Love Is God

I do not identify myself as Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, or Wiccan.  I do not consider myself a Taoist, Pagan, Buddhist, or part of any other widely recognized religion.  That said, I do share many of their beliefs.  I believe in a higher power, because I cannot look at all the beauty inherent in and beyond our world and think that it came about purely by mathematical chance.  I believe that we are all connected in a basic, primal, and Divine way.  I believe in the power of the mind to influence change in the world, whether this practice is explained as magic, prayer, or exploiting quantum physics.  I believe that we are capable of ascending to a higher form of existence, and also capable of returning again to physical bodies either by choice or because we have not learned all that we needed to learn.


Mostly, however, I believe in Love.  Not in a 60's, lust-driven "free love" sense.  I believe in the message of love delivered by Jesus, Muhammad, and other wise people of the past, that "Golden Rule" of so many faiths that we must love others as we love ourselves.  "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."  "That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow."  I also believe that Love itself is a higher power, and is our direct connection to Divinity.  In the words of Victor Hugo, "To love another person is to see the face of God." Through Love all things are possible.


Love takes many forms in our lives, but for the most part I have found that there are two major subcategories of Love : Affectionate and Compassionate.


Affectionate Love encompasses familial love, friendship, and romantic love, while Compassionate Love encompasses forgiveness, the love of strangers, and even the love of enemies.  Both of these are part of a third, greater type of love, often called Unconditional or Divine Love.  This is love which demands nothing in return.


Most often we give love out of a desire or need to receive it.  Even Compassionate Love, which includes charity, can be tainted with selfishness.  It makes you feel good about yourself to be charitable towards others, and so you gain a benefit.  Perhaps the closest thing in this world to Divine Love is the love between a mother and her child, as mothers in particular often endure a great deal of punishment without commensurate reward or compensation.


The problem with Love is that it lacks that certain intimidating authority.  The thought of an all-powerful, possibly wrathful deity is a bit more motivating for those types of people who cannot see the inherent benefits to a compassionate global society.  Those who are blinded by base desires do not consider how their actions affect others, but see only themselves.  The thought of eternal torment, then, is seen as something which affects them personally.


But all of this is simply symbolism and metaphor.  Those of us who recognize the inherent value and goodness of Love, and understand the Divine connection shared by every being, are going to behave compassionately for Love's sake.  They will continue to act this way, and attempt to correct any errant behavior, because they understand that to act without compassion harms not just one person, but all of society, including themselves.  In Matthew 25:40, where it says, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me," this is the message being conveyed.