Love Or Abuse?

 I believe this thought was put out by a group called “We Love Atheism” and I felt the desire to comment on it. 

If one person were to say to another: 
“I love you.  You will love me too, and do what I say, without ever questioning me, or I will punish you with the worst torture you can imagine for the rest of your existence.” 

We would, as a society, cry out loudly:
“That’s not LOVE, that’s ABUSE!” 

But apparently it’s okay, if it’s coming from a Deity. 

This comment begs the question: “What crazy, nonsense were these people taught about God?” 

This touches base with me, because I can relate.  Growing up, I was taught this type of garbage about God, and when a teenager I got very angry at God for being this way, and using extortion to control people.  I yelled and screamed and cried and said all sorts of horrible things to a God who would use this type of tactic.  Most of all, I said that I would never follow or worship such a being.  I cried myself out and called for any other God who was a God of mercy, and my prayer was answered.  The Holy Spirit came to me and began to teach me about the God of Mercy.  I was shown grand visions that I hope to share someday, but there was so much that I could not figure out how to write, how to describe.  As my learning continued, I found out more and more about the true God, our Heavenly Father, and what His plan actually is, and why we are here, who we are, and what we are to become, and why it takes this kind of experience to get from where we were to where we hope to be. 

Cast aside any thoughts of a God of extortion.  The true God is a Father of love and is showing the way for His children to progress: repentance, forgiveness, and love. 

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