Does God Love All Of His Children Equally?

[mbh26]

I know that in our current culture, most children expect that their parents love them equally. But do parents have to do this, or are they free to give or withhold love as they chose? The Old Testament is pretty frank in acknowledging that Jacob loved Joseph the most because he was Rachel's son. He loved his other sons, but he loved Joseph more. Would it be fair to expect that while God loves us all, he loves some more than others.

I've heard ideas that God loves us unconditionally whether we choose to be sinners or saints. This seems like a paradoxical and nebulous statement that I'm really not looking to hash out exactly. I'm talking about simply loving one child more than the other as in the Old Testament because of which wife that child came from, nothing really to do with the child's actions but rather who he was. I guess it would be fair. Your my child and I love you, but he's also my child and I love him more. Just because I love another more than you doesn't mean I love you any less.

Edited September 12, 2011 by mbh26

[altersteve]

God loves all of His children infinitely. There are those He is very pleased with, but that doesn't mean He loves them more than others.

Edited September 12, 2011 by altersteve

[mbh26]

God loves all of His children infinitely. There are those He is very pleased with, but that doesn't mean He loves them more than others.

Is Satan still God's child?

Does God love all of His creations infinitely? Does he love animals as much as He loves people?

Edited September 12, 2011 by mbh26

[mbh26]

God loves all of His children infinitely. There are those He is very pleased with, but that doesn't mean He loves them more than others.

But He treats them very differently, correct? What exactly is love?

[jadams_4242]

But He treats them very differently, correct? What exactly is love?

He is very saddened when anyone choses the wrong.. he loves us all equally and will give everyone equal opportunity to come back. and is very saddened when we dont.

[Zeta-Flux]

My impression has been that God's love is limited only by how we let him express it in our lives. Just as Jesus could do no miracles in some cities due to unbelief, sometimes God cannot bless us and develop a relationship with us because of our choices.

[mapman]

I think that there are more than one types of love. I think that God loves everyone unconditionally. But there are other types of love that can only come through relationships and have to involve effort from both people. I think it is more of a matter of whether or not we accept God's love. God always has his hand extended.

[Palerider]

I know that in our current culture, most children expect that their parents love them equally. But do parents have to do this, or are they free to give or withhold love as they chose? The Old Testament is pretty frank in acknowledging that Jacob loved Joseph the most because he was Rachel's son. He loved his other sons, but he loved Joseph more. Would it be fair to expect that while God loves us all, he loves some more than others.

I've heard ideas that God loves us unconditionally whether we choose to be sinners or saints. This seems like a paradoxical and nebulous statement that I'm really not looking to hash out exactly. I'm talking about simply loving one child more than the other as in the Old Testament because of which wife that child came from, nothing really to do with the child's actions but rather who he was. I guess it would be fair. Your my child and I love you, but he's also my child and I love him more. Just because I love another more than you doesn't mean I love you any less.

Your premise is more of a reflection on Jacob's character rather than God's. Just because Jacob possibly loved Joseph more and it's mentioned in the Bible doesn't mean God approved of it.

Unconditional love means doing what is best for your child regardless of whether they place themselves outside of a good relationship with you or not.

At-one-ment is a bringing of two individuals who are estranged into a state of reconciliation. God makes that possible to all of His children as a part of living in this life.

My personal opinion is that God loved the son of the morning until he (Satan) changed who he was and became through his own choice and rebellion, something that was no longer a being possible of attaining redemption.

[Ron Beron]

Is Satan still God's child?

Having raised two teenagers I would have to say, yes!

[bu11fr0g]

the key words here are "God" "love" and "children"

if by love we mean "pleased with" then God loves his children differently

if by love we mean "desires the best for them" then God loves his children the same

but by this definition Satan is damned, and the best is not available.

if by love we mean "won't judge" or "won't allow anything that would hurt" then God does not love any of us

God's love has been likened as similar to that of a good shepherd.

[BCSpace]

Is Satan still God's child?

Yes, in the same sense literally that you are still your parent's child; even after they've disowned you or you've "divorced" yourself from them.

[Calm]

God loves all of His children infinitely. There are those He is very pleased with, but that doesn't mean He loves them more than others.

I think we have so little clue of the extraordinary, infinite quality of God's love that when we finally learn what it really is like, we will laugh at ourselves for having these types of discussions.

We only consider these kinds of questions in this life because we have limits on our resources and abilities to give and protect, but even with such limits people can still give everything and want to give more for those they love. If we can manage this essentially infinite love in mortality, how much more so must it be for the eternal and infinite God?

I suspect there are some that he doesn't like all that much though if my own family's circumstances are reflective of his extended one at all....I have a relative I love dearly, but watching extremely abusive behaviours towards those who do not deserve it in the least kind of squashes any sense of friendship.

Edited September 12, 2011 by calmoriah

[Calm]

Is Satan still God's child?

Does God love all of His creations infinitely? Does he love animals as much as He loves people?

I would say all his love is infinite, but it is not the same type of love for animals as he has for his children....he does not need to use animals to fill the need to be a parent, after all.

[mbh26]

My personal opinion is that God loved the son of the morning until he (Satan) changed who he was and became through his own choice and rebellion, something that was no longer a being possible of attaining redemption.

So Lucifer did do something that caused God not to love him anymore. That's interesting because I remember reading seminary manuals and a trick question was posed, "What can you do to make God love you more, and what could you do that might make him love you less?" The answer given was, "nothing." But that's not really true is it.

[altersteve]

Is Satan still God's child?

Does God love all of His creations infinitely? Does he love animals as much as He loves people?

Yes, Satan is still God's child and He still loves him. It broke His heart when Satan rebelled against Him. He simply hates what Satan has become and what he now represents. He will always love His children. And I personally believe that God loves all of His creations, including animals, but we are His actual children. Animals are not. This is a topic that has not yet been fully revealed to us, though.

But He treats them very differently, correct? What exactly is love?

"Love" and "pleased with" are not the same thing. Yes, He treats them differently and blesses them more because He is more pleased with them, and of course He punishes those who live lives not pleasing to Him. But no matter what He does to us, or allows to happen to us, it is because of His love for us as our Father. His forgiveness and mercy are always there to those who ask for it.

[thesometimesaint]

Love the sinner, hate the sin.

[Lightbearer]

Of course God loves all of His children... however He cannot and will not give them all the same blessings. He will give them the same opportunities but we will not all have the same outcomes (just read D&C 76 if you doubt this) and how could we be judged at all if God were a respecter of persons? However the following is absolutely true:

(1 Nephi 17:33-38) "And now, do ye suppose that the children of this land, who were in the land of promise, who were driven out by our fathers, do ye suppose that they were righteous? Behold, I say unto you, Nay. Do ye suppose that our fathers would have been more choice than they if they had been righteous? I say unto you, Nay. Behold, the Lord esteemeth all flesh in one; he that is righteous is favored of God. But behold, this people had rejected every word of God, and they were ripe in iniquity; and the fulness of the wrath of God was upon them; and the Lord did curse the land against them, and bless it unto our fathers; yea, he did curse it against them unto their destruction, and he did bless it unto our fathers unto their obtaining power over it. Behold, the Lord hath created the earth that it should be inhabited; and he hath created his children that they should possess it. And he raiseth up a righteous nation, and destroyeth the nations of the wicked. And he leadeth away the righteous into precious lands, and the wicked he destroyeth, and curseth the land unto them for their sakes."

Now does this mean He loves the righteous more than the wicked? You must judge that for yourself. The following shows the greatness of His love for all (even the wicked) and how God feels towards His children:

(Moses 7:28-40) "And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept; and Enoch bore record of it, saying: How is it that the heavens weep, and shed forth their tears as the rain upon the mountains? And Enoch said unto the Lord: How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity? And were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea, millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of thy creations; and thy curtains are stretched out still; and yet thou art there, and thy bosom is there; and also thou art just; thou art merciful and kind forever; And thou hast taken Zion to thine own bosom, from all thy creations, from all eternity to all eternity; and naught but peace, justice, and truth is the habitation of thy throne; and mercy shall go before thy face and have no end; how is it thou canst weep? The Lord said unto Enoch: Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency; And unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their Father; but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood; And the fire of mine indignation is kindled against them; and in my hot displeasure will I send in the floods upon them, for my fierce anger is kindled against them. Behold, I am God; Man of Holiness is my name; Man of Counsel is my name; and Endless and Eternal is my name, also. Wherefore, I can stretch forth mine hands and hold all the creations which I have made; and mine eye can pierce them also, and among all the workmanship of mine hands there has not been so great wickedness as among thy brethren. But behold, their sins shall be upon the heads of their fathers; Satan shall be their father, and misery shall be their doom; and the whole heavens shall weep over them, even all the workmanship of mine hands; wherefore should not the heavens weep, seeing these shall suffer? But behold, these which thine eyes are upon shall perish in the floods; and behold, I will shut them up; a prison have I prepared for them. And That which I have chosen hath pled before my face. Wherefore, he suffereth for their sins; inasmuch as they will repent in the day that my Chosen shall return unto me, and until that day they shall be in torment; Wherefore, for this shall the heavens weep, yea, and all the workmanship of mine hands."

[Vance]

Well, there are these to consider.

John 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

John 16:27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.

[Nathair/|\]

In his book Expect the Miracle of Conversion, Hartman Rector Jr. discusses Heavenly Father's love in a way that, though it's been years since I've even seen a copy, has always stuck with me. As I recall, he begins by asking if He loves us because we are good, or because we are His children/creations. Rector rejects those propositions, suggesting that Father would love us even when we are not good and even if we were somebody else's children. He then quotes his mother or grandmother saying, "God doesn't love us because we are good, He loves us because He is good."

I suspect that at it's simplest, most basic, Love means to desire only good things for the loved one. Of course it's vastly more complex than that, but I think my definition gives a decent starting place.

Based on that, I think we can say that Father's desires are for us to have the best things, the greatest of which is Eternal life. As many others have pointed out, however, He is not going to force those things on us, or give them to us if we can not handle them. I suspect that even Eternal Life, forced upon the unwilling, would be of negative value to that person. Perhaps, it would not be an act of love to give a gift to someone when you know they don't value it.

Yours under the oaks of learning,

Nathair /|\

[Palerider]

So Lucifer did do something that caused God not to love him anymore. That's interesting because I remember reading seminary manuals and a trick question was posed, "What can you do to make God love you more, and what could you do that might make him love you less?" The answer given was, "nothing." But that's not really true is it.

That's kind of the reason I included the statement that unconditional love was doing what is best for someone regardless of what the relationship has become. In the end God will "take care" of Satan in a way that is the best thing for him. Does that mean anihilation? Is that "love"? Possibly............I can't answer either of those questions authoritatively.

I know God loves his children. Is Satan still one of His "children" or is he, at this point in his existence, one of his "creations"?

[bu11fr0g]

Tricky for me to work my mind around are

(1) Laban

(2) the firstborn in Egypt

(3) the people slaughtered wholesale when Joshua entered Canaan

people of varying degrees of innocence killed by order of God in a way that seems morally relativistic and not something that looks like love of all at least when viewed from this life and my understanding of the events.

[bu11fr0g]

Tricky for me to work my mind around are

(1) Laban

(2) the firstborn in Egypt

(3) the people slaughtered wholesale when Joshua entered Canaan

people of varying degrees of innocence killed by order of God in a way that seems morally relativistic and not something that looks like love of all at least when viewed from this life and my understanding of the events.

[thesometimesaint]

bu11fr0g:

You might want to go through any remove some of the repeat posts.

God will recompence any and all that die. So in the eternal sense they lost nothing. We are under Gods command to do as he asks. Today and for the forseeable future we are commanded not to kill(murder) our fellow man.

Edited September 13, 2011 by thesometimesaint

[HeatherAnn]

So Lucifer did do something that caused God not to love him anymore. That's interesting because I remember reading seminary manuals and a trick question was posed, "What can you do to make God love you more, and what could you do that might make him love you less?" The answer given was, "nothing." But that's not really true is it.

Talk about a stumping question! Good one!

I believe God does love Satan... Satan is doing what God wanted him to do... to provide opposition... but I admit, it's a little complex for my understanding.

A strong LDS friend of mine has travelled extensively & witnessed up close & personal, the extreme unfairness world-wide.

When someone gets up & says that they know God loves them because He answered their prayers, it makes her want to ask them, "Then God doesn't love the majority of the people, who are suffering beyond anything you've ever experienced?"

The way I see it is... Our experience of God is within us (as Jesus taught)... Yet, we have choices that either help us experience the spirit within or not. Many influences play into why we do anything... tradition, lifestyle, heredity, choices of others etc. So, when corrupt governments refuse to help their people, or when others "sin" more than we think we do, we must be careful how to judge them, because often, we'd do the same if we grew up as they did.

I'm not sure exactly how prayer works... but I do believe that we are God's hands... God loves us all... God can't help but love us all unconditionally. It's like the moon - it just shines without asking if who it shines on is worthy or not. Yet, some "hands" may stand in the way.

[Calm]

When someone gets up & says that they know God loves them because He answered their prayers, it makes her want to ask them, "Then God doesn't love the majority of the people, who are suffering beyond anything you've ever experienced?"

For a different perspective...

http://lds.org/liahona/2011/06/the-power-of-education?lang=eng&query=education