Abrahamic religions Baháʼí Faith Bahá'u'lláh, founder of the
Baháʼí Faith, taught that God created humans due to his love for them, and thus humans should in turn love
God.
`Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'u'lláh's son, wrote that love is the greatest power in the world of existence and the true source of eternal happiness. The
Baháʼí teachings state that all genuine love is divine, and that love proceeds from God and from humans. God's love is taught to be part of his own essence, and his love for his creatures gives them their material existence, divine grace and eternal life. The Baháʼí teachings state that human love is directed towards both God and other humans; that the love of God attracts the individual toward God, by purifying the human heart and preparing it for the revelation of divine grace. Thus through the love of God, humans become transformed and become self-
sacrificing. It is also stated that true love for other humans occurs when people see the beauty of God in other people's
souls. The Baháʼí teachings state that Baháʼís should love all humans regardless of religion,
race or community, and also should love their enemies.
Latter-day Saints According to
Russell M. Nelson, there are examples of the love of
Jesus in the
Book of Mormon. First there is a
covenant with Christ.
King Benjamin stated in the
Book of Mosiah: Then there are the
ordinances of the gospel. Jesus stated in the Book of Mormon in
Third Nephi: And at last Jesus exhorts his followers to follow his example:
Moroni, the last prophet of the book, wrote about love:
Unificationism The concept of True Love is the most central part of
Unificationist theology:
Islam In a Sahih Muslim
Hadith, the Prophet
Muhammad is reported to have said: “You will not enter paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love to the other Muslim what you love to your self.” Muslims are directed by
Allah ('God') in the ways to become close to Him and how to gain His love. God loves those who: • do good. • are pure and clean. • are righteous. • are just and act rightly. • trust Him. • are patient and persevering. • love Him and follow the Prophet. • fight in His cause. The Qur'an also says that God loved
Moses, and God Himself will produce people He will love. Here in this selection of verses we notice again the Arabic preference for the negative to state an opposite. While the following do not state that God hates, it certainly enforces the idea that the love of God is withheld from those who practice certain deeds or are described as manifesting a certain character. Several of the verses are repetitious and so we have the following categories. God does not love: • the mua'tadeen, those who overstep boundaries or limits. • the
mushrikeen, those who associate anything with God. • the fasideen, those who spread corruption or mischief. • the
kafireen, the unbelievers. • the dalemeen, the wrongdoers or oppressors. • the musarifeen, the wasteful. • the proud and boastful. • those who boast in their riches. • the treacherous. • those who are given to crime and to evil speaking.
Ahmadiyya According to the
Ahmadiyya, love of the creatures of God is essential for all Muslims. Ahmadi Muslims express that the Qur'an was sent as a gift to mankind, and its teachings are filled with love, tolerance and respect. The founder of the Ahmadiyya sect in Islam,
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, said: The task for which God has appointed me is that I should remove the malaise that afflicts the relationship between God and His creatures and restore the relationship of love and sincerity between them.
Judaism {{Quote box| width=35% In
Hebrew,
Ahava is the most Commonly used term for both interpersonal love of family and love of God. Other related but dissimilar terms are
chen (grace, good will, kindness) and
chesed (kindness, love), which basically combines the meaning of "affection" and "compassion" and is sometimes rendered in English as "loving-kindness" or "steadfast love." As for love between marital partners, this is deemed an essential ingredient to life: "See life with the wife you love" (
Ecclesiastes 9:9). The Biblical book
Song of Songs is considered a romantically phrased metaphor of love between God and his people, but in its plain reading reads like a love song.
Indian religions Indian-origin religions, namely Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, are also collectively called the
"indic religions" and "dharma dhamma", share many core beliefs including there is no concept of apostasy or blasphemy and hence no concept of punishment for these, and there is no concept of predatory missionary or conversion activities, hence there is no religious merit is gained by getting others to convert.
Buddhism In
Buddhism,
kāma, known as
lust is a type of mental defilement (
āsava) is believed to lead to sense-pleasure clinging (
kamupadana) . The vast majority believe it to be an obstacle on the path to
enlightenment. On the contrary,
maitrī is benevolent love. This love is unconditional and wishes the individual to have happiness and its causes. This is quite different from common conceptions of love which are often confused with attachment and sexual desire, and can be self-interested. Instead, in Buddhism it refers to detachment and unselfish interest in others' welfare.
Hinduism In Hinduism,
kama is pleasurable, personified by the god
Kama. For many Hindu schools it is the third end in life. In contrast to
kāma,
prema refers to elevated love. Love in Hinduism is sacrament. It preaches that one gives up selfishness in love, not expecting anything in return. It also believes "God is love". A sacred text named Kanda Guru Kavasa quotes, " Oh holy Great flame, Grant me with love.. You said the spreading love is Para Brahma, For the thing which is everywhere is only Love, And Love is the only thing which is like a soul within us, Love is Kumara, Love is Kanda" This simply means Love is God. The love of the
Hindu deity Krishna with
Radha and many other
gopis (milkmaids) of
Vrindavana is highly revered. His amorous dance with the
gopis became known as the
Rasa lila and were romanticised in the poetry of
Jayadeva, the author of
Gita Govinda. These became important as part of the development of the Krishna bhakti traditions worshiping
Radha Krishna.
Sikhism In
Sikhism, love means love for the Lord and His creation. This is one of five virtues vigorously promoted by the Sikh Gurus. The other four qualities in the arsenal are
truth (
sat),
contentment (
santokh),
compassion (
daya), and
humility (
nimrata). These five qualities are essential for a Sikh and it is their duty to meditate on and recite the
Gurbani so that these virtues become a part of their mindset. Love is a positive and powerful tool in the Sikh's arsenal of virtues. When one's mind is full of love, one will overlook deficiencies in others and accept them wholeheartedly as a product of God. Sikhism asks all believers to take on godlike virtues, and this perhaps is the most godlike characteristic of all. Gurbani teaches that
Waheguru is a "loving God" full of compassion and kindness. It is the duty of the Sikh to take on qualities of this nature and to easily forgive, never hate anyone, and live in Waheguru's
Hukam and practise compassion and humility. In the
Dasam Granth, it is stated on
ang 40 that "he, who is absorbed in True Love, he would realize the Lord."
Jainism Champat Rai Jain, an influential Jaina writer termed the Jaina concept of
Ahinsa as Universal love because of Jain scriptures's advocacy of compassion for all living beings. In Jain prayers like
Meri Bhavna, a devotee specifically asks for cordial relationship with all sentient beings of the universe.
Samayik Path, an 11th century Jain scripture by Acharya Amitgati is a compilation of 32 verses in Sanskrit language to contemplate during
meditation. The first verse itself starts with
satvyeshu maitreym which translates to 'May I have love for all living beings'.
Polytheist religions Different cultures have deified love in male and female forms. (Although in monotheistic religions the supreme being is believed to represent love, there are often
angels or similar beings that represent love as well.) Below is a list of gods and goddesses of love. •
Áine, goddess of fertility and passionate love in
Irish mythology •
Eros or
Cupid, god of passionate love in
Roman mythology •
Antheia, goddess in
Crete mythology of love, flowers, gardens, and marshes •
Aonghus or Aengus
, god of beauty, youth, and sensual love in Irish mythology •
Aphrodite, goddess of beauty and passionate love in
Greek mythology •
Astarte, goddess of love in Canaanite mythology •
Eros, god of passionate love in Greek mythology •
Freyja, goddess of love, fertility and war in
Norse mythology •
Hathor, goddess of love in
Ancient Egyptian religion •
Inanna, goddess of sexual love in
Sumerian religion •
Ishtar, goddess of love and war in
Babylonian mythology •
Kama, god of sensual love in
Hindu mythology •
Mihr, spirit of love in
Persian mythology •
Rati, goddess of passionate love in Hindu mythology •
Venus, goddess of beauty and passionate love in Roman mythology •
Xochipilli, god in
Aztec mythology ==See also==