I was visiting with a student who was in the middle of a faith crisis. During our talk, she asked me if I had looked at other religions and, if I had, why I had chosen to be a Christian.
My response was that I had looked closely at many religions, Buddhism most especially. For a season of my life I was probably as much Buddhist as Christian. I even took Buddhist books to church to read during sermons.
But as I shared with my student, I eventually returned to Christianity. And one of the big reasons, I said, was the Christian belief that "God is love." Among the major world religions, this idea--"God is love"--is unique to Christianity. Surprised to hear this, she asked, "It is?" "Yes," I answered, "it is."
To be clear, many world religions identify God as loving. "Loving" is an adjective applied to God. What's different in Christianity is a stronger, more ontological claim, that God is love. Being Itself is Love.
I felt pretty confident in making that claim to my student. I really do try to do my homework. But just to check, I asked ChatGPT: "Does the Christian belief that 'God is love' have an exact equivalent in another world religion?"
The answer:
The Christian belief that "God is love" is a unique theological concept that may not have an exact equivalent in other world religions. While many religions may emphasize the importance of love as a spiritual principle, the specific idea that God's very nature is love is a distinctively Christian belief.
I asked a follow-up question to confirm the novelty and originality of the Christian claim that "God is love." I asked ChatGPT: "When the New Testament declared that 'God is love' did that idea have any prior sources or influences?"
The answer:
The idea that "God is love" as found in the New Testament may have some prior sources or influences, but it is a distinctively Christian concept. The New Testament was written in the context of Jewish and Greco-Roman cultures, and it is likely that these cultural contexts influenced the development of this idea.
One possible influence on the idea of "God is love" in the New Testament is the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). The Hebrew Bible emphasizes the importance of God's love and compassion for his people, and this idea is expressed in passages such as Psalm 103:8-13, which says, "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him."
Another possible influence on the idea of "God is love" in the New Testament is the concept of agape love in Greek philosophy. Agape love is a selfless, unconditional love that seeks the good of the other person, and this concept was influential in early Christian theology. However, it is important to note that the concept of agape love in Greek philosophy is not the same as the idea that "God is love" as found in the New Testament.
Ultimately, the idea that "God is love" as found in the New Testament is a unique and distinctive Christian concept that emphasizes the importance of love as a central aspect of God's nature and the Christian faith.
Given my history with Buddhism, I asked another question: "Is the idea that 'God is love' found in any Eastern religions?"
The answer:
The idea that "God is love" is not typically expressed in Eastern religions in the same way that it is in Christianity. However, many Eastern religions do emphasize the importance of compassion, kindness, and love as spiritual principles.
For example, in Buddhism, the concept of compassion (karuna) is one of the central tenets of the religion. Buddhists believe that cultivating compassion and loving-kindness towards all beings is essential for spiritual growth and enlightenment.
In Hinduism, the concept of divine love (bhakti) is an important aspect of many devotional practices. Devotees may express their love and devotion to the divine through prayer, worship, and service.
In Taoism, the concept of wu-wei, or "effortless action," emphasizes the importance of living in harmony with the natural world and treating others with kindness and compassion.
While the specific idea that "God is love" may not be found in Eastern religions, there are certainly shared principles and values related to the importance of love and compassion in many different religious traditions.
Just to be clear about the contrasts between Eastern religions and Christianity, I asked a final, clarifying question: "Yes, there are shared principles, but no exact equivalent, correct?"
The answer:
That is correct. While there are shared principles and values related to love and compassion in many different religious traditions, the specific idea that "God is love" as found in Christianity does not have an exact equivalent in Eastern religions. The emphasis on the divine nature of love as a central aspect of God's being and the Christian faith is a unique and distinctive Christian concept.
Could it be that there is no direct equivalent in other religions, eastern religions especially, because there is no concept of God in some of these? ChatGPT is not good at identifying and explaining these kind of nuances.
Does one need to choose one specific religion? A buddhist Christian sounds like a good choice... or is there a conflict there? I love how the buddhists focus on compassion, kindness, and love in our daily lives. They are better on honing in on the way to live, whereas so much of Christianity seems to focus on the right way to believe... and often it comes with black and white, who is right or wrong, who is going where in the afterlife. I love my liberal church, but I find it best when I mix in the Buddhism. Any thoughts?