If lusting after a woman is a sin, why did god make having sex so enticing?

Come on dude. There's a better way to say what you said that will lead to decent dialogue rather than annoyance (is that a word?).

 

Agreed. Accept my apology.

As for annoyance...I think yes... "A minor annoyance" Hmm...

 

Ummm, you didn't answer my question. I just realized that what you meant to say is different than what you actually said.

Your assertion is that desiring a woman is a sin. But I explained that that is the general rule, with the exceptions being:

- Your wife.
- Pursuing your desire from the point where you should be able to make a rational decision.

This is my opinion, nothing more. But I highly doubt that any desire for any woman is a sin, because otherwise you would have to marry women that are undesirable to you - which is illogical. You would have to be accountable for being in the wrong place at the wrong time - which is illogical. Desiring a woman for sexual exploitation is a sin - yes, God gave you that tool, but the function of that tool is IMO to aid in marriage and procreation. Like any tool, it can be misused. I think you are accountable for the conscious useage of that tool (no pun intended).

 

and the words in red say:

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matt 19:25-27

 

Paging imadrummer2k: you and I are needed for a mandatory marriage joke in aisle D&D! :grin:

 

Ok, first and foremost I have to be clear that I'm not Christian. I'm discussing my views of the bible. I am far below a rookie in that category.

Yet I can see that what you're saying does not make sense. Here are several examples showing that intent is what matters:

You understand here that God will judge you by your intention, right? It's about the heart dude. This is NOT a game of technicalities. He put the desire in you, yes. But you are assuming that the desire thing is almost always bad. In reality, it is never bad unless your INTENT is bad. Your intent is in your hands. This is why there is a judgement day. To judge what you did when you had jealousy in your heart. To judge what you did when you had lust in your heart. To judge what you did when you had anything in your heart.

I would argue based on this that putting the desire in you increasing your ceiling for doing good. If you never had the desire, then you never had the chance to prove your faith by dealing with it.

The sin is not desire. The sin is what you do with desire. If Jesus PBUH wanted you to live by technicalities, the Old Testament would more than suffice. According to Christianity, he taught you how to use your heart rather than just the in and outs of the law.

You're portraying some unfair scenario. But the scenario you are describing will not go in the record books as "FAIL". Heck, even if you do mess up, maybe that is a lesson to you.

The idea is faith. If you believe God said it, then it can't be wrong. Your goal should be to try to strengthen your belief that God said it. Believe me you are not equipped to go through a tick-box exercise on God's word and determine whether He passed or failed. There are some things you don't understand and won't understand. That's faith.

You are absolutely correct about one thing. If we can't come to an agreement that you won't be "judged" for something out of your control, then I have no value to you and I recommend you speak to someone more knowledgeable than me. Thanks for the discussion anyway.

 

There are though several sex acts and practices that have a 0.0% of pregnancy but I am presuming that even if someone were to limit themselves to only those that that would still be considered sinful if practiced outside of a marriage.

 

Very well said.

 

Last response to your original question.

Apparently, you believe desire is a sin is because you have been instilled with a repressive set of core beliefs that inhibit you from enjoying a very pleasurable experience.

 

Sorry for getting involved.

My honest advice: while the bible is god's word to believers, it was written by men who interpreted their "visions" within the context of their own era and understanding. For example: prior to refrigeration, eating pork could kill you; a good way to keep people from dieing was to make it forbidden.

Trying to extrapolate biblical lessons within the context of today's world is a daunting task. There are many competing religious beliefs out there ready and willing to use and subvert the faithful to their own end. Often at the expense of the believer.

Good luck sorting things out.

 

I don't believe there's a 0%. Take pulling out for example. That's 0%. But how many people plan to pull out but mess up in the heat of things? So it's not 0%.

I'll be honest with you here. In Islam, there is far more to consider. Many Muslims consider that you can have a sort of "temporary" marriage which equates to dating. The idea is that you enter into an agreement with the other person which says "no long-term commitment UNLESS something happens (pregnancy, death, etc)". Key factor here being that it still governs in the "in case **** happens" way.

For me, it is a sin unless you sincerely accept the responsibility which comes with it - that responsibility includes consent, children, potential reputational damage, etc, tons of things to consider in Islam. A piece of paper won't change that.

Would it be considered a sin by the majority? Yes. We do have to maintain some order I suppose. Do I personally fear God based on a piece of paper rather than what's in my heart? Heck no. But everyone should be able to be at peace with what they're doing, not just listen to the status quo.

 

I'm talking about non-vaginal sex.

 

For a non-Christian, I have to say you're doing better at reading and understanding God's word than many of us Christians do. Keep studying... when you find the truth it won't come from any man, it'll come from God himself.

 

I just read through this entire thread and I just want to make a few points:


1. Most Catholics I know don't know **** about all this schedule stuff you guys are talking about. 90% of the Catholic population in my town will tell you the "birth control is bad" thing. And it is not just my town. It seems that there's many teachings that not too many people know about.

2. What's the stance on anal/oral sex?? Is that a sin as well?? If so, that pretty much throws out half the stuff said in this thread.

 

FWIW, I used the "pull out" method for over a decade and the only time it failed was after my wife had our first. It is remarkably effective if the man is committed to pulling the ripcord, so to speak.

 

I think my wife's point is insightful, per usual. There is a difference between seeing a beautiful woman and wanting to start a relationship with her because her sexuality is enticing, and seeing a beautiful woman and wanting to do unspeakable things with her and then get out of Dodge. The latter would be lust in my estimation, but not the former. Using that as a definition for reading Scripture, it would be a requirement to behave compassionately in your love life. That seems reasonable.