I have grown weary of hearing that “love is love” and we should just accept the phrase (and its ramifications) as it is. The use of the Bible to support the Alphabet People’s propaganda is even more tiresome. They glean passages from the NIV Bible and then wonder why some consider the argument false. The use of this propaganda has led to lesbian women presiding over the pulpit. This is unacceptable for many reasons, but the narrative and argument are built on a false premise.
Identity Dixie –
The Alphabet Peoples of the world have fundamentally distorted the relationship of love and God. I have heard the argument many times of, “How can you deny that these two individuals love one another? Would you deny them love?” This is usually followed up with the Bible verse, “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” (1 John 4:8 KJV). I will usually respond with something along the lines of adultery can be considered “love” under the same rules, but it is still a sin. There are several paths the conversation can take from there, but that is possibly for another article. There have been many arguments made for allowing sinful nature in the Church based on the misunderstanding of what love is.
I will admit that many of the statements regarding love and God in the Bible would confound me as a child, because I thought as a child. Even in my teens and early adulthood this bothered me. I could not understand how God created the flood and also the concept of love. When I became a father, I began to understand this concept on a much different level. As a father, it is my duty to correct my children, and this came from a place of love. Loving them is making sure they have what they need and not what they want. I didn’t stop loving my children because I punished them; I punished them because I loved them and needed to teach them how to behave. This small revelation alone starts to change one’s thinking of what love is.
The next two statements are the same passage in the Bible, but one is from the New International Version and the other from the King James Version. While they mean the same thing, they are not read or interpreted the same. This is the beginning of the issue:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 NIV
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil.
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 KJV
In Greek, there are many words that are approximate to the modern, English-version of “love.” “Agape” is brotherly love, fraternity, and charity. As Thomas Aquinas put it: to be good to one another. “Eros” is intimate love or the sexual feeling of love. “Phila” is love between equals or could also be considered respect. “Storge” is an indication of natural, familial love. “Philautia” is self-love or taking care of yourself. Finally, “xenia” is guest love or hospitality. None of these ancient terms mean a blanket expression of universal approval.
So, with six different words combined into one word, it is obvious that it can be misunderstood. Not to mention that the majority of the arguments from the Alphabet People equates love to a simple, ambiguous feeling, and not as a defined verb or noun. This is why their argument is false. This is the myth that they live under and the way they try to make others feel guilty for their nonacceptance.
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