Christopher Siters

PHIL 14
Dr Champagne
God’s Love (terms and conditions apply)

A number of times I’ve wanted to sit down and read the Bible in its entirety. With no

formal religious training, not living in a “God-fearing” house, any information I had about the

Bible was through more references in secular culture, or hearsay. I could never make it past “the

begats,” because it is repetitive and dull; it really doesn’t offer any context as to who these

people are, just a list of parents, their children, and how long they lived (which is a whole

conundrum in and of itself).

As far as love and sex in reference to the Bible, its portrayal to the masses felt sad and

constrictive and conditional. Adam and Eve and original sin, cast out of the garden, pain in

childbirth,

Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy

conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy

husband and he shall rule over thee…And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is

become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand,

and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever, (Genesis 3:16-22).

Marriage between one man and one woman, sex only to conceive children. Virgins made

impure and unholy with premarital sex. Only God’s love was pure and everlasting, though some

restrictions apply,

And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the land. And in

the process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an

offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brough of the firstlings of his flock and

of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering. But unto
Christopher Siters
PHIL 14
Dr Champagne
Cain and his offering he had not respect. And Cain was wroth, and his

countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, Why are thou wroth? And why is

thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou

doest not well, sin lieth at the door, (Genesis 4:2-7).

Though they both gave of what they had to give, the fruits of each of their labors,

God showed favoritism. And as a result, Cain was jealous and killed his brother, Abel,

“…the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground…,” (Genesis 4:10).

So, God curses him, giving him severe punishment, which Cain says he cannot possibly

withstand. God’s conditional love created the problem and seemingly rather than

accepting fault, God, so to speak, kicks a dog while he’s down. If the only thing, the only

God, someone is supposed to love and worship in all the world doesn’t love them back,

visibly, publicly, seemingly in body and soul…what is one to do? Cain was a spurned

lover, God seeming to choose his younger brother over him.

Although, the judgmental, persecuting God of the Old Testament seemed to class with the

kind and loving god portrayed through Jesus Christ; saving one family and condemning the rest

of the world to drown in a flood,

The earth was also corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with

violence. And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh

had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all

flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and

behold, I will destroy them with the earth…And behold, I, even I, do bring a flood
Christopher Siters
PHIL 14
Dr Champagne
of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from

under heaven; and everything that is in the earth shall die, (Genesis 6:11-17).

versus one man, God’s only begotten son, dying to repent for the sins of everyone, ever. It

has instilled this guilt, this sense of shame, simply for being, as we all share in Eve’s original sin,

though it seems God is the one to unleash these evils upon the earth, unable to rectify the faults

of his creation. Narcissism, megalomania, even God has a God complex; the need to have others

worship and obey and serve and the scorn and wrath if they don’t…dominance and submission.

Any idea of love in a Christian seems tainted with guilt and fear, the feeling that no matter what

one does it will never be enough, especially in the eyes of God. There is seemingly no mention

of the pleasures of love and sex, especially in a physical, carnal sense; if a person does not want

to marry a man/woman and have children, then one should never have sex. The only way to truly

love and truly be happy was to love and find happiness in God, but only if one loves him

correctly; with the animal sacrifices and the circumcisions, it would seem God’s love languages

are all of them: words of affirmation and quality time, gifts or acts of service, physical touch…

prayer, sacrifice…breath and flesh and blood. Greedy.