14) Even the philosopher Aristotle once said, "Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies." I tell you that there is an overall point of this, but I am providing the Biblical definitions of love so that we may better understand what love truly is. We are told that, "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." (1st Peter 4:8) We are later told that God is love - "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1st John 4:8) There is also no fear in love, 1st John 4:18, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."

Perhaps the most well-known and best passages that describe what love is and should be is found in 1st Corinthians 13:1-8;13. "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails... and now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

We also find in Galatians that love is one of the fruit of the spirit. But what is love, truly? 1st John 3:16 gives us that very answer. "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." Love is found in Christ! How many people throughout history, and even today, have found love in Christ? I know that I have. Jesus is love.

Christ's sacrifice, the Messiah himself humbling himself by putting himself "lower than the angels," (Psalm 8:5, Hebrews 2:7) is the ultimate show of love. For the love of his Creation, he gave himself. Psalm 33:5-6 says, "He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth."

God created the Universe, and in his love, created us, and though we fell from our proper place, we have a way to be reconnected with our Creator, to be with him after death: to accept Jesus, his one and only Son, as our savior, ask for forgiveness of our sins, and be saved from the penalty of the eternal fire. As said earlier, this involved theology, not mere philosophy or logic. Logically, if the Creator makes his creation, and it falls from grace, he provides a link so that it may come back to him. That link is Christ. God is love, and we shows us how to love through his Son and through his word. Love between a man and a woman, between friends, between people and their pets, between the Creator and the Creation, we can learn valuable things if we only take the time to stop, look, and observe.

Troy Hillman 

God and Government: The Separation of Church and State (Part Two)

In the previous entry, we covered a bit of history regarding the separation of church and state, documentation, and other such things. We left off talking about the 14th Amendment, which provides that no state shall "deprive any person of life, liberty, or property." Before I go any further, I feel inclined to mention that I am not giving my stance on the subject, merely facts that you may or may not have heard, and you may decide for yourself. (Photo credit to: Find Room 219)

The United States has a greater interest in religion than any other country in the world. Now, the US may not practice religion as much as others, but a lot of things in our society, economy, and political field deal with religion - especially in the fields of Creation Science, Theology, Logic, and Philosophy. James Madison once said, "Religion flourishes in greater purity, without the aid of the government." He was correct - for example, if you are trying to start a group for something, if you have an outside force that hinders growth, how then could it be beneficial? Several ways. Private schools provide courses in English, Social Studies, Science, Math, Foreign Language, and lastly, Biblical Principles and Doctrine.

Schools like St. Mary's are supported (in part) by public money from local, state, and federal governments. Local money pays for things such as bus rides to and from, federal funds pay for schoolbooks and money for remedial teachers for children who require more help. In one state, upwards of $10 Million alone is given to private schools, most of them church related, but not all. Understand that federal funds are used by religious schools to cover the costs of secular courses, and not religious courses. Now, Accomodists tend to argue that if the Government does not provide religious institutions with the funds that they need to survive, it will jeopardize the religious freedom of thousands, if not millions, of Americans, since a church's school is a vital part of the ministry.

Separatists argue that every dollar that is spend on religious education is a dollar lost from public education. They emphasize the 1st Amendment's opening words, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, whereas Accomodists emphasize the second clause, "or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Now, what of taxes? Local, state, and federal tax laws are designed in such a way that educational institutions such as schools and colleges are exempt from local property taxes. Churches are tax-exempt. Even charities, such as the Red Cross, are not subject to income tax. In a recent estimate, the United States has upwards of $80 Billion worth of untaxed church property. Some people have misused this tax-exemption, and even Christian leaders question the tax exemptions, hoping it will not lead to a riot against churches.

Church and the Medical field have often intersected as well. In July of 1980, 33-year old Charles Williams was shot in Detroit, Michigan, while cleaning paint brushes. Williams was rushed to a hospital, but less than seven hours later, even though his doctor had said there was a 90% chance of survival, Williams was dead. He had refused a blood transfusion based on his beliefs as a Jehovah's Witness, quoting Acts 15:20.

Acts 15:20 says, "Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood." Nowhere does it say you may not be given a blood transfusion to survive. The man who shot Williams got three years in prison for "careless and reckless use of a firearm," and was charged as such because the shot itself was not what killed Williams, it was because he refused blood transfusion. Is it moral for doctors to adhere to a patient's religious convictions when a life is in danger?

Take this for example: there is a two-year old with cancer. The patient's parents religious ideals do not allow them to receive medical care, and they do not believe he ought to receive it. Supposedly, Doctors could take the parents to court and gain temporary custody to treat the child, due to their "moral right," and if the parents refused and no action was taken the parents could be sued or even jailed for what could be perceived as murder - this is where rights come into conflict.

School seems to have the same issue. Christian students continue to lobby for the ability to pray freely and openly as they choose. Creationists say that Creation should be taught along with Evolution, so that the students may decide for themselves. However, again, rights come into play: some religious organizations do not even allow their children to pledge or salute to the American Flag. In the 1930's-1940's, this led to many court cases involving the Jehovah's Witnesses. The 1943 court decision allowed that no one had or has the right to force students to publicly display patriotism, especially the Pledge to the Flag. The same applies with military service, people who are religious cannot be forced (in the US) due to a decision of the Supreme Court. If people do not want to use, for example, birth control, that is their right. However, under the 1st Amendment, they do not have the right to compel others to do the same.

Most people assume that life is better in modern time because we are all connected. But is it? We see wives and children no longer submitting and obeying, we see Divorce, adultery, drug abuse, unmarried mothers, illicit sex, and ever-increasing violence. Court cases between religion and abortion, homosexuality, contraception, sex ed, evolution, and others, continue even to this day. 350 years ago, Roger William's experiment had protected the men and women of all religions. The adoption of the 1st Amendment liberated the Government from the laws of the former colonies, and to this day, no one church dominates the United States politically. Is it good that church and state are connected in many areas?

Laws that protect the rights of workers, including child labor laws, owe a great deal to religious groups, as do social service programs, slum clearance projects, educational programs, and the improved treatment of criminals and the insane. Our Constitution and the Bill of Rights do not forbid us to bring our religious ideals upon the affairs of the state, and from time to time, individuals use that to their advantage.

I trust this two-part series on the topic of the Separation of Church and State has provided the American reader with useful information, and the foreign reader with some insight into the U.S. Government. Take care, and may God bless you. Troy Hillman

Previous Entry: "God and Government: The Separation of Church and State (Part One)"