| − | Storge is the love of community and family. Often dutiful, sometimes apparently unfeeling, or undemonstrative, but very strong nevertheless, storge love refers to natural or instinctual affection for one's own community, a natural, unforced, familial love; a primary example of storge love is the normally affectionate and protective love that a parent has for a child, which an emotionally healthy child has for the parents, and the powerful love of country expressed in genuine [[patriotism]]. It is a natural, carnal love, but powerful enough to be a real hindrance to spiritual growth, especially when family and culture are believed or felt to be more important than any other consideration, including the obligation of obedient love for God—some individuals have historically held duty toward family and country to be paramount, more important than duty toward God ([[deification]] and [[idolatry]]). Storge has sometimes been a pretext for seeking revenge on others (outsiders) who have harmed country, community, or members of the family or group, even to the point of exacting lethal revenge as reprisal or retribution on innocent individuals they hold responsible for causing accidental deaths, or as ''[[vigilante]]'' "punishment" of those perceived as responsible for the arrest, trial, conviction, and execution of an undeniably guilty criminal member of their family, group, community or country. | + | Storge is the love of community and family. Often dutiful, sometimes apparently unfeeling, or undemonstrative, but very strong nevertheless, storge love refers to natural or instinctual affection for one's own community, a natural, unforced, familial love; a primary example of storge love is the normally affectionate and protective love that a parent has for a child, which an emotionally healthy child has for the parents, and the powerful love of country expressed in genuine [[patriotism]]. It is a natural, carnal love, but powerful enough to be a real hindrance to spiritual growth, especially when family and culture are believed or felt to be more important than any other consideration, including the obligation of obedient love for God—some individuals have historically held duty toward family and country to be paramount, more important than duty toward God ([[deification]] and [[idolatry]]). Storge has sometimes been a pretext for seeking revenge on others (outsiders) who have harmed a particular race or racial heritage<ref>See [[Riot]]</ref>, country, community, or members of the family or group, even to the point of exacting lethal revenge as reprisal or retribution on innocent individuals they hold responsible for causing accidental deaths, or as ''[[vigilante]]'' "punishment" of those perceived as responsible for the arrest, trial, conviction, and execution of an undeniably guilty criminal member of their family, group, community or country. |