God and the Problems of Love

Religious believers are often commanded to love like God. On classical accounts, God seems a poor model for human beings: an immutable and impassable being seems incapable of the kind of episodic emotion (sympathy, empathy) that seems required for the best sorts of human love. Models more conducive to human love, on the other hand, are often rejected because they seem to limit God's power and glory. This Element looks first at God and then divine love within the Abrahamic traditions-Islam, Christianity and Judaism. It will then turn to love and the problem of hell, which is argued as primarily a problem for Christians. The author discusses the kind of love each tradition asks of humans and wonders, given recent work in the relevant cognitive and social sciences, if such love is even humanly possible. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

List of contents

1. God and love; 2. God and love; 3. Love and hell; 4. Human love; References.

Product details

• Authors: Kelly James Clark, Kelly James (Ibn Haldun Universitesi Clark, Clark Kelly James
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.12.2023
• EAN: 9781009462334
• ISBN: 978-1-0-0946233-4
• No. of pages: 74
• Series: Elements in the Problems of God
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Religion: general, reference works; Islam, RELIGION / Philosophy, Theology, Christianity, Christian theology, Judaism, Nature & existence of God, Neurosciences, Islamic Theology, Cognitive and behavioural neuroscience, Cognitive Science, Judaism: theology, Nature and existence of God and of the Divine