Originally posted by Raithere
You're asking me prove the hypothesis that love exists. I ask you to define love. Without a lucid definition your query is meaningless.
My asking you to prove that you love someone, was for you to come to the realisation that some things, although as true as the nose on your face, are beyond the realm of physical experiment.
An inherent problem with things that are strictly subjective.
It is not strictly subjective, there are effects like you said, but they can only be truly experienced by the parties involved.
Now then, if we cannot prove love then how can we prove God?
You can prove love to the persons it matters most, to ourselves and the object of our affections. Similarly we can prove God to ourselves, and to people who have faith.
And if we cannot prove it, how do we know it's real?
Because you will know.
Knowledge is only known to the knower, if one conveys that knowledge to another party, it is up to the other party whether they accept it or not.
And if I do not 'feel' God or if what you call God I call something else how can you say I am wrong?
I wouldn’t say you are wrong. I know that for you to accept God as the Supreme Cause, you would have to realise that for yourself.
Essentially, you are saying that Love and God are both indefinable concepts.
No, that is not what I am saying, they can be defined both objectively and subjectively, as can everything, but they are personal and can only be experienced, and therefore defined through personal experience.
Both exist purely in the subjective realm. Given this subjectivity, my disbelief is equal in validity to your belief.
They don’t, there are effects such as the ones you gave regarding love. Nothing can be purely subjective as we are not purely subjective beings.
What I mean is; acting purely from emotion without the benefit of thought. Which I find to be a lower order of behavior... one of the things that separates us from animals (generally).
I cannot imagine how someone could act purely from emotion, hopefully you will give me some examples.
Animals do not act purely out of emotion, they have logic which is designed for their existence, as is ours. This exclusive claim to logic and rationality, which is branded about by so-called atheists, is nonsense. Everyone is endowed with these attributes and have to use them to ensure their survival.
Don't worry, I do that too. But learning to be calm and focused upon our own mind requires effort as well.
Only because we are conditioned not to think for ourselves. In this way it becomes like work in the beginning, but eventually becomes pleasurable, because it is a natural state.
That is what I think life is: patterns within patterns. Like a drop of cream in a cup of coffee.
So you think your whole existence is nothing but patterns within patterns?
But I think that religions are primarily an accretion of various manipulations, superstitions, and psychological tendencies.
So, you’ve read the BG I persume, could you tell me where it is manipulative, or supersticious.
Sorry, but I don't find these concepts to be valid.
Then you have lost the point.
Any being that enforced such concepts
Enforces what concepts?
I reject such conceptions of God that I find to be invalid.
Yes, by taking what you want and disregarding the rest because it doesn’t suit you.
Common "religion" is made up of a lot of things most of which are not really about God or even truth.
But not true religion.
Religions, where God is not the Supreme Object and Ultimate Goal, are nonsense.
But I'm not offended, nor do I find my actions/thoughts/beliefs to be self-abusive.
Neither is a rapist or peodofile, because while they do what they do, they feel satisfaction. This is what is known as ignorance, it isn’t until we face up to what we have done, we become aware, but while things are sweet, we feel fine.
From your post on 11-19: "The desire remains in the heart, it is not a thought or consideration, those come later, and they serve your desire which is usually to satisfy the senses."
Lets look at the donkey-carrot situation, the controller dangles a carrot just out of reach of the donkeys eyes, nose and mouth while sitting on the back of it, with a shed load of gear. The hungry donkey thinks, just a few more steps and the carrot will be mine, blissfully unaware that he is being used by his controller to carry stupidely heavy loads.
The donkey has a
desire for the lovely carrot, this is why he is prepared to work so hard, he is
thinking, just a few more steps and it will be mine, he may show some
emotion, he may be happy because he thinks he is about to get the carrot, or he may be angry because he is feeling the strain of the load on an empty tum, and he never seems to get the carrot, so many variations.
His thoughts, in this instant, serves the desire, because he is devising a way to satiate this desire, do you see what I mean?
Love
Jan Ardena.