God posted a message on a billboard

[Playinghardball]

[trotsky]

1. Who is my neighbor?

What does it mean to love them?

If they are doing something to harm themselves, do I have a responsibility to help them?

If they are doing something to put their immortal soul in danger, do I have a responsibility to try and stop them?

Don't get me wrong, it's a great little phrase. But it's wide open to interpretation, and Christian groups have interpreted it differently.

[BlueStreak]

3. Simple

"Love" = make them live their lives the way I think is right.

"Neighbor" = everybody.

Whenever we accept an aphorism as the opening line in an argument, we should expect its meaning to be twisted 100 times over before the argument is through.

Therefore, it is better to speak specifically about the thing rather than to use vague platitudes.

If we are talking about taking care of the guy down the street who had his foot amputated and has some dementia, we should say that/

If we are talking about changing a person's lifestyle because I think that will save them from an eternity in hell, then we should say that too.

[rug]

5. “And who is my neighbor?”

Luke 10

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

[hrmjustin]

6. I think Jesus meant everybody is your neighbor.

[Deep13]

2. You'd think He would have access to better media. nt

[itsrobert]

4. Well, he loans his talent out to Rush Limbaugh

I guess being God doesn't pay as much as it use too.

[cbayer]

7. Not bad advice, god.

Then there is the "as thyself" part.

I think it's just another of saying that you should treat people as you would wish to be treated. If you are a kind, empathic person, you probably would want and expect to be treated one way. If you are an aggressive ahole, you might expect to be treated another way.