Love as religion—”I’m truly blessed for everything you give me”
By Aaron Ben-Zeév, Ph.D. on August 08, 2008 in In the Name of Love
eaven on earth that’s what you’ve made for me since the day we met. (The Platters)
I lost my faith, you gave it back to me,I was blessed because I was loved by you. (Celine Dion)
Lovers often compare their love to religion just as religions emphasize the centrality of love in their dogmas. Both love and religion are perceived to be central to human life.
In many respects, romantic love resembles a kind of religion. Both are similar in that they dictate basic beliefs, demand fundamental moral standards, and bestow high moral status upon their objects. Like faith, love is regarded as an expression of profound, unique, and morally pure attitudes. The basic assumptions underlying Romantic Ideology can indeed be found in many monotheistic religions. Like many religions, Romantic Ideology is basically characterized by its comprehensive and uncompromising nature. Not unlike the function of religion, love is considered to give meaning to life, to overcome all obstacles, and to provide a share in eternity.
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Comment by curiousdwk on 12 August 2008:
The reason I left my Christian faith was because of the concept of love. Although the Christians around me were preaching love all the time, I realized that they did not know how to love. It is not love if you cannot relate to a person unless you are trying to convert them. I left the faith so that I could love freely.