Love Obsession Agape Thought for the Week Beginning 5 February 2017

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Charles Payne
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1 Love Obsession Agape Thought for the Week Beginning 5 February 2017

2 LOVE What do you think of when you hear that word?

3 LOVE What do you think of when you hear that word? With Valentine s Day coming up the majority of you probably thought of romantic love. How would you define love?

4 This is what one dictionary had: LOVE noun 1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. 2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend. 3. sexual passion or desire. 4. a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart. 5. (used in direct address as a term of endearment, affection, or the like): 6. a love affair; an intensely amorous incident; amour. 7. sexual intercourse; copulation. 8. (initial capital letter) a personification of sexual affection, as Eros or Cupid. 9. affectionate concern for the well-being of others: 10.strong predilection, enthusiasm, or liking for anything: 11.the object or thing so liked: 12.the benevolent affection of God for His creatures, or the reverent affection due from them to God. 13.Chiefly Tennis. a score of zero; nothing. 14.a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter L. AND

5 This is what one dictionary had (contd.): LOVE verb (used with object), loved, loving. 15. to have love or affection for: 16. to have a profoundly tender, passionate affection for (another person). 17. to have a strong liking for; take great pleasure in: 18. to need or require; benefit greatly from: 19. to embrace and kiss (someone), as a lover. 20. to have sexual intercourse with. verb (used without object), loved, loving. 21. to have love or affection for another person; be in love. Lots of uses of the word love. Do you know how many words the ancient Greeks had for this emotion?

6 Do you know how many words the ancient Greeks had for this emotion? 30 different words. Discuss if we should be more careful about how we use the word love. The next few slides give some of the different ancient Greek words.

7 Love starts in the family. Storge (pronounced storgay ) is the love between parents and children. Parents are the origin of a child s existence and a child is usually the product of their love, so that biological connection is almost impossible to ignore.

8 Philautia, means love of yourself. In its worst form, it can be a self-obsession that is all about me, me, me! But it is also about self-worth, about feeling secure in who you are and where you are going. In this form, philautia is a positive type of love that is at the heart of our identity.

9 Philia, an aspect of love experienced by many of you already. It describes the deep friendship, loyalty and trust that exist between best friends. Philia is also the word used for the team spirit that is created in a sports team, for example.

10 Valentine s Day often involves different types of love. Ludus and eros describe the physical attraction between two people. Then there s pragma, which is the kind of love you find in couples celebrating their silver, ruby or even golden wedding anniversary. It s about long-lasting commitment, even when ludus and eros may have lessened. It is about being open to compromise and willing to forgive.

11 The last Greek word for now is agape. This is possibly the most important of all. Agape is selfless, undeserving and generous. It s the kind of love that makes people volunteer for the jobs that nobody else wants to do. It s the kind of love that is concerned for the needs of the vulnerable, the lonely, the weak and people that nobody wants to care for. Christians believe that agape is best illustrated in the love that God has for us. They believe that God loves people despite the fact that they are often imperfect, disobedient, untrustworthy and unlikeable.

12 So what is true love. Have a look at the next few slides and then discuss how you would define true love.

20 The second word in the title of this Thought for the Week is Obsession. How would you define it? Can you think of examples of when obsession might replace one of the forms of love?

21 OBSESSION Here is a dictionary definition: 1. a persistent disturbing preoccupation with an often unreasonable idea or feeling; 2. something that causes an obsession Not such a long list!

22 OBSESSION A few examples, did you come up with these? compelling motivation e.g. an obsession with profits has an obsession with gambling an obsession with football caused by an obsession e.g. Losing weight can be an obsession that results in the avoidance of certain foods.

23 OBSESSION So, when is it love and when is it an obsession? Do you agree with the comparisons on the next slide? Discuss why or why not? What is the danger of love becoming an obsession?

25 The third word in the title of this Thought for the Week is Agape. This is agápē, an ancient Greek word for love - -- not standing with your mouth wide open! (Pronunciation -- uh-gah-pay) Here s a definition: Agape is selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love A simple way to summarize agape is God's divine love. Another meaning of agape in the Bible was "love feast," a common meal in the early church expressing Christian brotherhood and fellowship.

26 This Greek word, agápē, and variations of it are frequently found throughout the New Testament. Agape perfectly describes the kind of love Jesus Christ has for his Father and for his followers. Agape is the term that defines God's immeasurable, incomparable love for humankind. It is his ongoing, outgoing, self-sacrificing concern for people. God gives this love without condition, unreservedly to those who are undeserving and inferior to himself. "Agape love is unmotivated in the sense that it is not contingent on any value or worth in the object of love. It is spontaneous and heedless, for it does not determine beforehand whether love will be effective or appropriate in any particular case." Anders Nygren

29 Christians believe that God sent his son to earth to save us from our sins. Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends Jews share the same scripture as Christians that commands them to love your neighbour as yourself Muslims are given instructions in the Quran as to how to gain the love of Allah.

30 Reflection: Thank you for the love that we experience in our lives. Please help us to share this experience with those around us. Please help us never to give up loving. Help us always to notice people who need our care.

31 Sixth Form Corner Is there a place for platonic love? How would you define it? In what ways might it be a benefit or a problem? Discuss the quotation on the next slide.

32 Sixth Form Corner

33 Sixth Form Corner Do you agree? Can you add anything?

34 Sixth Form Corner Discuss obsessions: What dangers can you identify that might result from what is at first a mild obsession? Exercise and sport are good things, it is proven that they benefit both our bodies and minds. Can an obsession with exercise or a particular sport become unhealthy? Discuss the quotation on the next slide.

35 Sixth Form Corner

36 Sixth Form Corner Reflect on or discuss this verse from the Bible:

Making Good Moral Decisions

Making Good Moral Decisions Personal Reflection Handout #1, How Do I Decide? Fill-in individually For your eyes only, will not discuss Rank in order of how you most frequently to least frequently make