In our view, love is suddenly engulfed by a powerful surge of reflection on the idea that true feelings, when not anchored in higher spiritual values, can easily fall prey to the influence of egoism and specific circumstances.

Spiritual Foundations and the Conditional Nature of Love

In our view, love is suddenly engulfed by a powerful surge of reflection on the idea that true feelings, when not anchored in higher spiritual values, can easily fall prey to the influence of egoism and specific circumstances. At the very heart of the Christian understanding of life lies the pursuit of acquiring god-like spiritual qualities and the faith in resurrection, which endows love with absolute selflessness and strength. In contrast, atheist humanism, lacking this foundation, often transforms love into a product of mutual concessions and exchanges of benefits, where instead of genuine feeling, the abstract idea of common good takes precedence. This discussion is not merely an intellectual exercise—it awakens in us the desire to recognize how important it is to have a lofty spiritual reference point to preserve the very essence of love. The lesson is clear: without a connection to something immeasurably greater, love can become conditional, straying from the primordial purity that we so often seek in our hearts.

How is the nature of atheists’ love: Is it conditional or selfless, as portrayed in popular cartoons?

The citations reveal the idea that genuine love, when lacking divine support, often becomes susceptible to human egoism and the influence of situational factors, rendering it essentially conditional. In the text from file link txt, it is noted that the Christian understanding of life—based on acquiring "god-like spiritual values" and the belief in bodily resurrection—stands in stark opposition to the ideal of so-called atheist humanism. The author emphasizes that the spiritual roots of the rejection of the Christian ideal are purely of a spiritual nature rather than a rational one, implying that without this foundation, love tends to lose its absolute selflessness.

Further confirmation of this viewpoint comes from the reflection in file link txt, which states: "On the other hand, one cannot truly love a person without loving God. … If this is not the case, if there is a desire for selfless yet non-religious love for a person, then it inevitably shifts away from the concrete person of flesh and blood, turning towards an abstract human being, towards humanity, even towards the idea of humanity, and almost always ends in the sacrifice of a specific individual at the altar of this abstract idea…" This underscores that the quest for selfless love outside a religious context often leads love to depend on abstract ideals and common goals, thereby making it conditional, as relationships evolve into exchanges of mutual benefits or concessions.

Thus, one can conclude that, in the context of the presented reflections, the love of atheists is characterized precisely by its conditionality—it is either mediated by human interests and reciprocity or it turns into a commitment to abstract humanistic ideals, which prevents it from achieving that seemingly selfless purity occasionally depicted in popular cartoons.

Supporting citation(s):
"Christian life’s meaning, which involves acquiring god-like spiritual values here on Earth and believing in the bodily resurrection for an eternal life with God, comes into irreconcilable conflict with the so-called ideal of atheist humanism. It would be extremely interesting and important to analyze the spiritual roots from which the rejection of the Christian ideal originates. There is no doubt that these roots are purely spiritual rather than rational in nature." (source: link txt)

"On the other hand, one cannot truly love a person without loving God. … If this is not so, if there exists a desire for a selfless yet non-religious love for a person, then it inevitably shifts from the concrete person of flesh and blood, turning to an abstract individual, to humanity, or even to the idea of humanity, and almost always ends up with the sacrifice of a specific person at the altar of this abstract idea, collective benefit, earthly paradise, etc." (source: link txt)