Love is a fundamental principle taught in the doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Both romantic love and charity, or the pure love of Christ, are important aspects of this topic. Throughout the scriptures, Jesus Christ teaches much about how to love as He did. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ believe that showing love to everyone they meet is what God wants them to do.
In the gospel of Luke, the Lord teaches His followers to “love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful” (Luke 6:35-36).
Regarding romantic love, the prophet Gordon B. Hinckley offered advice in his BYU devotional address. “I could wish nothing better for each of you, my dear young friends, than love—the companionship of one dearer than any friend; someone to be deliriously excited over and to be happy with; someone to stir within you the very best that is there; someone to grow more appreciative of, more tender toward, more grateful for, more a part of as one year becomes another and life moves toward eternity. May the Lord answer your prayers with love, the kind that will always express itself in concern not for self but for your beloved companion” (“And the Greatest of These Is Love,” February 1978).
Modern-day prophets have encouraged everyone to develop charity. President Thomas S. Monson reminded church members that “nowhere should the world find a better example of that foundation than in the homes of Latter-day Saints who have made love the heart of their family life” (“As I Have Loved You,” February 2017). Through showing Christlike love, all people will be able to feel God’s presence more fully in their lives.
