From the article: Punishing Lust and the Lustful
In some places, it seems that the entire spectrum of moral behavior has been reduced to various aspects of sexual morality and concern with maintaining sexual purity. It's not unusual to see people condemning various forms of 'lust' while either ignoring other traditional sins in society and the congregation or even while engaging in those other sins themselves. Have you ever seen this sort of hypocrisy with Christians you have known? If so, what was going on and what, if anything, did you say about it? Share Your Stories
Easy one
- How do Christians Emphasize Lust Over Other Traditional Sins? By making a HUGE deal out of nudity in TV and movies, while remaining silent about the murder and violence.
- —Guest Mike1071
Maybe its why they are so angry
- Of course no one is as guilty of lust than religions. And virtually all religions have this, even those that don't have gods. Although in fairness those religions have far less lust and really offer more in return. I was talking to some Christian friends one day and they told me how sex is for procreation. I said that that really sucks for them because they didn't want to have more children and they would have to abstain from sex. (They are married and in their 30s.) They assured me that they were still very active but that he had a vasectomy. I asked how they square that with the churches doctrine. They said that since they already have 2 children they had for filled their requirements and could now have all the sex they want. OK; am I the only one who sees hypocrisy in this?
- —Borsia
Ah the hypocracy
- Well I guess I’m in deep sh!t because I have, and still do, give into lust on a very frequent basis,, haha. I wonder if it bothers the religious whacks that the vast majority of them are guilty of this sin? That the churches, not only Christian, are basically all about lust. Lust for money, just look at their holdings, treasures and demands for tithing, Lust for power, they are far worse that the most brutal dictators and have killed far more people. And let us not forget lust for all things sexual, including homosexuality, It is their lust that keeps them constantly fantasizing about every aspect of sex. I always find it laughable when they try to tell me that I’m going to hell for everything I do as an Atheist. I tell them that they are going to have to pay the piper for their intrusions into the beliefs of others. I tell them that they will be either eaten by the Giant Purple People Eater or carried of by a huge eagle and fed to its brood of horrific nestlings. Then I ask th
- —Borsia
Why focus on lust?
- Do you mean WHY Christians emphasize lust and other sex-related sins? I think largely it's a cultural matter. But why? Perhaps it has to do with Christianity as a system of controlling people. Sexual desires are so powerful, and the acts so full of consequences (at least in the pre-Pill era), that they pose(d) dire threats to the Christian system of power and social order. However, no sex means no future. Therefore, sex must be channeled into marriage. Anything outside or before it, or completely out of bounds for the purposes of procreation (notably homosexuality), must be not just condemned, but also demonized. Such longings and acts carry the heaviest burden of guilt. BTW, in Dante's Inferno the punishment for giving in to lust is different from the one in your article. Adulterers are blown around in hurricane-force winds forever. The corresponds to giving in to the tempests of lust inside their hearts and minds, of being subject to the whims of passion.
- —Arkansas_Annie
