I'm hoping for some thoughtful answers that go beyond the standard conservative views that equate desire with sin, but I already know that some of you are going to say that erotic desire is only acceptable inside the context of marriage…but then I would ask: Is it sinful to feel erotic desire for somebody you are dating? Are erotic fantasies ok? If you are basing your views on the Bible (or other holy books), please reference specific scriptures to back up your views. Do you believe it is truly critical to Christian beliefs that Jesus be a virgin? Would it have been impossible for him to be the son of God if he had gotten married? Why? If sex in marriage is a gift from God, why couldn't Jesus obtain this gift? Is there any reason that Jesus shouldn't have felt erotic desires for girls during his life?
I'm not surprised that most answers followed fairly traditional views – a lot more or less equating erotic desire with sin, or as a distraction from our more essential spiritual path. I am disappointed that, despite the fact that the question has been open for several days, no 1 has but stepped up to give a sex-positive alternative. I feel that the oppression of ladies, and devaluation of erotic energy are connected. The standard view suggests that erotic desire conflicts with spirituality. I feel this is the result of males in ancient history (in fact beginning in prehistory) deciding that they needed to control female sexuality in order to make certain patrilineal decent. You basically can't have patriarchy unless you make sure that women remain sexually monogamous with their men. (For the purposes of patriarchy, it doesn't matter if men sleep around.) In other words, there is a conflict between female erotic desire, and patriarchy.
The result was a devaluation of everything feminine, and the linking of monogamy to spirituality in such a way that erotic desire in general became a result of our" fall from grace."
The Bible presents contradictory views on the role of women and sex in spirituality, but some passages from Paul clearly show that ladies are not considered to be equal to men, spiritually. Here is 1 example:
God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the congregations of the saints, females ought to remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must remain in submission, as the Law says. If they want to inquire about something, they really should ask their own husbands at home for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church. (1 Corinthians 14:33-35)
Here is one more example:
In 1 Timothy 2:11-15, Paul wrote that "a woman really should understand in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man she ought to be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner."
My point is that literal interpretation of the Bible as the sole source of truth is problematic, unless one wants to bite the bullet and uncritically accept that girls are spiritually inferior since it was "the woman who was deceived and became a sinner." The actual source of our belief that erotic desire conflicts with spirituality is not any actual conflict between the two, but rather, a conflict between patriarchal social structure and female erotic desire.
I believe that the most healthy, holistic, and wholesome forms of spirituality are those that incorporate erotic desire into spiritual beliefs without having devaluing erotic energy. At times this is referred to as erotic spirituality or sacred sexuality. The key is that our erotic desire is a Divine gift, not a consequence of sin or falling from the grace of God.
Forgrat: Your answer demonstrates exactly what I believe is wrong with conventional views on the nature of erotic desire. As your answer shows, the notion that celibacy is more spiritual than erotic expression is not the result of any profound insight into truth, but rather, just a sort of manipulation aimed at controlling human behavior. In short, we have been duped by the church. It is an concern of political control, not genuine spiritual insight. Erotic desire IS a form of spiritual energy, and the efforts of political manipulators (going back thousands of years) to divorce erotic desire from spirituality introduce a sort of poison into the process of human self-exploration and growth. Basically, our most intimate and effective sources of spiritual growth are utilised to manipulate folks into behaving in the way that church authorities (who are crucial political figure – not genuine spiritual allies) want us to behave.
Temple: You gave a very insightful answer, and it is the sort of factor I was hoping for when I asked the question, namely, the opportunity to take into account some connections that I may possibly have otherwise missed. I like the way in which you draw the two realms together via touch in a broad metaphorical sense of the term. I believe what you say is true: "Erotic desire is the physical craving to be touched. By man, woman or God." This is basically what I've been saying for years, and it is gratifying to see that others fully grasp this concept as well. I have chosen to believe of divinity in terms of "goddess" rather than "god" specifically for this reason – to remind me in an on-going way that erotic energy is divine energy, and divinity can speak erotically. I would extend the metaphor of touch to self-touch as well. Touch brings tangibility. Touch is foundational to Becoming. Erotic touch is foundational to Being Whole and Being meaningfully engaged in Existence.
Finest answer:
Answer by io_sono_paolo2000
There really was an Adam and Eve and there actually was a Fall. Consequently, all born under Adam are born fallen.
Points are purchased in like terms. In order to buy back mankind, a man, a second Adam, had to be given. Jesus was that Second Adam. He had to be tested in all approaches and remain with out sin. Then, via death, the channels of the Spirit would be opened for man to be redeemed via Him. Why? God has His approaches. Just like a individual might have certain techniques about him/her...even so, God has His ways about Him.
For that reason, had Jesus been born normally, He would have been born fallen and useless. Consequently, He was born of a virgin. Had he partaken of a woman, He would have also failed for there are a myriad of spiritual issues that happen throughout sex. That is why God says Marriage.
This world is damned beyond imagination because they triffle with this exact same Jesus. But, God gives them this time to live their lives under the delusion that all is well. Nothing is well for this world. Hell is actual. And most go there. These are God's words. If they offend you, take it up with Him.
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Orignal From: What is the relationship between erotic desire and spirituality?
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