Sacrificial love is pure, as a mother for a child. That love is eternally pure and holy and reflects the very character of God. In any culture or religion it only has one value and reflects upon the nature of God. Not many gods, it is the same value for every man.

That love gives unconditionally to cause growth, joy and fulfilment to the person to whom it is given. That quality of love is eternal and will not be superseeded or replaced by any other type of love. This is agapae love. It is the love that will assist an outcast - see Mother Teresa. It has many expressions but it is in the image of the divine. It is the heart of a rescuer toward a drowning criminal. We may naturally feel he deserves death, but we believe he deserves a chance to change his life.

Ok, so now after learning that we are to praise the one God, the one only we deem fit to adapt to our own individual life styles, Where do we go from here? Astral travel, now there's a way forward,(dickie mentioned it) if in fact we do indeed go to another place, I would think it would be through astral travelling, afterall, we would no-longer have a body to travel in, only possibly our own thoughts still lingering from life form? Maybe we go to another plain, or to where good people go, the bad ones just get eaten by worms! Now we arrive at the point of "heaven and hell" I am trying to keep off the religious line here and it seems it all points to what is rammed down our throats from young and always ends up directed towards religion. Can't blame it really, this is how we are taught to think, when all else fails, no explanation? then turn to God? Come on, lets not burden the old guy with too much.
My feeling is that, if we don't do well or good in this life, we relive it until we get it right, only then do we move on to the next level (sounds like a game of tomb raider!) We only then reap the benefits of the hard work done in our previous lives.

"Sacrificial love is pure, as a mother for a child. That love is eternally pure and holy and reflects the very character of God."

Ah Philo, motherly love comes down to good old evolution theory.
Lots of oxytocin involved there. Mothers of various species
fuss over their offspring. Those who don't, snap!, the kid
is soon eaten or dies in some other ways. She won't be passing
on her dna :(

What we know about altruism, ala Mother Theresa, is that it
makes people feel good. People like feeling good, so its in
their self interest to be altruistic.

Sadly, all I've read about Mother Theresa, was that she was
less concerned about suffering. But then the Catholic faith
IIRC, seems to claim that suffering is noble or something like
that. Sorry.... I want less suffering, not more.

Such cynicism - such a clinical approach, Yabby.

Mmm.....oxytocin aye? That's also found in the male species. Other male species raise their young, such as the emu. Pity help the mum if she tries to interfere with the chicks! Then you have the male seahorse who falls pregnant.

Many other male species either share the rearing of their young, or take over completely.

In yesterday's paper, there was a photograph of a cat and a rottweiler pup, where the pup claimed the cat as its mother. Now that's real cute. Oops sorry, Yabby - that picture triggered my dose of oxytocin!

I suspect that at times, in the human male, there may be an overload of testosterone which overrides the domestic hormone, oxytocin.

I've a friend who constantly warns of the "cripples collecting for charity - yeah right - that'd be for themselves!" says my buddy. So what's my buddy's motives in his cynicism hmmm? Meanness?

We once had a mentally challenged man in my community - representing a charitable religious organisation, who would visit all the pubs on Friday nights, rattling his money box.

Though, the entire town knew that he would cycle to the brothels, after collecting each Friday night, they continued to donate. "Half for the poor and half for Herbert", chorused all the pub-goers. So did that make them feel good? You bet!

I believe altruism is essential for the human species who are supposedly credited with a "higher" intellect. It's often seen in other species and we fail to recognise it. Without true altruism , despite the "feel good" aspect, it would be every man and beast for himself -"dog eat dog." (Apologies to the canine family!)

I guess, therefore, that many of us are under the influence of a religion. It's called "Karma." Certainly I am. "What goes 'round comes 'round!"

Endeavouring to adhere to that dogma, leaves one unconcerned about what might happen to us in the afterlife or the nasty threats from organised religions.

Anyway, billions have gone to the afterlife before us. Now that's a comforting thought!

"Many other male species either share the rearing of their young, or take over completely."

Well yup, nature does not care what strategy is used to raise the
offspring, as long as it gets results. David Attenborough showed
some great examples of this, in his "Life of Birds". What
it came down to, was that whichever gender made the larger investment
in raising the offspring, was also the fussy one, when it came
to sex. If an inpregnation is all that is invested, no need to be
too fussy lol.

The male equivelant of oxytocin is vasopressin. Some interesting
studies were done at the University of Maryland, to understand
pairbonding (marriage) a little better. The prairie vole happens
to be a loyal little critter, when it comes to life partners.
Unlike the kansas vole, who bangs anything that moves...

They did all sorts of experiments, with tempting little female
prairie voles, but he stayed loyal, unlike the kansas vole.

In the final analysis, it all came down to vasopressin receptors
in parts of the limbic system, which the prairie vole had, the
kansas vole didn't.

So dickie, if you want to know who is genuine and who is telling
stories at the pub, to achieve a quick impregnation, it perhaps
all comes down to vasopressin receptors!

Listen, I could'nt give a rats @ss who's recepting who and who bangs what with his or her oxytoxy thingy, as long as I get to know where the hell I end up after the long jump!