Love Of God Research Articles

Spinoza on blessedness for human beings: Possible for a few, but not for the whole human species

Steven Nadler has written an insightful paper on ‘Spinoza and Maimonides on Human Perfection and the Love of God’, in which he analyses the differences and similarities between Spinoza and Maimonides related to the suggested themes, and he argues that becoming blessed is possible. Nadler does not, however, say much about whether blessedness is possible for a few or the whole human species. I argue, though, that pursuing blessedness is hard work and that only a few, if any, seem to engage or are being enabled to engage in the pursuit of becoming blessed, that is, in striving for the highest possible good, namely, the intellectual love of God or Nature. I begin by showing what humans’ typical potentials and limitations are with respect to achieving perfection, according to Spinoza. I also show that that we cannot achieve perfection: at least not in the same sense as God or Nature. In the second part I show what we as human beings have to do in order to engage ourselves in the pursuit of becoming blessed. In the final part I discuss some current conditions for education which does not in-themselves make it possible to become blessed in education, and put forward some ideas of what can be done in education in order for those concerned to strive to become blessed.

Contribution of Local Content Learning in Preserving Kajang Tribe Culture : Phenomenological Study

This research aims to accumulate the concept of formal education in encouraging and maintaining the existence of the Kajang tribe's cultural traditions. The research approach used is a qualitative with a phenomenological method. The informants in this study were the Kajang tribal leaders, the community, parents of students, and teachers of SDN 351 Kawasan Amma Toa. Data collection techniques used were through observation, interviews and documents. The data obtained were then analyzed through three stages, namely data reduction, data presentation and drawing conclusions. The results of the research show that "Pasang Ri Kajang" or noble values implemented in local content learning from the local wisdom of the Kajang tribal community are: 1) Love for God and the universe and its contents, 2) Responsibility, discipline and independence, 3) Honest, 4) Obey applicable rules and be polite, 5) Care about the environment, 6) Work hard in nature conservation, 7) Justice, 8) Be humble, 9) Love peace and unity. The integration of local wisdom values in learning will be in accordance with the existing environment experienced by students so that students will be more motivated in learning so that it will have an impact on preserving Kajang tribal culture.

How Can Humans Attain a Harmonious Cosmic Order? Max Scheler’s Insights into Religious Experience in the Middle Period

This paper critically examines Scheler’s mid-period religious theory, focusing on his pursuit of a harmonious cosmic order and religious experience by integrating Catholic theology and phenomenology. The argument has four key stages. First, I argue that the realization of this cosmic order, which enables communion with both the cosmos and God, relies on three elements: spiritual intuition, love, and faith in God’s reality. Second, I contend that these elements, in turn, originate from God’s self-revelation and divine love, which establish a bidirectional relationship between humanity and God. Third, I demonstrate that this mutuality is deepened through Scheler’s dual-layered cosmic order, which employs analogy and phenomenological intuition to distinguish between the microcosm and the macrocosm. Finally, I identify two critical limitations in Scheler’s framework: his oversimplification of the divine–human asymmetry through analogy and his insufficient treatment of the origins of evil. Therefore, while Scheler’s synthesis offers valuable insights, it necessitates the further exploration of metaphysical and religious questions, particularly those concerning divine transcendence and the nature of evil.

Pascal’s Trinitarian Counter-Anthropology

Pascal’s discussion of the human person, one which may be considered existential in nature, continues to be a prominent topic in philosophical and theological circles today. It is clear to many that Pascal espouses different notions of the human person, which can be divided into two, namely (a) considered “as and by himself, without God,” and (b) with belief in God. Given this dual anthropology that stems from Pascal’s apologetic project in the Pensées, this paper proposes to extend this understanding in relation to the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, something that Pascal only passes over in his Pensées but is rich with meaning and interpretation. Through the help of an anthropology that is grounded in the Trinity, thus as a theological proposition, the paper hopes to gain a greater understanding of Pascal’s apologetic by mapping out his counter-anthropology, that is, a life lived in the love of God and within the so-called order of charity.

Spinoza and Maimonides on human perfection and the love of God

Part Five of Spinoza’s Ethics includes a notoriously challenging set of propositions about human perfection. Part of the difficulty in interpreting these elements of the work arises from neglecting important philosophical background for the relevant propositions, namely, medieval Jewish rationalism and Maimonides in particular. Spinoza was well acquainted with Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexted as well as his halakhic or legal writings. For both Spinoza and Maimonides (who, in turn, is a good Aristotelian on this matter), human perfection is essentially a cognitive matter, albeit one with an affective component, whereby the highest good for a human being consists in the superb and joyful intellectual condition that is the knowledge and love of God. My goal in this essay, then, is to see whether any light can be thrown on Spinoza’s views on this topic by considering them through a Maimonidean lens.

Perceptions of Self-Love Among Orthodox Christians: Clinical and Pastoral Implications

AbstractUsing an interdisciplinary, empirical perspective, the study explored Orthodox Christians’ perceptions of self-love and its relationship to love of neighbour, love of God and self-sacrifice. Three scales with good reliability were designed and used with 153 Orthodox Christian adults. The main results obtained are as follows: Orthodox Christians have positive perceptions of self-love – they do not see it as a passion or sin as it is described in Christian ascetic literature; they appreciate the importance and benefits of self-love when they perceive it as a separate reality from the love of neighbour and the love of God; some of them have negative or unclear perceptions on the relationship between self-love, love of neighbour and love of God. In this last respect the empirical results of the study contradict important philosophical and theological views. In the study, less than one-quarter of the Orthodox Christians scored high in practising healthy self-love and agreed that self-love can coexist with self-sacrifice in a certain dose or balance. The clinical and pastoral implications of the findings are discussed, and practical suggestions for intervention are proposed.

Beyond Empathy; Love. Person and Otherness in the Thought of Edith Stein

Debating the nature of social cognition, there has been an upsurge in studies on empathy since the turn of the century. The contribution of Edith Stein’s doctoral dissertation On Empathy has also been brought to the forefront. In her philosophy, there is a continuous concern for the questions of social relations and human community, the explorations of the human person and its unfolding in the encounter with otherness being a leading thread in her work. Still, after her dissertation, the notion of empathy is no longer in use. What does this signify? I propose that the notion of ‘empathy’ proved to be too restrained for what Stein discovers and wants to phenomenologically describe. After her conversion to the Christian faith, working in the intersection of philosophy and theology, she expands and transforms her notion of what it means to be a person and, correspondingly, her intuition of the social relation. In the interpretative readings of this article, I show how Edith Stein’s early intuitions on empathy, alterity, and personhood come to full development in her later writings, where the relation to otherness and the unfolding of the person are conceived as inseparable from the experience of a loving God.

Covenantal Care: Nursing with God's Love and Justice.

With resources stretched thin and the growing risk of compassion fatigue, faith beliefs can offer enriching perspectives for nurses. Covenantal care is a nursing approach rooted in theological insights about humanity's inherent purpose to engage in relationship with God and actively participate in acts of love and justice. Based upon interpretations of Judeo-Christian teachings of imago Dei and God's covenant with humankind, this approach provides guidance for the nurse to care for self, patients, and the wider community. This exploration of theology-in-practice provides an orientating ethos for nurses that reflects the loving, restorative, and dignified care that is at the heart of the Christian faith.

DIGERAKKAN OLEH KASIH KRISTUS: KHARISMA DAN SPIRITUALITAS SANTO VINSENSIUS DALAM KARYA PENDIDIKAN

The purpose of this study is to explore the charism and spirituality of Saint Vincent de Paul to be implemented in teaching and learning in schools. Saint Vincent was moved by the love of God to love Him through the service to poor. Loving God and loving others who are poor and suffering are an inseparable unity. Saint Vincent's spirituality must also animate his followers in educational work. Vincentian schools educate students to love the poor. The researcher explores the charism and spirituality of Saint Vincent and its implementation in educational work. Through observations, interviews and focus group discussions among the coaches, supervisors, administrators of the Lazaris Foundation, the researchers concluded that the main values ​​(core values) that are fostered in Vincentian schools are compassion, competence, and Vincentian virtues. It is expected that this research would be a meaningful reference for the relevant researchers, stakeholders, and educational practitioner who wants to implement vincentian values in teaching and learning process in schools.

Caring for Creation in Julian of Norwich's Parable of the Lord and Servant

Abstract: This essay expands upon the ecological implications of Julian's theology by arguing that her parable of the lord and servant exemplifies the call in Genesis 2:15 to cultivate and tend to Earth and all fleshly creatures. In conversation with present-day ecological theologies, I contend that Julian's example re-presents Genesis's theological claim that love of God is embodied by care for Earth and neighbor. When human persons are inhibited from laboring in the garden, they suffer from isolation and fall prey to despair. Julian's Revelation offers a spiritual resource to motivate ecological conversion, as Pope Francis urges in Laudato Si' .

The Silence of God and the Witness of the Christian Soldier through Kenosis

The moral status of soldiers as agent-instruments of polities has been long debated among Christians. Recognizing soldiers’ moral vulnerability, Stanley Hauerwas has argued for a pastoral rather than a missiological shape of what Oliver O’Donovan has called evangelical counter-praxis through a Christian’s participation in war. To reframe the complications of this dilemma, this essay argues that the Christian soldier has the potential to actively witness the love of Jesus Christ through a kenotic repudiation of one’s unwillingness to kill. Through an interpretation of Shusaku Endo’s novel Silence, a correspondence between the Christian soldier and the apostate-cum-martyr Fr. Rodrigues is arguable through an act of paradoxical faith in Jesus, where killing the enemy becomes an imitation of his self-emptying on the cross for the sake of others. Christian soldiers may find self-understanding, healing, and forgiveness by naming their acts truthfully with the intention to move through confession to gratitude and a deeper love for God and neighbor.

Antiochian Orthodox Liturgy and Formation of Young Adults: Union with the Lord

This practical theological study considers what the participation of young adults in the Antiochian Orthodox liturgy in Lebanon means for their formation. We distinguish four formational categories: (1) formation through liturgical rituals, (2) formation through education and coaching, (3) formation through the energies of God in the dimensions of beauty, peace, and protection, and (4) formation into liturgical lives. The first two categories demonstrate the mutuality of participation and formation. In the third category, the mystical tradition yields an affect, expressed by words such as beauty, peace, and protection. This affect points to the energies of God in which the young people long to participate. This received love of God in liturgy is shared (in a diaconal way) in daily life. However, this liturgical experience remains incomprehensible for those not properly initiated through the channels of youth movements or clubs.

MENYINGKAP CINTA KASIH ALLAH PASCA TRAGEDI SITUBONDO 10 OKTOBER 1996 DALAM PERSPEKTIF TEKS NABI YOЁL 2:23-27

This research examines the efforts to capture God's love after the tragedy of the Situbondo riots, East Java, on October 10, 1996. The people of Situbondo and even the whole of Indonesia were shocked by the destruction and burning of 24 churches in the Situbondo area. The destruction and burning of churches in Situbondo began with the trial of Mohammad Soleh (Muslim). Soleh was a young man accused of spreading heresy and insulting the Islamic teachings of K.H. As'sad Syamsul Arifin, who is highly respected by the people of Situbondo. The court verdict that was too light for the masses caused Situbondo to become a sea of fire. This research uses a qualitative approach with a literature study. The theoretical framework used is the story of the Prophet Joel in his letter (Yl 2:23-27) about God's love for the Israelites after experiencing various disasters and other supporting sources. The results showed that the value of love was realized through the initiative of the Christian community (both Catholics and Protestants) by building dialogue between the two camps, both the majority group (Islam) and the minority group so as to create a tolerant situation between the two and thus, the relationship that had been tenuous could be restored.

Mencintai Karena Allah dalam Perspektif Hadits

. In today's increasingly complex and diverse modern society, it is improtant to understand the role and meaning of love for god in the context of social, cultural, and everyday life. This study aims to discuss love for Allah in the perspective of hadith. This research uses a qualitative approach by applying the tematic method of hadith. The object of discussion in this study is the ethics and virtue of loving because of Allah which has been formulated based on the theme of hadith. The results. of research on this theme prove that the theme of hadith can be formulated within the framework of the theory of loving because of Allah in the perspective of hadith. In the discussion section, the researcher explains how the ethics of loving because of Allah and the virtue of loving because Allah of Allah take the essence of the sarah of the hadith. The conclusion of this study is that people who love everything because Allah yull get a great reward from Allah on the day of judgment and make a cause for getting.

Proclamatation, Pacifism and Resistance

For there to be a clear and convincing project of social and political transformation, people need to be for something, not simply against what they deplore, but the ability to imagine viable alternatives. It is necessary to imagine a future that makes resistance worthwhile, but that ability is lacking because we humans have forgotten who we are. Dietrich Bonhoeffer contends that the primary task for theology is to understand the world better than it understands itself, from the gospel and from Christ. At the heart of the gospel is the Sermon on the Mount, which he summarizes as “the proclamation of the incarnate love of God” that “calls people to love one another, and thus to reject everything that hinders fulfilling this task,” foremost among which is the failure to love one’s enemies and renounce violence. Together proclamation and pacificism provide the basis for a political theology for the church: the recapitulation of all creation in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Bonhoeffer emphasizes the role of imagination to sustain meaningful resistance to evil, and he connects links the church’s current lack of imagination to the loss of moral memory. The traits that humans need to flourish—justice, truth, and beauty in particular—require the time and steadfastness that are only cultivated within a living moral memory.

STUDI KASUS PERAN ORANG TUA DALAM PENANAMAN NILAI-NILAI AGAMA BAGI ANAK USIA DINI DI DUSUN CAOWAN RT 017 RW 005 DESA KRAMATAGUNG KECAMATAN BANTARAN KABUPATEN PROBOLINGGO

The role of parents in instilling religious values For early childhood it is very important because the parents are madrosatul ula. And how parents are instilling religious values to their children. This research method is a qualitative case study method. It was carried out at Dusun Caowan Rt 017 Rw 005 Kramatagung Village, from September 04-30 November 2023. With 10 research subjects. The research findings include the application of religious values to early childhood with the practice of inviting children to pray five times, teaching children how to respect older people, practicing fasting, learning children to speak polite and also teaching their children to read the Qur'an. Methods or methods taken by parents in applying religious value to children by direct example, advising or giving understanding, instilling love of God and His Apostle, inviting kids to religious activities, cultivation or practice and not forgetting the methods of prayer or anointing to God for their children. Keywords: Role of Parents, Religious Values, Early Childhood

“L’Esprit de Charité”: Imaginative Action and Universal Benevolence in Wollstonecraft’s Of the Importance of Religious Opinions

ABSTRACT This article analyses Mary Wollstonecraft’s Of The Importance of Religious Opinions (1788), a translation of De l’Importance des Opinions Religieuses (1788) by Jacques Necker. I demonstrate that Necker’s text resonates with Wollstonecraft’s early works and those of her mentor, Dissenting theologian Richard Price, both for its Providentialism and for its onus on caritas, or “l’esprit de charité”, a love of God expressed through love of our neighbours. For Wollstonecraft, Christian charity was coextensive with justice and could embrace the entire human family. I argue that Necker’s text initially appealed to her for its representation of religion cultivating this expansive benevolence through sentiment refined by the imagination, depicted as a sacred faculty channelling our errant desires towards the divine. Whereas Necker envisages only celestial rewards in an incurably unjust society, however, Wollstonecraft subtly revises his text to foreground the imagination as the impetus to moral actions that participate in God’s plan for human improvement. She thus imagines political justice in the form of a cosmopolitan ideal of universal benevolence, a heartfelt principle of action equally consonant with Christian charity and the demands of justice.

Franz Rosenzweig’s Account of Revelation in Light of Its Protestant Background

AbstractIn the subsection “Grammar of Eros (The Language of Love)” in section 2 of book 2 of The Star of Redemption, the beating heart of the work, Franz Rosenzweig offers a peculiar portrait of the event of revelation. What is presented is a dramatization of the encounter between the loving God and the beloved human soul, a developing scene consisting of a series of utterances and experiences, many of which appear unwarranted. Why does Rosenzweig present revelation in this manner? This article seeks to explain the seemingly arbitrary twists and turns in the dramatized “plot” through which Rosenzweig depicts revelation by demonstrating that it follows in its main features the prevalent Protestant understanding of revelation as encompassing not only divine self-disclosure but also the discovery of sin, confession, forgiveness of sin, reconciliation, attainment of selfhood, and redemption, and is framed according to the directives of the Lutheran foundational principle of “at once a sinner and justified (Simul Justus et Peccator). In so doing, it exhibits Rosenzweig’s deep embeddedness in the Protestant theological discourse of his time and shows that The Star should be understood in light of the contemporary Protestant theology.

Study Theological Approach on Abortion Actions based on Psalm 139:13 and the Responsibility of Today’s Church Leaders

The church is a community united by the Lord Jesus Christ, empowered to be witnesses, agents, and examples. However, reality shows that the church often tends to be closed off and does not consistently practice God's love and justice, whether towards its congregation, among church organizations, or towards the surrounding environment, particularly concerning the issue of abortion among teenagers and young people. This study aims to analyse abortion in light of Psalm 139:13 and outline contemporary church leaders' responsibilities. The methodology employed is qualitative, using a literature-based approach (library research) grounded in hermeneutical study. Hermeneutics universally refers to the theoretical and methodological process of understanding the meanings of signs and symbols used in verbal or non-verbal communication. The approach used is the grammatical-historical study approach. The results of this research indicate that abortion of unwanted foetuses is inconsistent with biblical teachings; therefore, contemporary church leaders have a responsibility to nurture the morality of youth to help them avoid engaging in premarital sex, which could lead to abortion.

Relevance of Gratitude in Self-Healing According to the Quran from the Perspective of M. Quraish Shihab

This article explores the relationship between gratitude and self-healing. Self-healing is a psychological healing process that occurs in people suffering from depression, stress, anxiety, and fear in life. This research aims to understand the practice of gratitude in self-healing in the Quran from the perspective of M. Quraish Shihab. The results of this research regarding the interpretation of M. Quraish Shihab include verses of gratitude, namely Surah al-Baqarah verse 152, Surah 'Ali Imran verse 145, Surah Luqman verse 12, and Surah az-Zumar verse 7. Tafsir al-Misbah explains the words of gratitude as follows: This includes obedience and praise that deeply acknowledges the greatness of God's blessings and mercy and evokes feelings of love for God. Gratitude is closely related to maintaining mental health and peace of mind. Practicing self-healing with gratitude degrades negative thoughts, reduces feelings of dissatisfaction, fosters positive traits within oneself, and encourages a spirit of worship that provides psychological benefits. This occurs due to the increased awareness of Allah SWT's blessings in what is given in the lives of those who are grateful.