Why Does God Care About Lusting Before Marriage?

[Skwim]

Just so we're all on the same page here.

lust
ləst/
noun: lust
1. strong sexual desire.

Sexual desire is a motivational state and an interest in “sexual objects or activities, or as a wish, need or drive to seek out sexual objects or to engage in sexual activities”. Synonyms for sexual desire are libido, sexual attraction and lust.
​

So god saddles people with a strong sexual desire, which sometimes begins as young as 12 or 13 years old. Having instilled this lust in people as part of their sexual development, he then says it must be ignored, and if not, it constitutes a sin.

Matthew 5:28
28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

1 John 2:16
16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.

Proverbs 6:25
25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.

Galatians 5:16
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.​

In various scriptures he refers to lust as

sexual immorality,
impurity,
evil desire,
covetousness,
passions of the flesh
sensuality,
​

but without any explanation as to why---other than his dictate of course. Lust is immoral, impure, evil, etc. because god says it's immoral, impure, evil, etc. This is fine for those who unquestioningly take god at his word, Those who believe slaves should obey their masters, and women keep quiet and obey their men folk

Col 3:22-24
22Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only while being watched and in order to please them, but wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord.23Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters,24since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ.

1 Timothy 2:12
11 A woman should learn while listening quietly and being completely willing to obey. 12 I don’t allow a woman to teach a man or tell him what to do. She must listen quietly,​

But for those Christians who don't buy into such foolishness, how about also scrapping the idea that lust before marriage is bad? (I can see where lusting for someone outside one's marriage might be unhealthy.)

Go hates lust because . . . . . . . . . . well I really don't know why, other than he just doesn't approve of it. Truthfully, I think a little lust goes a long way in the development of one's attraction to others. Something I would think god, in his program to see men and women get it on with each other, would applaud rather than denounce. But maybe I'm missing something here about the huge down side of a strong sexual desire.

Care to clue me in?

 

[sun rise]

The thread title would be more accurate if you said "Bible" not "God" since there are very different perspectives on what God wants in the East.

 

[Skwim]

The thread title would be more accurate if you said "Bible" not "God" since there are very different perspectives on what God wants in the East.

As I understand the Christian view of the Bible, it's all god's word.

And are you saying that god wants different things in different parts of the planet?

.

 

[Mindmaster]

Care to clue me in?

Congratulations, you have discovered that The Bible makes no sense at all on this and many other issues.

If you were to actually follow every mandate in The Bible about sex you would be restricted to having sex only for procreation, and never for pleasure. Also, you would be limited to only two months of the year to do it. Modern Christians, of course, have ejected all of these mandates from their belief systems, but I think Orthodox Jews still adhere to them strictly.

Ultimately, the conundrum is that if God (if existent) created lust and sex and he doesn't like you doing that then God is in the wrong by admission. He could have made you like a bacteria that reproduced by splitting in half but didn't. If he is wrong then he is not infallible and probably not God or at least a God that you can trust unerringly. This of course then puts the entire Christian/Jewish dogma and what have you in immediate contention. If their God can be wrong then the Bible/Torah can be wrong and so can all of the other information based on it that the denominations promote, and so on.

I'm so glad I'm a God-less heathen... No dogma, no contradictions, no problems...

 

[sun rise]

As I understand the Christian view of the Bible, it's all god's word.

And are you saying that god wants different things in different parts of the planet?

.

That's why I suggested that since you are referring to a common Christian view, that should be in the title.

No I'm not suggesting that. I am suggesting that what various religions and spiritual figures THINK God wants varies. For example, contrast the Bible with this:

Meher Baba's analysis of physical sexuality goes beyond moralistic judgment. In his cosmology there is no personal "Satan," eternal hell, or absolute evil. Given the ultimate goal of God-realization, "good" is anything that frees consciousness to experience divine love; "evil" is anything which obstructs spiritual freedom. Baba views sexuality from this perspective, noting the spiritual limitations and possibilities in male-female relationships. To the extent that sexual contact reflects lust for sensation, it is a roadblock; to the extent that it is an expression of selfless love, it becomes more consistent with spiritual progress.

Allan Y. Cohen: The Problem Of Sex According To Meher Baba

 

[Kelly of the Phoenix]

If you were to actually follow every mandate in The Bible about sex you would be restricted to having sex only for procreation, and never for pleasure.

Except for all the times it happens in the bible, like Judah messing with someone he considers a prostitute.

He could have made you like a bacteria that reproduced by splitting in half but didn't.

Well, I mean, Adam sorta did ...

 

[Ingledsva]

Just so we're all on the same page here.

lust
ləst/
noun: lust
1. strong sexual desire.

Sexual desire is a motivational state and an interest in “sexual objects or activities, or as a wish, need or drive to seek out sexual objects or to engage in sexual activities”. Synonyms for sexual desire are libido, sexual attraction and lust.​

So god saddles people with a strong sexual desire, which sometimes begins as young as 12 or 13 years old. Having instilled this lust in people as part of their sexual development, he then says it must be ignored, and if not, it constitutes a sin.

Matthew 5:28
28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

1 John 2:16
16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.

Proverbs 6:25
25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.

Galatians 5:16
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.​

In various scriptures he refers to lust as

sexual immorality,
impurity,
evil desire,
covetousness,
passions of the flesh
sensuality,
​

but without any explanation as to why---other than his dictate of course. Lust is immoral, impure, evil, etc. because god says it's immoral, impure, evil, etc. This is fine for those who unquestioningly take god at his word, Those who believe slaves should obey their masters, and women keep quiet and obey their men folk

Col 3:22-24
22Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only while being watched and in order to please them, but wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord.23Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters,24since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ.

1 Timothy 2:12
11 A woman should learn while listening quietly and being completely willing to obey. 12 I don’t allow a woman to teach a man or tell him what to do. She must listen quietly,​

But for those Christians who don't buy into such foolishness, how about also scrapping the idea that lust before marriage is bad? (I can see where lust for someone outside one's marriage might be unhealthy.)

Go hates lust because . . . . . . . . . . well I really don't know why, other than he just doesn't approve of it. Truthfully, I think a little lust goes a long way in the development of one's attraction to others. Something I would think god, in his program to see men and women get it on with each other, would applaud rather than denounce. But maybe I'm missing something here about the huge down side of a strong sexual desire.

Care to clue me in?

It goes back to patriarchal groups wanting to control women.

You make the law include both, - but have workarounds for the males.

For instance - men being allowed multiple wives. Those wives starting at an extremely young age of 3 years and I day in the Hebrew.

Or wives, and sex slaves = concubines.

More modern, = boys will by boys. But girls doing the same are whores.

Or as in some modern Islamic countries, - where they issue one-hour wedding certificates, - so the men can still have sex with prostitutes, and yet adhere to the letter of the law, - if not the true meaning.

*

 

[socharlie]

Just so we're all on the same page here.

lust
ləst/
noun: lust
1. strong sexual desire.

Sexual desire is a motivational state and an interest in “sexual objects or activities, or as a wish, need or drive to seek out sexual objects or to engage in sexual activities”. Synonyms for sexual desire are libido, sexual attraction and lust.
​

So god saddles people with a strong sexual desire, which sometimes begins as young as 12 or 13 years old. Having instilled this lust in people as part of their sexual development, he then says it must be ignored, and if not, it constitutes a sin.

Matthew 5:28
28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

1 John 2:16
16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.

Proverbs 6:25
25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.

Galatians 5:16
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.​

In various scriptures he refers to lust as

sexual immorality,
impurity,
evil desire,
covetousness,
passions of the flesh
sensuality,
​

but without any explanation as to why---other than his dictate of course. Lust is immoral, impure, evil, etc. because god says it's immoral, impure, evil, etc. This is fine for those who unquestioningly take god at his word, Those who believe slaves should obey their masters, and women keep quiet and obey their men folk

Col 3:22-24
22Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only while being watched and in order to please them, but wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord.23Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters,24since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ.

1 Timothy 2:12
11 A woman should learn while listening quietly and being completely willing to obey. 12 I don’t allow a woman to teach a man or tell him what to do. She must listen quietly,​

But for those Christians who don't buy into such foolishness, how about also scrapping the idea that lust before marriage is bad? (I can see where lust for someone outside one's marriage might be unhealthy.)

Go hates lust because . . . . . . . . . . well I really don't know why, other than he just doesn't approve of it. Truthfully, I think a little lust goes a long way in the development of one's attraction to others. Something I would think god, in his program to see men and women get it on with each other, would applaud rather than denounce. But maybe I'm missing something here about the huge down side of a strong sexual desire.

Care to clue me in?

it depends on circumstances, e.g. see Genesis 38 Tamar and Judah story Genesis 38 NASB

 

[savagewind]

. Also, you would be limited to only two months of the year to do it. Modern Christians, of course, have ejected all of these mandates from their belief systems,

Are you kidding?

 

[Skwim]

it depends on circumstances, e.g. see Genesis 38 Tamar and Judah story Genesis 38 NASB

Not going to ferret out your point. Gotta make it yourself.

.

 

[Mindmaster]

Are you kidding?

Absolutely not...

It was prohibited to have intercourse (for any reason, even making children...)

Three days of the week, 3 days before after communion, during any feast holy days, during lent, etc. If you worked out the math, that's most of the year.

It was pretty damn rough, I'd imagine.

 

[Kemosloby]

Because lust is ungodly and we were made in Gods image. So when we find ourselves unable to live godly lives it should be evident that we are corrupted with sin. If we had no sin we wouldn't need a savior, but since we do need a savior God wants it to be plain and clear to us that we are sinners.

 

[socharlie]

Are you kidding?

OT for example is important genetic match in NT similar to Buddhism celibacy increases efficiency of meditations - thoughts have monastic Essene accent.

 

[Skwim]

Because lust is ungodly and we were made in Gods image.

How about eating sushi, is that godly or ungodly?

So when we find ourselves unable to live godly lives it should be evident that we are corrupted with sin.

But isn't being corrupted with sin the default state of being?

.

 

[Kemosloby]

How about eating sushi, is that godly or ungodly?


But isn't being corrupted with sin the default state of being?

.

Sushi isn't one of the big commands. cooking fish is probably healthier. Metaphorically unclean food represented the non-jews and when salvation came to the Gentiles all food was made clean.

Corrupted with sin is indeed the default state of being. But you can try to free yourself from the bondage of sin. Like in this old gospel song. Metaphorically the default state is like being in Egypt and Pharoh is the devil. The red sea is the barrier between heaven and hell. With a bit of prayer and a small miracle a person can cross the red sea.

 

[Skwim]

Sushi isn't one of the big commands.

Is it a command at all? Anyway, my point is that god no more gives us a reason to declare sushi ungodly (or godly) than he does lust. He simply says lust aint good, and lets it go at that. No different than failing to tell us why slavery should be tolerated and women should keep quiet. Yet, as I've pointed out, Christians today don't pay any attention to his acceptance of slavery and his admonishment to women. They ignore god's words.

Corrupted with sin is indeed the default state of being. But you can try to free yourself from the bondage of sin.

Think anyone has ever succeeded?

.

 

[Father Heathen]

And are you saying that god wants different things in different parts of the planet?

They're saying that the different religions of the world have radically different ideas as to who "god" is and what "he" wants. I.E. whatever the Christian bible claims that god said doesn't mean **** to a Hindu, etc.

 

[dfnj]

My theory is God must be a woman because women are so damn attractive!

Goofy Bible quotes should not be taken out of the historical context they were written. The essential message of the Bible is morality is important. There is a negative connotative meaning to the word "lust" that is like rape. Rape is immoral. I'm not a firm believer in absolute sin. There are lots of ways to act immorally that are often not covered in so call authoritative definitive words of God. I think the most important message men can ever receive from women about the morality of sex is "no" means "no". I don't think we need to complicate this discussion with Col 3:22-24 and 1 Timothy 2:12.

One more thing I find fascinating is after marriage there's something I find really sacred and divine in the mother of my children. Sexual desire is not all there is to this equation.

 

[dfnj]

If we had no sin we wouldn't need a savior

Sometimes I wonder if Christians obsession with sin and savior blinds them to their responsibilities of making amends and getting forgiveness from the people they've actually sinned against as opposed to saying magic words of atonement or interacting with the church in certain ways.

 

[savagewind]

Absolutely not...

It was prohibited to have intercourse (for any reason, even making children...)

Three days of the week, 3 days before after communion, during any feast holy days, during lent, etc. If you worked out the math, that's most of the year.

It was pretty damn rough, I'd imagine.

I just thought the right word is rejected, not ejected. I thought of SPERM. Haha, It was funny anyway.