Mark,
"Do we need to punish people, even if we love them? Sometimes, yes, we do. However, that doesn't mean that punishment is the best route.
Surely, if we could use unconditional love to achieve the same result, that would be not only more desireable, but more beneficial. Just because we are not always able to achieve that, doesn't mean that it is not to be desired."
How do you know punishment isn't the best route in any case? You make a huge assumption, one that you are not qualified to make. God knows the perfect solution, not you. Wouldn't you agree? So how could you be so sure that punishment is ever wrong, especially when you already know that unconditional love does not always work, by your own admission?
If you admit that unconditional love would not work in all situations with humans, why would you make a bold assumption that unconditional love would work in eventually saving somebody?
But back to my original questions,(I hope you don't mind but I need these clearly answered. I might be dense and you might have answered them, but I didn't understand the answers you gave.)
In your human experience, if you never punished someone, could you use some other measure all the time that would always work in perfecting them? Put God aside for now....your human experience only is required here for this question!
Can you, (only answering this question based on your human experiences), still love someone if you punish them?
Steve |
