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Our Imbalanced Sexual World
It appears their are two opposite and extreme sexual factions in our world today, and which accuse and censure one another and which yet, both are really in sad error. This article will firstly consider the faulty conservative faction, secondly consider the faulty liberal faction, and lastly will give some thoughts on Biblical sexuality. Note, many issues spoken of very concisely in this article are extensively considered in various articles at "BiblicalSexuality.com".
The Faulty Conservative Faction
This faction although in some respects having many good concerns, yet is engulfed in numerous great errors. Many in this faction rigidly and erroneously disallow any divorce and remarriage. Some of these because of rigidly following the letter of the law, which kills rather than gives life, will rigidly require the couple who has divorced and remarried in their ignorant and non Christian past, upon becoming Christian to break up their present long term marriage and family because of it being a marriage which followed a divorce. Thus God's good marriage laws whose real intent is to provide family security and give life, are applied in a way as does the very opposite and thus disrupts and destroys a family.
Many of these who rigidly disallow any divorce and remarriage will also demand the couple at their wedding to publicly proclaim, "a emphatic promise of togetherness and abstinence from any other until death doth part", and even though Jesus quite oppositely clearly allowed divorce and remarriage for the cause of fornication or adultery, and God by His marriage plan never meant to permanently bind man in a hopeless place, and until death doth part.
In times past a very strong element within the conservative faction, in it's opposition to sexual things, even went as far as to advocate that sex in marriage was only permissible for creating offspring, and thereby largely making marriage a place of difficulty and evil temptation, rather than a place of love and blessing. What a terrible error and shame! Note, this emphasis of sex being only allowable for reproduction obviously would also have been very opposed to any contraceptives!
Further many Christians within the faulty conservative faction for many years have believed (and still believe), that marriage and sexual love therein is unholy insomuch that they totally forbid church elders from marriage, and even though Proverbs 18:25 reads "Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD", and even though it appears all the Apostles were married accept Paul and Barnabas (1 Cor 9:6). Throughout history much grievous confusion has existed among the faulty conservative faction.
Many within this conservative faction not only are negative towards sex, but also are apposed to feminine beauty. Some Christians within this conservative faction, still don't allow their women's longer hair to be a glory or beauty to woman as God clearly intended it to be, and rather must largely hide and destroy it's beauty. Although these feel that feminine beauty is permissible if it happens to happen within their traditions (and which significantly deter it), yet they feel that beyond such it is vain or evil to try to make it happen. Yet many of these Christians still will freely make beauty happen, when it comes to other aspects of life such as in beautifying their houses, furniture, or gardens.
This anti feminine beauty emphasis, also emphatically speaks out against pornography, yet largely without having or giving a clear definition of what pornography really is. Although the word pornography according to the word itself, technically should mean fornication graphics (photos of fornication), yet many of these who oppose pornography seem to not even distinguish between nasty photos which display and encourage perverted sex and fornication (and which in truth are pornography), from photos simply revealing the beauty of one's own wife, or the undeniable beauty that God has wondrously given to woman. The writer once seen a book which appeared to be published by a popular organization which emphatically speaks out against pornography, and having a photo of a beautiful young girl in a quite revealing swimsuit on the outside cover. What do they consider to be pornography, and what is it? One should also consider that it is very possible for special swim suit and bikini type feminine photos to be more revealing, more alluring, and more pleasing than photos involving full nudity.
Because of some or many Christians within the conservative faction being taught that exposure and nudity is gross and shameful, and because of them almost instinctively being opposed to special feminine display, many wives among them cannot with delight and a warm smile, nicely display their best feminine beauty even to their husbands, because of being ignorant about such things and skills, and thinking such might be like pornography, or at least a vain show. Yet it appears that within God's wondrous plan of sexuality it is very proper and good for a wife to enjoy preparing and revealing her best feminine beauty to her spouse and similar to how he naturally enjoys observing such. God intends woman, and not only man, to be blest by the beauty he has given to woman. God created woman as another and special human species for Adam, and made man to instinctively appreciate this different and more beautiful form of himself, and it appears that man thus instinctively appreciates those particular features of woman that make woman, woman and different than himself. Ezekiel 16:7 speaks of a woman who has glorious longer hair and well fashioned breasts as possessing excellent ornaments, and indicates that a woman with such adornments is well adorned and not shamefully naked and bare. Such verse reads, "...and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare."
Those who are so opposed to feminine beauty and display, or think that it is simply vain, should consider that even within the pages of their Holy Bible is given a graphic verbal picture of a special feminine display, and which appears even included a nude or almost nude dance (Song 6:8-7:9 NIV), secondly consider that famous Queen Esther was a heroic beauty queen who spent a whole year in preparing her body to be appealing for the King, and further actually replaced a queen who was thrust out by the King because she had refused to come forth to show her special beauty to the King's guests, thirdly consider Ecc of Sir 36:22 reads "The beauty of a woman cheereth the countenance, and a man loveth nothing better", and lastly not overlook the fact that the Israelites even sought throughout the whole land of Israel for the most beautiful young woman to bring to David their beloved King to help enliven him in his sickness. Numerous Scriptures speak about feminine dances and particular feminine beauty and which clearly reveals feminine beauty was noticed in Bible times (Gen 12:11&14, 24:16, 26:7, 29:17, Ex 15:20, Deu 21:10-13, Jud 11:34 & 21:21, 1 Sam 18:6 & 25:3, 2 Sam 11:2 & 13:1 & 14:27, 1 Kin 1:3-4, Est 2:7, Job 42:15, Psa 45:9-11). After Saul's death, King David particularly encouraged the women to weep over Saul who had clothed them with scarlet and other delights, and who had put ornaments of gold upon their apparel. (2 Sam 1:24). Many who are so opposed to feminine beauty seem to not realize that special feminine display, and even mere photos of it, if dealt with rightly can very much inspire within a husband and a marriage a God intended physical and romantic love.
The anti sex and beauty emphasis prevalent among numerous Christians today, quite obviously derives from a very false sexual emphasis of the early centuries. This false emphasis, which appears to have creped into Christendom from heathendom, was very anti woman, and brought tremendous difficulty upon humanity. Tertullian a very influential ancient writer, who greatly influenced Christendom, called woman or womankind, who led mankind into sin in the Garden of Eden, the Devil's gateway, and spoke of such a creature not being worthy of apparel other than animal skins. He insinuated that if God had intended beautiful colored clothing for women he would have created purple and scarlet sheep to provide the wool and even advocated women's faces as well as their whole heads should be veiled. Yet King Solomon quite oppositely said that the virtuous wife clothes herself and children in scarlet and purple, and further Apostle Paul spoke of woman being the glory of man and spoke of her long hair being a special glory to her! Tertullian, appears to have been significantly influenced by heathen traditions, as he in advocating women's faces should be veiled, even pointed to how some heathen women veiled themselves insomuch they could only see with one eye, as significant examples to follow. Yet Apostle Paul quite oppositely advocated that woman who was made to bless man should have power, freedom, and liberty on her head because and with the Angels, secondly advocated woman's longer hair is a glory and needed covering for her, and given her instead of heathen veiling, thirdly advocated that where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty, and fourthly advocated Christ took away the veil and that we all both man and women should come before God with an unveiled face (1 Cor 11:9-10 & 15, 2 Cor 3:14-18).
The anti woman, sex and beauty emphasis of Tertullian and others like him went as far as to even foolishly disallow sex in marriage except for honest reproductive endeavors. One should consider that if sex were only allowable for honest reproductive endeavors, it would be completely disallowed in marriage, except for having numerous children before menopause and after that be disallowed forever. And further not only would sex be disallowed in marriage but all physical love, affectionate touches, kisses, happy hugs, would be inappropriate in marriage, because anyone with common sense knows where that tends to lead to. Thus Satan with this doctrine actually stole one of God's greatest gifts from mankind, and which is woman and love, and which God made for man in the beginning saying it is very good. Marriage thus largely was made a place of evil temptation, rather than a place of love and blessing, and further if Apostle Paul had actually believed sex in marriage was only permissible for reproduction, he rather than saying it is better to marry than to burn should have said it is better to stay away from the marriage environment than to burn, and many other Scriptures should never have been written! What a horrible devilish doctrine engulfed our world and caused unthinkable difficulty for humanity! It is no wonder Apostle Paul spoke of this false anti marriage and sex emphasis as the doctrines of Devils (1 Tim 4:1-3). How many individuals and marriages have been needlessly distressed and how many blessings missed because of this false anti marriage and sex doctrine? This anti marriage and sex emphasis further was also opposed to any second marriages, and insomuch that it largely disallowed a second marriage even if one's mate died, and so much the more would this emphasis have been against any divorces and remarriages. This false anti sex emphasis is spoken of much further in various articles at "BiblicalSexuality.com", and thus will not be further spoken of here.
The Faulty Liberal Faction
Now concerning the faulty liberal faction it also is very present in our world today. This faction often times looks at the faulty conservative faction and despises it's grievous conservative errors. Further the grievous errors of the conservatives, then somewhat encourage the liberal faction to reject all sexual restraint and law and thus the conservative faction is even somewhat responsible for the errors of the liberals. This liberal faction opposite of the conservative faction then basically has no restrictions about sexual matters at all, and largely says go ahead and do whatever you feel like. It says freely divorce and remarry, and further says casual sex before marriage also is fine and it really is not necessary to marry at all. It further says perverted sexual behavior and same sex relations also are fine. It says go right ahead and freely broadcast and show any sexual scenes and any alluring feminine displays at any time and at any place and to everyone, because sex and the beauty of woman is a wonderful thing. Yes, although sex and the beauty of woman truly is a wonderful thing, yet it still needs to be dealt with discretely or it can become a snare, and in truth this liberal faction as well as the faulty conservative faction is in error.
It appears if the faulty liberal faction would get it's way, there might be photos of sexual scenes and attractive nude women displayed almost everywhere, and prostitutes likewise might almost be everywhere freely advertising themselves. Although seeing feminine beauty with discretion and at the proper time is wonderful and can do much good for a husband and a marriage, yet that does not mean the advertising and news media should constantly and unrestrainedly be showing attractive nude or almost nude women before society. Rather it appears special feminine displays should only be seen at appropriate and fitting times and when one chooses to see such. Sexual and exposing feminine scenes simply are too special, too distractive, and too powerful to be freely and carelessly shown everywhere. Through such scenes being visible all the time both adults and children could be needlessly distracted from their normal living, and made too sexual, and at wrong times. A healthy and happy and balanced life must and often does leave sex behind, and rather focuses on other issues of life. A happy and healthy life is a balanced life that in actuality knows their simply is a time for everything (Ecc 3:1-8). Further if special and exposing feminine displays were visible basically all the time, would not such views then seem less inspiring at the time when one should be inspired by such?
This erroneous liberal approach, like the erroneous conservative approach, results in many difficulties. In the liberal and casual sex society, mates often are not stable and secure, and sexual frustrations and jealousy often plague it's people. Thus families are not strong, and neither mates or children can know and enjoy family security. Further the too liberal sexual society has little protection against sexual obsessions and addictions, and almost rather seems to encourage them, and which obsessions too often result in uncontrollable sexual desires and grievous crimes. Further it appears that sexual obsessions, and which the faulty liberal faction almost encourages, can be like having a case of poison ivy, and which although feeling good while being itched obviously is not a blessing. Biblical sexuality and God's freedom prevent and cure sexual poison ivy, while this freedom merely allows you to freely itch it. Yet even worse, sometimes people's sexual poison ivy is at hard to reach places and they thus are driven to commit crimes in trying to itch it.
Although the faulty sexual restrictions of the conservative faction indeed are very grievous, yet to then react to that error and basically have no sexual laws, and not even against sexual errors that really are harmful also is very grievous. Without proper and Godly sexual law, the liberal society not only is troubled with sexual insecurities, frustrations, obsessions, and crimes, but further grievous sexual diseases also often trouble this society. Yes, God has a better way than what either the above conservative or liberal factions are advocating, and it's a good way. Oh may we find and experience it!
Basics Of Biblical Sexuality
Even if one believes solo orgasms for youth are permissible at times to vent their sexual pressures and suffice them, yet youth and children very much should be taught intercourse with the opposite sex is not a casual relation, but is a very special relation with the opposite sex and which is only to be had with a proper commitment and authorization, and thus as in the marriage union. Further sexual love and intercourse really is not full and complete in a short and casual experience any way. Further, as said before, casual sex neither provides family security for the sexual mates or for the children which might be born. God's ways simply are best.
People also should be warned of becoming obsessed with sex which is harmful to the person and society. Although wine if not used excessively can be healthy and Jesus Himself drank it, yet being obsessed with it very much is a problem, and so it also is with sex. It appears sexual excesses and sexual ignorance can easily lead to sexual perversions, which neither are healthy for individuals or society.
It appears as children are taught proper respect for their Creator, and for other humans, and are taught proper self control, and simply possess good principles of behavior such as honesty, kindness, and humility, then sexual things will also tend to find the proper place in their lives. The healthy and happy individual, who has good behavior and self control in the non sexual areas of life, will likely also have proper self control in sexual matters. The ill behaved one who cannot control his temper or his non sexual desires, quite obviously will neither be able to control his sexual desires. May we all learn to know our Creator and learn proper self discipline. Note, the short article given on the Home Page of "BiblicalSexuality.com", should here also be read as it reveals other vital basics of Biblical sexuality. In concluding, the writer also invites the reader to read the article "The Bad Banana Bunch" also found at "BiblicalSexuality.com", and which reveals many vital issues about God, false religion, and sex. God Bless and Farewell.
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