What is the opposite of love?

[Billo_Really]

This explains it a little better than I can...

The Opposite of Love

If I were to ask you what the opposite of love is, what would be your response? I think most of us would answer “hate.” But in this week’s text, 1 John 4:7-21, it points to a different answer. The opposite of love is not hate, anger or disgust. It is fear, for “there is no fear in love” (v. 18).

Love and fear are polar opposites because love explodes outward, but fear implodes. When we have love, it causes us to do and say things toward that which we love. Love yearns to find expression, whether through the simple words “I love you” or through acts of kindness. Even if we try to suppress it, love always leaks out. Yet fear causes us to implode. The voice of fear tells us not to risk saying or doing anything, lest we be rejected. Fear crowds out love.

Letting go of fear is not a matter of sheer willpower. At its deepest and most profound level, fear is reduced as we open ourselves to God. Fear causes us to feel isolated and helpless. But when God enters our lives, suddenly we see know that we are not alone. May our experience echo the Psalmist who said, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears” (34:4).

 

[syrenn]

This explains it a little better than I can...

The Opposite of Love

If I were to ask you what the opposite of love is, what would be your response? I think most of us would answer “hate.” But in this week’s text, 1 John 4:7-21, it points to a different answer. The opposite of love is not hate, anger or disgust. It is fear, for “there is no fear in love” (v. 18).

Love and fear are polar opposites because love explodes outward, but fear implodes. When we have love, it causes us to do and say things toward that which we love. Love yearns to find expression, whether through the simple words “I love you” or through acts of kindness. Even if we try to suppress it, love always leaks out. Yet fear causes us to implode. The voice of fear tells us not to risk saying or doing anything, lest we be rejected. Fear crowds out love.

Letting go of fear is not a matter of sheer willpower. At its deepest and most profound level, fear is reduced as we open ourselves to God. Fear causes us to feel isolated and helpless. But when God enters our lives, suddenly we see know that we are not alone. May our experience echo the Psalmist who said, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears” (34:4).

again... really?

there is nothing to fear in the thing you love.

that is a very naive perspective on life.....

 

[Billo_Really]

again... really?

there is nothing to fear in the thing you love.

that is a very naive perspective on life.....

Do you not understand the logic of what I just posted?

It may be a lot of things, but "naive" is not one of them.

 

[MeBelle]

indifference?

No.

The opposite of love, is FEAR.

No.

Someone must have love feelings first.
If love feelings are not present then indifference IS the correct answer.

I have loved before, but have never felt hate for those who I had loved.
I just stopped loving ; hence indifference.

 

[BecauseIKnow]

You can love and fear God at the same time. It's not a hard concept.

That's a myth.

If you love God, you have nothing to fear.

I don't know what you're on about....this has carried from the Torah to the bible to the Koran....

19:14 "'Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the Lord.

25:17 Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God. I am the Lord your God.

Fearing God is not a "controlling way". There's no such thing as respecting God without fearing him. We can't imagine how powerful God is and how Great he is. It's something that will matter and you will notice why God told us to fear him in the end.

 

[BecauseIKnow]

^^^

Those verses are in the Leviticus btw Loinboy

 

[whitehall]

Murder? The jihad launched more rockets aimed at civilians in Israel in a week than all the V-2 rockets the Nazis aimed at England during WW2. The "iron dome" that the US helped Israel to create stopped most of the rockets. When the Jihad realized that they were about to be annihilated by a superior force they decided like cowards always do that they would "give peace a chance".

 

[BecauseIKnow]

Murder? The jihad launched more rockets aimed at civilians in Israel in a week than all the V-2 rockets the Nazis aimed at England during WW2. The "iron dome" that the US helped Israel to create stopped most of the rockets. When the Jihad realized that they were about to be annihilated by a superior force they decided like cowards always do that they would "give peace a chance".

Wrong thread maybe?

 

[BlueGin]

This explains it a little better than I can...

The Opposite of Love

If I were to ask you what the opposite of love is, what would be your response? I think most of us would answer “hate.” But in this week’s text, 1 John 4:7-21, it points to a different answer. The opposite of love is not hate, anger or disgust. It is fear, for “there is no fear in love” (v. 18).

Love and fear are polar opposites because love explodes outward, but fear implodes. When we have love, it causes us to do and say things toward that which we love. Love yearns to find expression, whether through the simple words “I love you” or through acts of kindness. Even if we try to suppress it, love always leaks out. Yet fear causes us to implode. The voice of fear tells us not to risk saying or doing anything, lest we be rejected. Fear crowds out love.

Letting go of fear is not a matter of sheer willpower. At its deepest and most profound level, fear is reduced as we open ourselves to God. Fear causes us to feel isolated and helpless. But when God enters our lives, suddenly we see know that we are not alone. May our experience echo the Psalmist who said, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears” (34:4).

I can agree with this. What is love afterall, but the emotion of attraction,intimacy and attachment. Fear is the emotion of fighting or fleeing from a percieved threat....escape and avoidance. Which... you are correct... is the polar opposite of intimacy.

 

[syrenn]

again... really?

there is nothing to fear in the thing you love.

that is a very naive perspective on life.....

Do you not understand the logic of what I just posted?

It may be a lot of things, but "naive" is not one of them.

religion has nothing to do with..... ... logic.


and yes.... what you say is very naive.

 

[Oddball]

What is the opposite of love?

Indifference.

 

[syrenn]

This explains it a little better than I can...

The Opposite of Love

If I were to ask you what the opposite of love is, what would be your response? I think most of us would answer “hate.” But in this week’s text, 1 John 4:7-21, it points to a different answer. The opposite of love is not hate, anger or disgust. It is fear, for “there is no fear in love” (v. 18).

Love and fear are polar opposites because love explodes outward, but fear implodes. When we have love, it causes us to do and say things toward that which we love. Love yearns to find expression, whether through the simple words “I love you” or through acts of kindness. Even if we try to suppress it, love always leaks out. Yet fear causes us to implode. The voice of fear tells us not to risk saying or doing anything, lest we be rejected. Fear crowds out love.

Letting go of fear is not a matter of sheer willpower. At its deepest and most profound level, fear is reduced as we open ourselves to God. Fear causes us to feel isolated and helpless. But when God enters our lives, suddenly we see know that we are not alone. May our experience echo the Psalmist who said, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears” (34:4).

I can agree with this. What is love afterall, but the emotion of attraction,intimacy and attachment. Fear is the emotion of fighting or fleeing from a percieved threat....escape and avoidance. Which... you are correct... is the polar opposite of intimacy.

you dont have to have love... to have intimacy.

 

[Valerie]

indifference?

No.

The opposite of love, is FEAR.

No.

Someone must have love feelings first.
If love feelings are not present then indifference IS the correct answer.

I have loved before, but have never felt hate for those who I had loved.
I just stopped loving ; hence indifference.

I was thinking about this a little more and it occurred to me that apathy may also be the opposite of hate as well. I still can't wrap my mind around fear being the opposite of love because I can easily think of examples of people loving someone or something that they fear. One may argue then "that" is not love, but that is merely subjective...


LB, I understand the idea of love as the opening of your heart, as opposed to fear as the closing of your heart..in that sense they're opposites, but again that is based on a subjective notion of love and fear...

Think of a child afraid of their parent or a wife afraid of her husband... Or as others mention the fear of the Lord! lol Also risk takers who love sky diving have fear as well.

 

[BlueGin]

This explains it a little better than I can...

I can agree with this. What is love afterall, but the emotion of attraction,intimacy and attachment. Fear is the emotion of fighting or fleeing from a percieved threat....escape and avoidance. Which... you are correct... is the polar opposite of intimacy.

you dont have to have love... to have intimacy.

Love involves caring for and identifying with someone or something else, and placing value on them. You can't have love without intimacy.

 

[Billo_Really]

I was thinking about this a little more and it occurred to me that apathy may also be the opposite of hate as well. I still can't wrap my mind around fear being the opposite of love because I can easily think of examples of people loving someone or something that they fear. One may argue then "that" is not love, but that is merely subjective...

Some people love to think there's nothing they can do about their situation. Many of them do that to avoid taking responsibility for their lives. They use it as a crutch not to make changes.

LB, I understand the idea of love as the opening of your heart, as opposed to fear as the closing of your heart..in that sense they're opposites, but again that is based on a subjective notion of love and fear...

Think of a child afraid of their parent or a wife afraid of her husband... Or as others mention the fear of the Lord! lol Also risk takers who love sky diving have fear as well.

I remember when I was a child. I was beaten a lot by my parents. Of all the things I felt about how they treated me, love was not one of them. In fact, everytime they told me, "I'm doing this because I love you", I would think to myself, "What you're doing has nothing to do with love! All you're doing, is what was done to you. Passing on the chain, because you don't know any better."

 

[syrenn]

I can agree with this. What is love afterall, but the emotion of attraction,intimacy and attachment. Fear is the emotion of fighting or fleeing from a percieved threat....escape and avoidance. Which... you are correct... is the polar opposite of intimacy.

you dont have to have love... to have intimacy.

Love involves caring for and identifying with someone or something else, and placing value on them. You can't have love without intimacy.

You can have intimacy.....without love.

 

[Billo_Really]

Love involves caring for and identifying with someone or something else, and placing value on them. You can't have love without intimacy.

Intimacy is one of the ways love manifests.

 

[BecauseIKnow]

you dont have to have love... to have intimacy.

Love involves caring for and identifying with someone or something else, and placing value on them. You can't have love without intimacy.

You can have intimacy.....without love.

 

[Billo_Really]

Indifference.

Some people love not to care.

And don't come back with, "Because they're afraid if they do..."

 

[Billo_Really]

You can have intimacy.....without love.

You mean like "hate sex?"