the so fallible Bible

[Fidel_Castronaut]

But, just to again clarify, despite the fact that the bible says that god is love, it isn't actually love? You're saying it's just an attribute of god,

Correct. I don't see how anyone could read the Bible, get to that one verse, and conclude that it should be read as meaning that God is completely and only love.

You seemed to understand context earlier in the thread, when you said "that context is just as, if not more, important than the individual case study." Your current argument seems disingenuous.

Come along John, then I was talking about the reality of a multifaceted, complex interwoven system of structures that contribute (and/or exacerbate) cyclical poverty.

Here we're talking about whether to take a statement in a fairy tale prima facie or not. So you'll forgive me (because you're full of love for your fellow man) for not seeing the equivalence.

regardless of whether you 'see' it or not, my (and several others) interpretation of the bible is that it says god is love. I've had a lot of theists say that of their version of god, regardless of what it is (many Xtians).

Interpretation is key. It's the only thing that one can rely on on the bible. But if you're saying your god only uses love when it sees fit, then I'll take your word for it. Sounds bit like an arsehole, though. Like a father who beats and rapes his child.