Post by Josh on Feb 1, 2007 17:10:40 GMT -8
Originally posted 11/25/06:
Here are some paraphrased questions and thoughts that have been posed to me from an agnostic/atheist perspective, related to this topic, along with answers from my perspective:
1. Does Christianity teach that we are nothing but pathetic sinners?
The Bible teaches that we are born sinners, yes, but that’s not the whole story. We are also born in God’s image, and there is goodness to us as well. We are “fearfully and wonderfully made”.
A view that doesn’t take God’s image into consideration will lead to some pretty messed up opinions about humanity- ones that might encourage false guilt complexes. For instance, we aren’t to feel bad about our sexual nature, our bodies, our physical needs… We aren’t to make kids feel guilty about having their needs met, etc..
2. Isn’t Christianity all about suppressing your natural desires, especially sexual ones?
Ha ha. Hmmm, I want to point out something. It’s not so much ‘suppressing desires’ as it is ‘suppressing actions’. To be tempted is not a sin in and of itself. We have no control over what temptations will occur to us- only what we do with them. It’s when we act on them that they are a sin. Now, acting can mean physically carrying them out, or, as Christ so brilliantly observed to the Pharisees (who prided themselves on not carrying out any sins), the problem goes deeper: it is when we harbor our sins in our heart and give them place to
grow when sin really begins. Recognizing a beautiful woman is not a sin, butit can easily lead to adultery in your heart when you begin to harbor the thought and turn it into lust.
Back to ‘suppressing’ either feelings or actions, are you saying that we shouldn’t ever do either? I feel that you must not mean that absolutely, or, forgive me for being blunt, you must be a hypocrite. Please tell me you mean that there are certain things we must surpress but many things we need not.
Of course, I find it interesting that sex comes up first and foremost on your list. Virtually very culture and civilization before ours (and the sexual revolution) taught that we must suppress sexual feelings and actions at certain times and places. Now the gate has been flung open. There are very few restrictions left: perhaps pedophilia (but it probably won’t be long on that either). Are we so brazen to think we know better than all the ages before us?
Anyway, I’m sure you believe in suppressing some ‘thoughts’ or ‘actions’, so we can clearly avoid our culture’s over-simplistic, Freudian obsession with demonizing ‘repression’ cart blanche, right?
Here are some paraphrased questions and thoughts that have been posed to me from an agnostic/atheist perspective, related to this topic, along with answers from my perspective:
1. Does Christianity teach that we are nothing but pathetic sinners?
The Bible teaches that we are born sinners, yes, but that’s not the whole story. We are also born in God’s image, and there is goodness to us as well. We are “fearfully and wonderfully made”.
A view that doesn’t take God’s image into consideration will lead to some pretty messed up opinions about humanity- ones that might encourage false guilt complexes. For instance, we aren’t to feel bad about our sexual nature, our bodies, our physical needs… We aren’t to make kids feel guilty about having their needs met, etc..
2. Isn’t Christianity all about suppressing your natural desires, especially sexual ones?
Ha ha. Hmmm, I want to point out something. It’s not so much ‘suppressing desires’ as it is ‘suppressing actions’. To be tempted is not a sin in and of itself. We have no control over what temptations will occur to us- only what we do with them. It’s when we act on them that they are a sin. Now, acting can mean physically carrying them out, or, as Christ so brilliantly observed to the Pharisees (who prided themselves on not carrying out any sins), the problem goes deeper: it is when we harbor our sins in our heart and give them place to
grow when sin really begins. Recognizing a beautiful woman is not a sin, butit can easily lead to adultery in your heart when you begin to harbor the thought and turn it into lust.
Back to ‘suppressing’ either feelings or actions, are you saying that we shouldn’t ever do either? I feel that you must not mean that absolutely, or, forgive me for being blunt, you must be a hypocrite. Please tell me you mean that there are certain things we must surpress but many things we need not.
Of course, I find it interesting that sex comes up first and foremost on your list. Virtually very culture and civilization before ours (and the sexual revolution) taught that we must suppress sexual feelings and actions at certain times and places. Now the gate has been flung open. There are very few restrictions left: perhaps pedophilia (but it probably won’t be long on that either). Are we so brazen to think we know better than all the ages before us?
Anyway, I’m sure you believe in suppressing some ‘thoughts’ or ‘actions’, so we can clearly avoid our culture’s over-simplistic, Freudian obsession with demonizing ‘repression’ cart blanche, right?