When a person loved truly, there is no questioning to it; there is no stopping. The very essence of life is love and the very essence of love is God. Talking about the concept of God is synonymous to religion. Religion has different views on love and death. Then again, world religions possess a common denominator – the basics about god, faith, sin, love, the life after death, and ethics. The diversity of people makes their individuality and defines them from the rest of the crowd but in religion, “we are all brothers in God”.
Love is inherent in all human religions. It is precisely a fact that with the various forms of religion worldwide, the universal definition of love is difficult to establish. Love in religion is diverse and multifaceted when it comes to comparing it with interpersonal love. Religious love, I suppose, is more on the expression of devotion a person have to the Deity. It is considered that such love is shown through prayer, service, good deeds, and even personal sacrifice. But then again, love is comparative. Death, on the other hand, is the termination of the physical life. Religious definitions on death refer to the departure from the body of the soul, or essence. Love is stronger than death.
God is love – a cliché that will remain to be abstract unless applied to specific situations. In Christianity, Christian believe that to love God will all your heart, mind, and strength and Love your neighbor as yourself are the greatest commandment of God (Gospel of Mark 12:28-34). That because God loves us, he gave his only begotten son… (John 3:16) Today, many Christian theologians see God as the ultimate source of love. Paul Tillich has discussed the topic of love as he focused on the first commandment, Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart which he translated philosophically saying that God, the being-in-itself will always be what will unconditionally concerns us as he equates God as the spirit or love which consumes us. The actualization of this love, as shown in his Systematic Theology is seen in Jesus as the Christ – the logos made flesh who is considered to be New Being because he became the embodiment of the belief that God loves the world. Since this is the case, he holds that there can be no other object of man’s love and that this love of God, agape, is considered to encompass all forms of love. The reason for this is that God is the answer to the finite and changeable embodied in human forms of love.
Islamic belief on love encompasses the Islamic view of life as the universal brotherhood that applies to all who hold the faith. There is no definite definition of love but with the 99 names of Allah, Al-Wadud or “the Loving One” refers to God as being “full of loving kindness” (Surah 11:90 and Surah 85:14). Love is more often than not used as an incentive for sinners to aspire to be as worthy of god’s love as they may. This means that anyone still has God’s love but it is dependent on how a person pleased God and his/her own effort. Meanwhile, Judaism employs definition of love for both – man and other and man and the Deity. In Torah, the definition of love relates to loving your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18) and love God with your all – heart, soul and might (Deuteronomy 6:5) Taken by the Mishnah, it refers to good deeds, willingness to sacrifice one’s life rather than commit certain serious transgression, willingness to sacrifice all one’s possessions and being grateful to the Lord despite adversity (Tractate Berachoth 9:5).
Buddhism’s sense of love includes compassion and mercy ("Karuṇā") and benevolent love (“maitrī” and "Adveṣa") that refers to detachment and unselfish interests to the welfare of others. Hinduism also believes in “loving devotion to the supreme God” – (Bhakti). In Confucianism, the most important description of love is the Golden Rule – Do not do to others what you would not like yourself. Then there will be no resentment against you, either in the family or in the state (Analects 12:2).
With such characterization of religious love, the undeniable presence of the basics of all religions speaks for itself. God is love and with death, man unites with God. Love is stronger than death that even in death people find the realization of love to God – through the man’s union with the Supreme, the Ultimate, or whatever man call it in his/her own religions. In love, there is also the possibility that the relationship will evolve into deeper levels of love as being in love is equated to being a never-ending task. The force towards the ultimate reunion is real love with the fulfillment of true love as the end of loving.
Death is not the end of love but certainly it is the start of the realization and continuation of the love to God. Religions worldwide believe in the idea of life after death so it follows that even in death, man loves though it is no longer done in the spiritual form of practice but directly in union with the one being loved.
For instance, the concept of Christian love – that it is only applicable to those who believe in God because those who have not yet experienced the understanding of love as duty and self-sacrifice are expected to grasp this concept without the consciousness that all of these things which point to love ultimately point to God who is love.
Love is stronger than death and can find time working beyond time and body – if the union of hearts is sufficiently deep. Much have been said and done on the aspect of love conquering death. There are several ideas of eternal, forever, everlasting and lifetime love on the basis of personal relationship as married couples, while the love a person can have to God is constant. God’s love is the greatest love of all.
The very essence of human life is to love because people are the by-product of God’s love. On the same manner, love is the very essence of God for the reason that people are living because of God and love. Death does not stop people to love. Death just take a little while to interrupt people’s physical expression of love but eventually, it opens the real and ultimate duty of living – union and connection with God. The meaning of human existence, and of death, is the fulfillment of every creation’s deepest and purest desire: the desire of the infinite joy and love of God.
Therefore, love in all its meaning, aspects, ways and means, will always be stronger and powerful than death.
Reference
Creegan, Charles L., “Words of Love,” Paper presented to Kierkegaard, Religion and Culture Group, AAR annual meeting held in New Orleans, November 23, 1996, available from http://home.clear.net.nz/pages/ccreegan/papers/words.html; accessed 30 November 2005.
Heywood, Thomas J., Paul Tillich: An Appraisal, (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1963), 56.
Tangunan, Wilfrido, “Systematic Theology II and III”, Boston University, available from http://people.bu.edu/wwildman/WeirdWildWeb/courses/; accessed 30 November 2005.
Tillich, Paul, “Love, Power and Justice”, 26, cited in Stephen Palmquist, The Tree of Philosophy: A Course of Introductory Lectures for Beginning Students of Philosophy, (Hong Kong: 2000), available from http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~ppp/; accessed 30 November 2005.
Wikipedia, “Paul Tillich”, Wikipedia, available from http://www.wikipedia.org;
accessed 30 November 2005.
Love is inherent in all human religions. It is precisely a fact that with the various forms of religion worldwide, the universal definition of love is difficult to establish. Love in religion is diverse and multifaceted when it comes to comparing it with interpersonal love. Religious love, I suppose, is more on the expression of devotion a person have to the Deity. It is considered that such love is shown through prayer, service, good deeds, and even personal sacrifice. But then again, love is comparative. Death, on the other hand, is the termination of the physical life. Religious definitions on death refer to the departure from the body of the soul, or essence. Love is stronger than death.
God is love – a cliché that will remain to be abstract unless applied to specific situations. In Christianity, Christian believe that to love God will all your heart, mind, and strength and Love your neighbor as yourself are the greatest commandment of God (Gospel of Mark 12:28-34). That because God loves us, he gave his only begotten son… (John 3:16) Today, many Christian theologians see God as the ultimate source of love. Paul Tillich has discussed the topic of love as he focused on the first commandment, Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart which he translated philosophically saying that God, the being-in-itself will always be what will unconditionally concerns us as he equates God as the spirit or love which consumes us. The actualization of this love, as shown in his Systematic Theology is seen in Jesus as the Christ – the logos made flesh who is considered to be New Being because he became the embodiment of the belief that God loves the world. Since this is the case, he holds that there can be no other object of man’s love and that this love of God, agape, is considered to encompass all forms of love. The reason for this is that God is the answer to the finite and changeable embodied in human forms of love.
Islamic belief on love encompasses the Islamic view of life as the universal brotherhood that applies to all who hold the faith. There is no definite definition of love but with the 99 names of Allah, Al-Wadud or “the Loving One” refers to God as being “full of loving kindness” (Surah 11:90 and Surah 85:14). Love is more often than not used as an incentive for sinners to aspire to be as worthy of god’s love as they may. This means that anyone still has God’s love but it is dependent on how a person pleased God and his/her own effort. Meanwhile, Judaism employs definition of love for both – man and other and man and the Deity. In Torah, the definition of love relates to loving your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18) and love God with your all – heart, soul and might (Deuteronomy 6:5) Taken by the Mishnah, it refers to good deeds, willingness to sacrifice one’s life rather than commit certain serious transgression, willingness to sacrifice all one’s possessions and being grateful to the Lord despite adversity (Tractate Berachoth 9:5).
Buddhism’s sense of love includes compassion and mercy ("Karuṇā") and benevolent love (“maitrī” and "Adveṣa") that refers to detachment and unselfish interests to the welfare of others. Hinduism also believes in “loving devotion to the supreme God” – (Bhakti). In Confucianism, the most important description of love is the Golden Rule – Do not do to others what you would not like yourself. Then there will be no resentment against you, either in the family or in the state (Analects 12:2).
With such characterization of religious love, the undeniable presence of the basics of all religions speaks for itself. God is love and with death, man unites with God. Love is stronger than death that even in death people find the realization of love to God – through the man’s union with the Supreme, the Ultimate, or whatever man call it in his/her own religions. In love, there is also the possibility that the relationship will evolve into deeper levels of love as being in love is equated to being a never-ending task. The force towards the ultimate reunion is real love with the fulfillment of true love as the end of loving.
Death is not the end of love but certainly it is the start of the realization and continuation of the love to God. Religions worldwide believe in the idea of life after death so it follows that even in death, man loves though it is no longer done in the spiritual form of practice but directly in union with the one being loved.
For instance, the concept of Christian love – that it is only applicable to those who believe in God because those who have not yet experienced the understanding of love as duty and self-sacrifice are expected to grasp this concept without the consciousness that all of these things which point to love ultimately point to God who is love.
Love is stronger than death and can find time working beyond time and body – if the union of hearts is sufficiently deep. Much have been said and done on the aspect of love conquering death. There are several ideas of eternal, forever, everlasting and lifetime love on the basis of personal relationship as married couples, while the love a person can have to God is constant. God’s love is the greatest love of all.
The very essence of human life is to love because people are the by-product of God’s love. On the same manner, love is the very essence of God for the reason that people are living because of God and love. Death does not stop people to love. Death just take a little while to interrupt people’s physical expression of love but eventually, it opens the real and ultimate duty of living – union and connection with God. The meaning of human existence, and of death, is the fulfillment of every creation’s deepest and purest desire: the desire of the infinite joy and love of God.
Therefore, love in all its meaning, aspects, ways and means, will always be stronger and powerful than death.
Reference
Creegan, Charles L., “Words of Love,” Paper presented to Kierkegaard, Religion and Culture Group, AAR annual meeting held in New Orleans, November 23, 1996, available from http://home.clear.net.nz/pages/ccreegan/papers/words.html; accessed 30 November 2005.
Heywood, Thomas J., Paul Tillich: An Appraisal, (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1963), 56.
Tangunan, Wilfrido, “Systematic Theology II and III”, Boston University, available from http://people.bu.edu/wwildman/WeirdWildWeb/courses/; accessed 30 November 2005.
Tillich, Paul, “Love, Power and Justice”, 26, cited in Stephen Palmquist, The Tree of Philosophy: A Course of Introductory Lectures for Beginning Students of Philosophy, (Hong Kong: 2000), available from http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~ppp/; accessed 30 November 2005.
Wikipedia, “Paul Tillich”, Wikipedia, available from http://www.wikipedia.org;
accessed 30 November 2005.
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