christianity: I think there is a tendency in christian

quick for a turtle (

nobleprolet) wrote in

christianity,
@ 2008-03-26 16:58:00

I think there is a tendency in christianity to believe that what is holy, is to be feared. But that is utterly wrong. What is holy, is to be loved. Really and wholeheartedly loved. Do you have affection for your mother? For your father? Are you one of those who love their parents deeply and joyfully and from the heart? That is the kind of love you need to have for what is holy. The holy Lord, the holy scriptures, the holiness of the holy sacraments. These things come straight from the heart of God, to guide us on our ways and to help us. That's why we must love these things. Only this kind of love is the right one, because it wholeheartedly trusts. And without trust it's impossible to please God.

Like the song goes, "Holy Holy Holy ... I want to see you". We must want to see God. And if we get pure of heart, we will see Him, like Jesus foretells. And your conscience will never be quite at peace until you have seen God and found real love for Him, and strong faith.

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	martiancyclist 2008-03-26 04:57 pm UTC (link)
	Much of this fear is really being careful to not treat God casually. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	forensicgirl 2008-03-26 05:00 pm UTC (link)
	But that sounds more like respect to me. Hmm. shrug (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	martiancyclist 2008-03-26 05:01 pm UTC (link)
	There's a lot of overlap in terminology. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	forensicgirl 2008-03-26 05:06 pm UTC (link)
	This is true. Being a lover of language, I try to be a specific as possible just to keep everything clear; but there is often overlap, as you say. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	lordhellebore 2008-03-26 06:26 pm UTC (link)
	German has a wonderful word for that: Ehrfurcht. It translates as awe or reverence, but it conveys that mixture of respect and fear better than those words, because it's a compound of Ehre/ehren (honour) and Furcht (fear). (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	forensicgirl 2008-03-26 09:28 pm UTC (link)
	That's neat! Although to be honest, I don't really fear God, but I see what you mean about the essence of the word. Honour is slightly different than respect-they overlap, but vary slightly. I would like to learn German some day. Part of my family is from there and we have all these old papers that none of us can read. :( (Reply to this)(Parent)

	theendless 2008-03-27 10:00 am UTC (link)
	That's actually how I usually understand it when I read the Bible. Sadly English doesn't seem to have adopted that word. :( (Reply to this)(Parent)

	nobleprolet 2008-03-27 05:52 am UTC (link)
	You're right with that. Very good attitude. Still, God wants to make us happy. Holiness is no obstacle on that path. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	forensicgirl 2008-03-26 05:03 pm UTC (link)
	What is holy, is to be loved. Really and wholeheartedly loved. Do you have affection for your mother? For your father? Are you one of those who love their parents deeply and joyfully and from the heart? That is the kind of love you need to have for what is holy. I agree. I've never seen God as someone to be feared, but I love and respect Him. (Reply to this)

	anitra 2008-03-26 05:10 pm UTC (link)
	I don't think the holiness of God is what causes us to love him. Part of the root of the word "holy" is to indicate something completely "other" and alien from us. Which is not to say God is not to be loved and embraced - He is; but His holiness, his alienness, is what causes us to fear/respect and obey Him. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	chaeri 2008-03-27 04:35 am UTC (link)
	hm, for me, i do what he says because he loves me. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	nobleprolet 2008-03-27 05:54 am UTC (link)
	That's why I love Jesus so much. He is this alien God, but He is also human. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	flipao_maria 2008-03-26 06:16 pm UTC (link)
	God's holiness causes us to fear him, while our love for God and God's love for us calls us into holiness. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	catholic_heart 2008-03-26 07:40 pm UTC (link)
	That's a really great way of stating it :) (Reply to this)(Parent)

	christianblog 2008-03-26 07:06 pm UTC (link)
	Yes - to revere and cherish and trust and love. Beautiful, Daniel. We love with a worship and a reverence - everything that is beautiful and lovely - the beauty of holiness. And the beautiful, beautiful person of Godde. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	revdav 2008-03-26 08:06 pm UTC (link)
	amen (Reply to this)(Parent)

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