As has already been noted Macmurray deduced that love is primarily a motive for actions which are heterocentric in character. Love is also necessary for the acquisition of knowledge about other persons.
"My knowledge of another person is a function of my love for him; and in proportion as my knowledge is a function of my fear for him, it is illusory or unreal. Knowledge of another persons comes through the revelation which comes from the trust that is inspired by love. Fear destroys the trust that is needed for mutual, revelation, whereas ; love creates the trust that is needed for mutual revelation. The implica-
59. Largo, op. cit., p.245
40. GH p. 67 41. C H p.67 42. CH p. 68 45. FPM p.186
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tions of the heterocentric character of love is far reaching and is seminal to Macmurray*s approach to faith, courage, confidence and trust.
The love that is necessary to bring about community is found within the family, which is the originator of mutual affection. However, Macmurray pointed out that the existence of love does not necessarily mean that a family is a ccmmunity, but it is a beginning. Love is the beginning for community, but it is not the only element
that is necessary for the existence of a community. A group based upon love as opposed to fear has within it certain basic elements
which can go on, to become a community. Love is the basis of community and the heterocentric element distinguishes the persons within the community who exist for others, from society which is based upon the existence of the self and not the other. Macmurray succinctly stated
48
that: "Love is for the other; fear is for the self". Love is "the positive ground motive of personal activity", which is defined as "the
49 capacity for self-transcendence, or the capacity to care for the other". Love is t auto logically defined as the "positive motive which sustains every f o m of human fellowship
Love sustains human fellowship which is an essential element in human community. Macmurray labelled the association of persons within
a community as a fellowship. % stated that: "The members of a community 51 are in communion with one another, and their association is a fellowship."
45* Mooney, op. cit., pp.222-224
)■
46. Macmanus, Ora Roland, "The Concept of The Personal in the Writings of John Macmurray" (Unpublished Doctoral Thesis: The
Catholic University of America, 196?) p.l66 47. EE p. 255
48. CP p.57 49. CP p.57 50. CP p.57 51. PR p. 146
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Macmurray pointed out that: "since such an association exhibits the form of the personal in its fully positive personal character, it will necessarily contain within it and be constituted by its own
52
negative, which is society". A fellowship also contains within it certain facets that are also contained within a society. Part of Macmurray*s description of community is based upon its opposition with society. There are two types of association within a fellowship. The two types of association that are within fellowship are labelled as * friendship * and * co-operation*. In society there exists only the association that is based upon co-operation. Macmurray maintained that friendship and co-operation are "partly independent of one another", but he also asseverated that: "friendship though it cannot be constituted by co-operation for a common purpose, necessarily
53
generates such co-operation". This does not just mean that there is co-operation motivated by love within fellowship. Macmurray posited a distinctive difference between the combination of the two types of association as opposed to co-operation by itself. The combination of friendship and co-operation is beneficial. The association of friend ship is not constituted by a single purpose, therefore, "it permits
54-
of a change in purpose". There is also the advantage that "the
common ends which are worked for and the co-operation for their achieve-
55
ment are together means to maintaining and deepening the friendship". The two types of association found within fellowship as opposed to the singular co-operation of society means that there is not only the added flexibility of easily changed purpose within the context of co-operation, but also the deepening of the binding element, i.e. friendship.
52. PR p. 146 55. PPM p. 188
54. FPM p.188 Author*8 italics 55. PPM p. 188
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Community, i.e. fellowship, denands direct personal relations, since without this type of relation there can he no friendship. "But
community can only he actual in direct personal relations, since we can only be actually in fellowship with those whcM we know personally. Any unity within fellowship is personal. Macmurray maintain that: "A unity of fellowship is personal. It is a unity of persons as persons;
and each member of a fellowship enters it with the whole of himself, and not in respect of a particular interest which he happens to share
57
with others." Society on the other hand unifies individuals because of particular interests and skills.
Macmurray made a rather far reaching assumption when he maintained that human beings only find self-realisation within community, and that "we can only be ourselves in fellowship, as a mutual caring for one another, it follows that the intention to enter into fellowship is im plicit in every human being and in every human activity".However, Macmurray did not take into account the fact that even though most human beings find themselves in fellowship, that others are acting in reaction
to fellowship and do not wish to be in fellowship. Some people only reveal their true feelings away from all other persons and groupings.
Besides the combination of the associations of co-operation and friendship within fellowship there is the existence of direct personal relations which implies that there are certain intrinsic components operating within fellowship. Since personal relations are a part of fellowship, one would expect to find mutual reciprocity within fellow ship, Macmurray has stated that: "the essential condition for realising
56. PR p. 189 57. CP p.49 58. CP p.61
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59fellowship is a mutual reciprocity". This signifies the realisation on both sides of the existence of the recognition of the other and the subsequent recognition of the need for a mutual approach to the common life. At the same time there is the realisation that even thou^ the persons are bound together by mutual reciprocity within the context of
the fellowship, there is also the need for the individual to be them selves.
Another factor that is connected with fellowship that is necessary for the on-going existence of fellowship is the "complete realisation of the self through a complete self-transcendence ". One needs not only the complete affiimation of one's self, but also the mutual affir mation of the other and -tiie reciprocity that exists between two persons in relation. Macmurray maintained that; "The ground of fellowship is common humanity". The common intention of two people that meet
together is to enter into fellowship which assumes that the path of least resistance is fellowship. Macmurray asserted that: "the natural tendency of any two human beings who meet one another is to enter into fellowship, irrespective of all differences whether of age, sex, race, nationality, social condition, natural ability or any other simply as human beings".Macmurray assumed that ihe only thing necessary for fellowship is common humanity. One must question this assumption since in order to realise fellowship some fonn of communication is necessary. It is significant that Macmurray failed to grapple with the dividing aspects of language. _ _ — ■ — t - ' ' 59. CP p. 60 60. CP p.59 61. CP p.61 62. CP p.61