Whether
religious love can be expressed in similar terms to
interpersonal love is a matter for philosophical debate. Religious '
loveLove is any of a number of emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong affection and attachment. The word love can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes, ranging from generic pleasure to intense interpersonal attraction...
' might be considered a euphemistic term, more closely describing feelings of deference or
acquiescenceAcquiescence is a legal term used to describe an act of a person in knowingly standing by without raising any objection to infringement of his rights, when someone else is unknowingly and honestly putting in his resources under the impression that the said rights actually belong to him...
. Christians use the term love to express the
devotionDevotion, devotional, or devotee may refer to:Religion:* General** worship** prayer** devotional song* Christian** Anglican devotions** Catholic devotions***Devotional medal...
the follower has to God. This love can be expressed by
prayerPrayer is the act of addressing a god or spirit for the purpose of worship or petition. Specific forms of this may include praise, requesting guidance or assistance, confessing sins, as an act of reparation or an expression of one's thoughts and emotions...
, service, good deeds, and personal
sacrificeSacrifice is commonly known as the practice of offering food, objects , or the lives of animals or people to the gods as an act of propitiation or worship...
. Reciprocally, God loves all of creation.
Whether
religious love can be expressed in similar terms to
interpersonal love is a matter for philosophical debate. Religious '
loveLove is any of a number of emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong affection and attachment. The word love can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes, ranging from generic pleasure to intense interpersonal attraction...
' might be considered a euphemistic term, more closely describing feelings of deference or
acquiescenceAcquiescence is a legal term used to describe an act of a person in knowingly standing by without raising any objection to infringement of his rights, when someone else is unknowingly and honestly putting in his resources under the impression that the said rights actually belong to him...
. Christians use the term love to express the
devotionDevotion, devotional, or devotee may refer to:Religion:* General** worship** prayer** devotional song* Christian** Anglican devotions** Catholic devotions***Devotional medal...
the follower has to God. This love can be expressed by
prayerPrayer is the act of addressing a god or spirit for the purpose of worship or petition. Specific forms of this may include praise, requesting guidance or assistance, confessing sins, as an act of reparation or an expression of one's thoughts and emotions...
, service, good deeds, and personal
sacrificeSacrifice is commonly known as the practice of offering food, objects , or the lives of animals or people to the gods as an act of propitiation or worship...
. Reciprocally, God loves all of creation. But, with "religious" love there comes many interpretations.
Bahá'í
Bahá'u'lláhBahá'u'lláh , born Mírzá usayn-`Alí Nuri , was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith...
, founder of the
Bahá'í FaithThe Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in nineteenth-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories.The Bahá'í Faith teaches a doctrine of...
, taught that God created humans due to his love for them, and thus humans should in turn love
GodGod is a deity in theistic and deistic religions and other belief systems, representing either the sole deity in monotheism, or a principal deity in polytheism....
.
`Abdu'l-Bahá‘Abdu’l-Bahá , born `Abbás Effendí, was the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith...
, Bahá'u'lláh's son, wrote that love is the greatest power in the world of existence and the true source of eternal happiness. The
Bahá'í teachingsThe Bahá'í teachings represent a considerable number of theological, social, and spiritual ideas that were established in the Bahá'í Faith by its Central Figures...
state that all genuine love is divine, and that love proceeds from God and from humans. God's love is taught to be part of his own essence, and his love for his creatures gives them their material existence, divine grace and eternal life.
The Bahá'í teachings state that human love is directed towards both God and other humans; that the love of God attracts the individual toward God, by purifying the human heart and preparing it for the revelation of divine grace. Thus through the love of God, humans become transformed and become self-
sacrificingSacrifice is commonly known as the practice of offering food, objects , or the lives of animals or people to the gods as an act of propitiation or worship...
. It is also stated that true love for other humans occurs when people see the beauty of God in other people's
soulThe soul, in many religions, spiritual traditions, and philosophies, is the spiritual and eternal part of a living being, commonly held to be separable in existence from the body; distinct from the physical part. It is typically thought to consist of ones consciousness and personality, and can be...
s. The Bahá'í teachings state that Bahá'ís should love all humans regardless of religion, race or community, and also should love their enemies.
Buddhist
In
BuddhismBuddhism, as traditionally conceived, is a path of salvation attained through insight into the ultimate nature of reality. It encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha...
,
KāmaKāma is pleasure, sensual gratification, sexual fulfillment, pleasure of the senses, desire, eros, the aesthetic enjoyment of life in Sanskrit. In Hinduism, kāma is regarded as the third of the four goals of life : the others are duty , worldly status and salvation...
is sensuous, sexual love. The vast majority believe it to be an obstacle on the path to enlightenment, perceiving it as selfish, but some sects of Buddhism, such as Tantra, believe that sex can be used as a tool to achieve enlightenment.
KarunāKaruā is generally translated as "compassion" or "pity". It is part of the spiritual path of both Buddhism and Jainism.-Buddhism:...
is compassion and mercy, which reduces the suffering of others. It is complementary to wisdom, and is necessary for enlightenment.
Advesa and
maitrīMettā or maitrī has been translated as "loving-kindness," "friendliness," "benevolence," "amity," "friendship," "good will," "kindness," "love," "sympathy," and "active interest in others." It is one of the ten pāramitās of the Theravāda school of Buddhism, and the first of the four Brahmavihāras...
are benevolent love. This love is unconditional and requires considerable self-acceptance. This is quite different from the ordinary love, which is usually about attachment and sex, which rarely occur without self-interest. Instead, in Buddhism it refers to detachment and unselfish interest in others' welfare.
The Bodhisattva ideal in Tibetan Buddhism involves the complete renunciation of oneself in order to take on the burden of a suffering world. The strongest motivation one has in order to take the path of the Bodhisattva is the idea of salvation within unselfish love for others.
Christian
Most Christians also believe that God is the source and essence of love, "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1 John 4:8 NIV)
Most Christians believe that the greatest commandment is "thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment"; in addition to the second, "thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself", these are what Jesus Christ called the two greatest commandments (see Mark 12:28–34, Luke 10:25–28, Matthew 22:37–39, Matthew 7:12; cf. Deuteronomy 6:5, Deuteronomy 11:13, Deuteronomy 11:22, Leviticus 19:18, Leviticus 19:34). See also Ministry of Jesus#General Ethics.
In the
Gospel of JohnThe Gospel of John , is the last of the four canonical gospels. This non synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth...
, Jesus said: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my
disciplesIn the History of Christianity, the disciples were the students of Jesus during his ministry. While Jesus attracted a large following, the term disciple is commonly used to refer specifically to "the Twelve", an inner circle of men whose number perhaps represented the twelve tribes of Israel...
, if you love one another." (NIV, John 13:34–35; cf. John 15:17). Jesus also taught "Love your enemies." (Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:27).
The
New TestamentThe New Testament is the name given to the second major division of the Christian Bible, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament, both terms being associated with Supersessionism...
, which was written in Greek, only used two Greek words for love:
agapēAgape is one of several Greek words translated into English as love. Many have thought that this word represents divine, unconditional, self-sacrificing, active, volitional, and thoughtful love...
and
philiaPhilia is one of the four ancient Greek words for love.Philia in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics is usually translated as 'friendship', though in fact his use of the term is rather broader than that...
. However, there are several
Greek words for loveThere are several Greek words for love, as the Greek language distinguishes how the word Ancient Greek has four distinct words for love: agape, eros, philia, and storgē. However, as with other languages, it has been historically difficult to separate the meanings of these words...
.
- Agapē. In the New Testament, agapē
Agape is one of several Greek words translated into English as love. Many have thought that this word represents divine, unconditional, self-sacrificing, active, volitional, and thoughtful love...
is charitable, selfless, altruistic, and unconditional. It is parental love seen as creating goodness in the world, it is the way God is seen to love humanity, and it is seen as the kind of love that Christians aspire to have for others.
- Philia. Also used in the New Testament
The New Testament is the name given to the second major division of the Christian Bible, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament, both terms being associated with Supersessionism...
, philiaPhilia is one of the four ancient Greek words for love.Philia in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics is usually translated as 'friendship', though in fact his use of the term is rather broader than that...
is a human response to something that is found to be delightful. Also known as "brotherly love".
- Eros
Eros is passionate love, with sensual desire and longing. The Modern Greek word "erotas" means " love". The term erotic is derived from eros.-Eros in the Greco-Roman tradition:...
(sexual love) is never used in the New Testament but is more prominent in the Old Testament.
- Storge
Storge is the Greek word for natural affection, which applies to familial love—such as the love of a parent toward a child...
(needy child-to-parent love) only appears in the compound word philostorgos (Rom 12:10).
Saint PaulPaul of Tarsus, also called Paul the Apostle, the Apostle Paul, or Saint Paul, Paul of Tarsus, also called Paul the Apostle, the Apostle Paul, or Saint Paul, Paul of Tarsus, also called Paul the Apostle, the Apostle Paul, or Saint Paul, ...
glorifies
agapē in the quote above from 1 Corinthians 13, and as the most important virtue of all: "Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away." (13:8 NIV).
Christians believe that because of
GodGod is a deity in theistic and deistic religions and other belief systems, representing either the sole deity in monotheism, or a principal deity in polytheism....
's
agapē for humanity he sacrificed his son for them.
John the ApostleJohn the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of James, another of the Twelve Apostles....
wrote, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." (
JohnThe Gospel of John , is the last of the four canonical gospels. This non synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth...
3:16–17 KJV)
In
Works of LoveWorks of Love is a work by Søren Kierkegaard written in 1847. It deals primarily with the Christian conception of agape love in contrast with erotic love or preferential love given to friends and family...
(1847), Soren Kierkegaard, a philosopher, claimed that Christianity is unique because love is a
requirement.
Hindu
In Hinduism
kāmaKāma is pleasure, sensual gratification, sexual fulfillment, pleasure of the senses, desire, eros, the aesthetic enjoyment of life in Sanskrit. In Hinduism, kāma is regarded as the third of the four goals of life : the others are duty , worldly status and salvation...
is pleasurable, sexual love, personified by the god Kama. For many Hindu schools it is the third end in life.
In contrast to
kāma,
premaPrema may refer to:*Prema - actress in the Kannada Film Industry*Prema - in Hinduism the quality of holy and pure love*Prema - British recording artiste...
or
prem refers to elevated love. Love in Hinduism is sacrament. It preaches that one gives up selfishness and love without expecting anything in return.
KarunaKaruā is generally translated as "compassion" or "pity". It is part of the spiritual path of both Buddhism and Jainism.-Buddhism:...
is compassion and mercy, which reduces the suffering of others.
Jewish
In
HebrewHebrew is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Culturally, it is considered a Jewish language. Hebrew in its modern form is spoken by more than seven million people in Israel while Classical Hebrew has been used for prayer or study in Jewish communities around the world for over...
AhavaAhava may refer to:* Hebrew word for love * Ahava , a cosmeceutical company based in Israel that manufactures skin-care products from the Dead Sea.* Ahava in Kiryat Bialik...
is the most Commonly used term for both interpersonal love and love of God. Other related but dissimilar terms are
chen] (grace) and
chesedChesed is the fourth Sephirah on the tree of life in the Kabbalah of Judaism. It is given the association of kindness and love, and is the first of the emotive attributes of the Sephirot.-Position:...
, which basically combines the meaning of "affection" and "compassion" and is sometimes rendered in English as "loving-kindness".
As for love between marital partners, this is deemed an essential ingredient to life: "See life with the wife you love" (
EcclesiastesEcclesiastes is a book of the Hebrew Bible...
9:9). The Biblical book
Song of SongsThe Song of Songs , is a book of the Hebrew Bible—Tanakh or Old Testament—one of the five megillot...
is a considered a romantically-phrased metaphor of love between God and his people, but in its plain reading reads like a love song.
Mythology
Different cultures have deified love, typically in both male and female form. Even though in monotheistic religions, the God is considered to represent love, there are often
angelAngels are spiritual beings found in many religious traditions. They are broadly viewed as messengers of God, sent to do God's tasks. Traditions vary as to the precise nature and role of these messages and tasks...
s or similar beings that represent love as well. Here is a list of the gods and goddesses of love in different mythologies.
- Áine
Áine is an Irish goddess of love, summer, wealth and sovereignty. She is associated with the sun and midsummer, and is sometimes represented by a red mare. She is the daughter of Egobail, the sister of Aillen and/or Fennen, and is claimed as an ancestor by multiple Irish clans.Áine is strongly...
— goddess of fertility and passionate love in Irish mythologyThe mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branches of Celtic mythology...
- Amor
Amor, meaning love in many languages, may refer to:*Cupid, the Roman god of love also known by his Latin name Amor* 1221 Amor, an asteroid*Amor asteroid, a group of near-Earth asteroids named after 1221 Amor*Amor , a German car...
or CupidIn Roman mythology, Cupid is the god of erotic love and beauty. He is also known by another one of his Latin names, Amor...
— god of passionate love in Roman mythologyRoman mythology, or Latin mythology, refers to the mythological beliefs of the Italic people inhabiting the region of Latium and its main city, Ancient Rome. It can be considered as having two parts; One part, largely later and literary, consists of borrowings from Greek mythology...
- Antheia
Antheia was one of the Charites, or Graces, of Greek mythology and "was the goddess of flowers and flowery wreaths worn at festivals and parties." Her name is derived from the Ancient Greek word anthos, meaning flower, and she was depicted on vases as an attendant of Aphrodite with other Charites....
— goddess in Crete mythology of love, flowers, gardens, and marshes
- Aonghus or Aengus— god of beauty, youth, and sensual love in Irish mythology
- Aphrodite
Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty and raw sexuality. According to Greek poet Hesiod, she was born when Cronus cut off Ouranos's genitals and threw them into the sea, and from the aphros arose Aphrodite.Because of her beauty other gods feared that jealousy would interrupt the peace...
— goddess of beauty and passionate love in Greek mythologyGreek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
- Astarte
Astarte or Ashtart is the Greek form of the name of a goddess as known from Northwestern Semitic regions, cognate in name, origin and functions with the goddess Ishtar in Mesopotamian texts...
— goddess of love in Canaanite mythogy
- Eros — god of passionate love in Greek mythology
- Freyja — goddess of love, fertility and war in Norse mythology
Norse, North Germanic, or Scandinavian mythology comprises the myths of North Germanic pre-Christian religion.Most of the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled in medieval Iceland in Old Norse, notably as the Edda....
- Inanna
Inanna is the Sumerian goddess of sexual love, fertility, and warfare.Alternative Sumerian names include Innin, Ennin, Ninnin, Ninni, Ninanna, Ninnar, Innina, Ennina, Irnina, Innini, Nana and Nin, commonly derived from an earlier Nin-ana "lady of the sky", although Gelb...
— goddess of sexual love in Sumerian mythology
- Ishtar
Ishtar is the Assyrian and Babylonian counterpart to the Sumerian Inanna and to the cognate northwest Semitic goddess Astarte.-Characteristics:Ishtar is a goddess of fertility, love, war, and sex...
— goddess of love and war in Babylonian mythologyBabylonian mythology is a set of stories depicting the activities of Babylonian deities, heroes, and mythological creatures. While these stories are in modern times usually considered a component of Babylonian religion, their purpose was not necessarily religious in nature...
- Kama — god of sensual love in Hindu mythology
Hindu mythology is the large body of traditional narratives related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and the Puranas. As such, it is a subset of Indian mythology...
- Mihr — spirit of love in Persian mythology
By Persian mythology is meant the myths and sacred narratives of the culturally and linguistically related group of ancient peoples who inhabited the Iranian Plateau and its borderlands, as well as areas of Central Asia from the Black Sea to Khotan...
- Rati
In Hinduism, Rati is the goddess of passion and lust, and a daughter of Daksha. She married Kāma, the god of love.-Further reading:...
— goddess of passionate love in Hindu mythology
- Venus
Venus was a major Roman goddess principally associated with love, beauty and fertility, who played a key role in many Roman religious festivals and myths. From the third century BC, the increasing Hellenization of Roman upper classes identified her as the equivalent of the Greek goddess...
— goddess of beauty and passionate love in Roman mythology
- Xochipilli
thumb|300px|right| Image of Xochipilli.Xochipilli was the god of art, Sports, Music, dance, flowers, maize, and song in Aztec mythology. His name contains the Nahuatl words xochitl and pilli , and hence means "flower prince"...
— god in Aztec mythologyThe Aztec civilization recognized a polytheistic mythology, which contained the many deities Lords or Gods and supernatural creatures from their religious beliefs.- History :...
This philosophy/religion originated in New Zealand from David John de Cleene, the founder of The Positive Energy Company, a not for profit organisation whose purpose is to unite mankind as one using positive energy and Love.
External links