Quote from: Sarahli on February 14, 2012, 01:35:31 PMSorry bec, I had no intention to offend you or anyone else who is an atheist. I base my knowledge on this scriptural verse:
New International Version (©1984)
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
1John 4:16
We can say that this is simply what people who believe in God accept and experience -- a point of view. I am not minimising your understanding of "Love". I say this in all humility and with due respect.
P.S: The word "God" to me represents that magnificent, benevolent, gracious, merciful, and compassionate "force" or "energy" that is omnipresent and omniscient in our Cosmos.
It's interesting that from my perspective, the verse says the exact opposite of the popular adage you posted.
The verse says to me, Know Love, Know God. No Love, no God// which is worlds apart in meaning from the conventional accepted interpretation.
I know you didn't make up the saying, it's a popular one among Christians, but now that I know the verse it refers to, it seems another example of scripture being twisted and tainted to extract exclusionary and segregating interpretations, elevating Christians above all other peoples.
Because the popular version, that you posted, says to me that if you don't accept God, you are bad. The scripture says to me that if you know love, you already know God, just like that, because the emotion you feel when you feel love is God's love coming from within you.
Anyway, that's just my impression of it all. Again, for whatever it is worth.
