"I wish the church wouldn't be so against stealing. I mean, come on, it's the 21st century"
"I'd go to church, but I just feel like Christianity's opposition to lying stifles me too much."
Let's be honest, when people accuse the church of being repressive, these arguments are never heard. At least, I've not heard them. Maybe the second one a little in the area of illegal downloads from the internet, but definitely not the first one.
No, when the church is accused of being repressive, its about sex.
It seems the church is far more known for what sex it is opposed to than for the fact that God actually created sex and created it to be a worshipful act. And it is important that we recognize that there is a need for lots of the "rules" the church puts out there, but we need to understand why.
It seems the church is far more known for what sex it is opposed to than for the fact that God actually created sex and created it to be a worshipful act. And it is important that we recognize that there is a need for lots of the "rules" the church puts out there, but we need to understand why.
The Rules
Leviticus 18 is chock full of rules, most of them common sense. Like don't sleep with a relative. Apparently, this was a major problem as about 75% of the rules in this chapter deal with that. But it also deals with not sleeping with your neighbor's wife or engaging in bestiality. It touches on not engaging in homosexuality, as well.
Lest that one be relegated to the area of "Well, that was the Old Testament..." Acts 2 comes down pretty hard against men sleeping with men and women abandoning normal relations for "unnatural ones."
It's here that many people start in with the argument that "See the church is being repressive, they don't want me to be me, to have any fun." Which gets us to an interesting point- modern sexuality would have you place your primary identity in your sexual identity. Your entire worldview is colored (including your religion) by whether you are gay, straight, bi-sexual, transgendered, or whatever sexuality you engage in. Your religion, your job, your race- all of these are secondary to your sexuality. That's the perception I see, anyway.
Lest that one be relegated to the area of "Well, that was the Old Testament..." Acts 2 comes down pretty hard against men sleeping with men and women abandoning normal relations for "unnatural ones."
It's here that many people start in with the argument that "See the church is being repressive, they don't want me to be me, to have any fun." Which gets us to an interesting point- modern sexuality would have you place your primary identity in your sexual identity. Your entire worldview is colored (including your religion) by whether you are gay, straight, bi-sexual, transgendered, or whatever sexuality you engage in. Your religion, your job, your race- all of these are secondary to your sexuality. That's the perception I see, anyway.
Back to the point- does the church just not want us to enjoy ourselves? Is the church really trying to squash our fun?
Before the rules start flowing in Leviticus 18, we get verse 5:
Keep my decrees and laws, for the person who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD.At first glance, it seems the verse is being redundant. Obey these rules and live by them. Isn't that what obeying means, to live by something? But the Bible is fond of using that word 'live' in the context of finding true life. I believe that to be the case here. Obey these rules, and you will find true life.
In fact, I think all the laws are based in that idea- do this to find fulfillment in life. The dietary laws are often pointed out as being out-dated and totally ignored by modern Christians- even the New Testament explicitly spells out that we are free from them. But they were laws that were meant to keep people from eating pork and shellfish that were often ill-prepared, resulting in illness. And I love the taste of bacon, but let's be honest- it will kill you. Eventually.
In fact, I think all the laws are based in that idea- do this to find fulfillment in life. The dietary laws are often pointed out as being out-dated and totally ignored by modern Christians- even the New Testament explicitly spells out that we are free from them. But they were laws that were meant to keep people from eating pork and shellfish that were often ill-prepared, resulting in illness. And I love the taste of bacon, but let's be honest- it will kill you. Eventually.
So, I believe the laws of the Bible are not about keeping us from fun and enjoyment. God, who created us and knows us inside and out, is saying that His way is the best way to live. It's the way to find life.
( A side note. Google Oxytocin. It's this chemical that is released in nursing mothers to bond their child to them, and them to the child. It's called the "cuddle chemical." It is also released during sex to bond the partners together. For a long time, the church has said that sex is more than a physical act and that there is no such thing as casual hook-ups. It is a spiritual connection. Now science is saying that sex is in fact an act that bonds, in a profound way, two people together. And who says the Church is Anti-Science. ;) )
Let's Talk About Sex
The church has rightfully been accused of not talking about sex. Because it hasn't. The only time Christians talk about sex is to say "Don't do it. Unless your married. And even then, only if you really have to."
But God is not silent on sex. For instance, Song of Solomon. All about romantic love. Even sex. Seriously, some of the wording in that book would fit in romance novel of the adult variety- with an agrarian theme of course.
Outside of that, sex is prevalent in much of the Old Testament, and shock of all shocks, heroes of the Bible like David, Ruth and Boaz, and Esther engage in not exactly holy acts of sex.
Which bring us to a vital point. Even if you have engaged in sex in a manner that is not holy or acceptable to God- promiscuity, adultery, pre-marital sex, homosexuality, etc.- you are not hell-bound or totally useless to God. Jesus offers us who would judge an example on how to act, and those of us who have made mistakes hope for redemption in John 8.
Which bring us to a vital point. Even if you have engaged in sex in a manner that is not holy or acceptable to God- promiscuity, adultery, pre-marital sex, homosexuality, etc.- you are not hell-bound or totally useless to God. Jesus offers us who would judge an example on how to act, and those of us who have made mistakes hope for redemption in John 8.
A woman is caught in adultery. A death penalty sin, according to the law. Yet Jesus will not condemn her to death, and protects her from the legalistic mob drooling for her blood. As they walk away, Jesus asks her who where her accuser are. She says that they've left. Jesus says, in verse
Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
We are not to condemn, but forgive and encourage the person to move on from that life. Not because we want them to conform to our standards and rules, but because we genuinely believe God's commands, and that they are the way to better life.
There is much in the world of sex. Questions will always arise about what is acceptable to God and what isn't. If the Bible doesn't speak on it directly, then I believe it is a question you can ask only of God and your partner. If you are person who is engaged in a sexual lifestyle that is- as defined by the Bible- a sin, then I believe you and God must have a talk. My job is not to condemn you, for what I view as your sin is no greater or worse than any of my own. I am in just as much need for forgiveness as everyone else.
I'm planning a follow-up piece here in a few days, dealing not specifically with sex, but with the general idea that the Church is repressive, I'll have more to say there.
I'm planning a follow-up piece here in a few days, dealing not specifically with sex, but with the general idea that the Church is repressive, I'll have more to say there.
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