Love Of God

        Of course I was not expecting Spinoza to describe a love for God at all like the sentiment I have become accustomed to.  In these sections of the Ethics (P11-P23), Spinoza describes a new "love", very different from the classic word itself.  Spinoza's "love" for God is more akin to an understanding of nature around us.  It is a knowledge of our existence.  This knowledge of God translates to an intellectual understanding (intellectual love) of God. It is when one recognizes that all affects and images of the mind and body are related to God, they are through God.  The mind must clearly understand that they are because of God.  (P14)  We understand that our nature is a part of God as it follows from one of God’s attributes.  This understanding of our existence is the highest form of knowledge for Spinoza.  When one attains this knowledge and properly grasps it, he or she is at a state of blessedness.  It is a state of high joy that can only be brought about by this “love” of God.

        When I first heard of the concept of the love of God, I immediately thought of the classical sense of love.  Where one loves God and is loved by God in return.  Spinoza is completely against this type of love as he blatantly states: “He who loves God cannot strive that God should love him in return” (P19).  Spinoza also states that God is a God without passions,  God is not affected by joy or sadness.  God does not hate and consequentially God does not love.  If one expects God to love him back then he expects God to no longer be God.  This is something that has to be expected and is in blatant contrast to religious views of the love of God where one flourishes because he or she is loved by God.  Spinoza does a great job of removing religion from his concept of love.  When one loves God he or she is free from passions, and is therefore free.  This freedom brings joy.  This freedom entails that the person does not fear an eternal consequence after death, does not look forward to an eternal life after death, both of which are removals of religious concepts.  It seems to me that this type of love is just plain and simple understanding.  This leaves me to question can understanding be the same as love?  Therefore can one even really love Spinoza’s God?  How is God affected by this love or by this understanding? Maybe those questions don’t even matter.  If all one has to do is strive to understand that he is because of God, understand that his nature and purpose are all due to the attributes of God, are caused by these attributes, then this will bring with it freedom and joy.  One does what is right and what he or she believes to be important all while striving for this highest knowledge.  In a way, this type of “love” of God brings about a salvation just as the classical ancient religious concept of a love for God would.