"Christianity - Does it Produce Sexual Misery?"

You Want the Intruding Church

Closely tied to the notion of the Christian Church being authoritarian (cf. Christianity – Is it Authoritarian?”) is the idea that the Christian Church is intrusive.  Such is most certainly true but not as most think.

Members of the Christian Church even the most left leaning do seek to intrude into culture when it seeks to disenfranchise a group or people (e.g. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.), when it seeks the demise of a people as during the days of the Roman Empire when Christians rescued babies left out to die of exposure.  To be sure the members of the Christian Church sought to intrude into the lives of those left to suffer the consequences of little or no education, those widowed, those orphaned, and those without medical care.

So you see the Christian Church in doing her duties did intrude into the lives of people and of culture.  Often with great opposition as it stood and today seeks to stand against destructive and disenfranchising societal mores on Biblical grounds.

Intrusion into Personal Lives

The criticism is that the Church intrudes into the sex lives of Christians and non-Christians and thus produces great misery.  The underlying suggesting is that such an “intrusion” is for malevolent purpose to inflict as much pain and unhappiness upon all.

Well by that standard many other things also inflict pain and create unhappiness.  For example one could argue that speed laws and those laws having to do with personal property are intrusions into one’s personal life.  If those who postulate the sexual misery argument have any sense at all they would not appreciate someone speeding through a school zone or entering their premises with dishonorable purpose.

Unintended Consequences

What then about unintended consequences.  One needs to look no further than the epidemics of HIV and AIDS to see the consequences of unrestrained sexual conduct. 

Such outcomes are not the consequences of prudishness on the part of the faith community that supposedly purposes misery but of unrestrained sexual practices.  Yet one finds the proponents of the notions strangely quiet about the STD and unintended pregnancy outcomes of such behaviors.

Do you suppose that just maybe the STD epidemic validates the stand of the Scriptures?  Does not the misery of the final stages of AIDS validate the importance of sexual purity?  

Greater Good

Although sexual purity may well be disparaged or even inconvenient, could not one argue that sexual purity is for the greater good of a culture or sub-culture?  Imagine the cost savings if culture was not saddled with the burden of research into a cure and as well the costs of the care of those who are afflicted by the disease.  

Prohibited Sexual Behavior

The question then arises as to the basis for prohibited sexual behavior.  There are several thoughts worth considering.  Before doing so consider that those who would like to rid the world of the restraint of sexual standards once again play fast and loose with the numbers.

To read the article that prompted this posting one reads words like, “…humans beings are by nature highly sexual beings…,” those who follow the Bible “…are often miserable…,” and “…many Christians are poisoned by ‘sinful’ urges, unfulfilled longings, and intense guilt….”  The problem is that once again there are quantum leap assumptions. 

Upon What Foundation

At the outset, may it be clear that the principles and practices of the Judeo-Christian Scriptures are often hard sayings.  The acceptance of or the rejection of same is never ever without consequence. 

The simple truth is that there are those who put their own “spin” upon the Scriptures to seek to accomplish their own ends and purposes.  For example, the activities of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, KS.  However, most of those who follow the Scriptures do not do so for their own purposes and gain but out of obedience to those Scriptures.

Private or Public

Those things done by consenting adults in private need not be the business of anyone, church or otherwise.  However, what is at issue is the need for those involved in any kind of sexual conduct illicit or accepted to move such behavior from private to public and to do so in a militant manner.

Limitations

So then the question becomes this.  Where are the limits upon sexual expression?  If one is to believe that once one reaches puberty they are at the mercy of their sexual urges then where is the line between appropriate sexual expression and that which is not appropriate.

Again what two consenting adults do in the privacy of their home is their business but again where is the line to be drawn.  Is it at one’s ability to make the choice to be involved?

Consequences and Outcomes

No one can legitimately argue that illicit sex is not fun.  The reality is not so however the outcomes and consequences of such behavior are not so exciting. 

Previous attention was given to the proliferation of STDs but there are others.  For example more is coming to light about the emotional toll of abortion--most often an outcome of promiscuity.   

Disrespect

Then there is the out and out disrespect that one has for another who is simply a partner in a sex act.  At times there is little relationship beyond that necessary for one to have his/her way.  Much wisdom is contained in the question, “If the milk is free why buy the cow?”

The critics of monogamous sex refer to sex within marriage as not all that was anticipated.  The question that follows is where is the data to suggest such is so.  As well, no one is arguing that forbidden fruit is not exciting.

The Regret and Recrimination Factors

Then too, how many young men and women when they awaken the morning after realize that they have given away the highest form of physical intimacy that they can give?  Even in a culture that suggests sex should be easy and available there is something special about intercourse.  How many young women end up in deep regret for having given away that which may only given away once?  How many young men the same?

Looking for the Absent Thrill

The sexual act activates powerful reactions in the chemistry of the brain.  Just like the dope addict who requires more and more to achieve the high so too with sexual activity.  Thus dabbling in promiscuous sexual activity leads to more and different kinds of sex.  More and extreme forms of sexual involvement become necessary as one looks for that now absent thrill.   

Observation

Once again and for sure not the last, those who take issue with Christianity take great liberties in two areas that it turns out are beyond illogical and assumptive.   First, they set up their view of Christianity as the norm and as such want the reader to believe that their view has integrity.  They go on to ascribe all sorts of accesses to their view.

Second, as in this posting, they do not give fair play to the “rest of the story” and in particular the outcomes of promiscuity.  There is no mention of the emotional toll that promiscuity brings upon those who live such lives, the increasing incidents of STDs, and such.

It seems that if they are seeking the “truth” in some of these matters, they should follow the “truth” trail wherever it goes.  Of course to do so causes one to run smack dab into genuine reality as opposed to making it conform to unfair and even illogical agendas.   

Background

To see the list of subjects to be discussed in this series see my blog (Christianity – Is it a Faith Driven by Fear?).  Contained within that blog is a reference, 20 Reasons to Abandon Christianity and in that reference is a list which is the springboard from which this subject has been discussed.