Thanks! And well said, Ellis.

By the way, I have been on line, and writing in forums like this since 1997. Long ago, I learned to welcome all responses--positive, negative or otherwise--as opportunities for me to learn how to take all comments and, in return, to write a fair-minded response based on the principle of agape-love and the Golden Rule.

Ellis I assume that by now you know what I have in mind when I say there are three basic kinds of love: soma-based eros-love; psyche-based philia-love and pneuma-based agape-love. If not, let's have a dialogue.

I have no problem admitting that--as a young student of general arts and theology ( www.mta.ca 1947-1951)--when I was first introduced to the study of New Testament Greek (and I still refer to my Greek NT when I need to) it was a real eye-opener for me to discover that, in Greek, there are, as I point out above, at least three words for 'love'--a word so loosely used in common English.

DO NOT CONFUSE AGAPE WITH PHILIA AND EROS
Take a look at the following phrases: The Bible says,"God is love" (1 John 4); "...love the Lord God...your neighbour, yourself...your enemies--from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount--Matt. 5-7. I can also say: I love my dog, cat, food, etc.; I love my wife, family, children, my country, my city, mother earth; I love to fight, to get revenge, to hate and even to kill; I love fast cars; I love to make love, and the like.

Surely 'love' cannot possible mean the same thing in all phrases, agreed?

In my opinion, agape-love (the Greek is agape) is a very special kind of love. Anyone: What is its special meaning?




Last edited by Revlgking; 09/08/11 08:41 PM. Reason: Always a good idea!

G~O~D--Now & ForeverIS:Nature, Nurture & PNEUMA-ture, Thanks to Warren Farr&ME AT www.unitheist.org