In the religious discourses of this volume, a shift in Kierkegaard's understanding of Christianity becomes apparent. The contrast between the Christian and the world becomes increasingly pronounced, and it is articulated through the core Christian idea of love: In natural human thinking, the essence of love is misinterpreted. What is understood as love, and what poets celebrate as the great happiness of love, is often, at its core, self-love. The contrast between such a misinterpreted self-love and true Christian love for one's neighbor becomes particularly clear when this love must relentlessly transcend human desires for happiness. With this pain, it must strive to turn humanity toward eternity; to ordinary sensibilities, it then becomes 'unrecognizable.' The true nature of love for one's neighbor is vividly illustrated through a variety of different human relationships and connections.