After a brash of recent threads dealing with sex before marriage, and with the many churches who denounce it as being very bad, even to the point of sending ones soul to hell, I muster the question to all those theists on the boards. Truly why?
Mircea Eliades The Sacred & the Profane (1957) grabbed my attention in many a religion class and philosophical debate, but it was Rudolf Otto Das Heilige ‘The Idea of the Holy’ that I constantly get back to as being a fountain of rationale into why people fear God. I am not a biblical scholar, but the pure multitudinous of people who fear God - or his wrath - and keep their virginity for the one they marry does not register as being a rational decision to me. An attainable personal goal yes, but for a belief that one will be damned, I don’t see it.
I consult my elderly parents who actually both saved their virginity for each other - and are now divorced - , and who both attended serious Chicago Catholic Schools - Gordon Tech - back in the late 40’s early 50’s. They state it is a matter of faith, and belief in who they worshipped, that they waited.
But why the damnation? Why tell children if they masturbate they are sinning, or if they have sex it is a sin? Why fear God, and not love him? Do you fear God out of love for your religion, or Love God out of fear of not making it into heaven?
If he is your creator, why fear him, afterall he made you right?
My wife was raised a Catholic, and I pay for it daily! She was raised to fear God while I was raised to love God and to seek him through Jesus and his sermons. What I don’t get about the Catholics is this; when I was a kid, I remember that they could not eat meat on Fridays and if they did, they were damned. Fast forward a few years and they cancel that rule. Now the souls who ate meat and died prior to the change, were they still damned?
Back to sex–I love it 'cause God built into me, the want and lust for sex. God created sex in a way that we would want to indulge in it–I mean, the feelings, the touch, the smell, the taste. If we didn’t lust after it–if it were another chore like, cleaning the cat box, and we were turned off by the sights and smells, and “you want me to take my clothes off and get in–what kind of position!?”–then we would probably be pretty bad at procreation.
I believe we have an all forgiving God if we just turn to him and ask for forgivness. The unforgivable sin is turning your back on God and rejecting him.
Fearing God, it seems to me, if you refer to the KJV of the Bible means to respect Him. Respecting God as much as you would respect your earthly father if he also was perfect. There is a verse, you’ll have to look it up yourself (I’m out of time), that says roughly “Perfect love casteth out fear”.
Sex outside of marriage often has very bad physical results in the form of STDs. On top of that there is the emotional damage that even some non-Christians are aware of.
God wisely gave us rules about morality, just as when you were a child your own father would have told you to not run out in the street or touch a hot stove. You might not have understood at the time, but once you grew up you realized the rules were for your own good.
Sex outside of marriage oftem* has very bad physical side effects in the form of STD’s??? Millions of people each year have sex out side of marriage without getting an STD. I beg your pardon but that seems like a statement meant to scare people into avoiding sex before marriage. Not to mention sex is a completely natural occurance. Experimentation should not be frowned upon.
Traditionally, (no cites) religion has often entailed depriving oneself of something enjoyable to show love for your diety. Many religions still frown upon drunkenness, smoking, excessive debauchery (even with your spouse). “Sins of the Flesh” meant you were concentrating too much on your own personal pleasure, and not thinking of “higher things” such as piety.
On a socio/religious level (dealing with society rather than your personal relationship with God), the benefits of families are shown in the Bible. Having a stable family is A Good Thing[sub]tm[/sub]. Sex outside of marriage could be seen as detrimental to the family unit, and thus not pleasing to God.
From reading the thousands of posts concerning God on this column, I believeº that when you die, you either get eternal life (with God) or nothing. Nothing, as in you cease to exist. I fear God because he¹ created me (my soul). I believe that I will have to give an account of all I did in my earthly life that was or wasn’t out of love, which determines whether I get heaven [sup]eternity with God[/sup] or hell [sub]cease to exist[/sub]. He created me, he can destroy me.
[sub]ºThis is all IMO.[/sub]
[sub]¹I say he because if God were she, childbirth wouldn’t be so painful![/sub]
“Do not put a stumbling block before the blind man, the widow, or the orphan. But, fear God.”
We’re told to do what is right simply because it is right. We are told to do it out of love of God. But if you’re still tempted, maybe the thought of punishment will scare you straight.