Does God Punish Feeling Lust?

[thomas t]

I'd like to discuss

Spoiler

another prominent video

promoting atheism.

Last time, many atheists said that atheism didn't need a prophet or a leader in the way Christianity does.
Many atheists disagreed with the videos from that channel.

Nevertheless some agreed.
Taking into accoung the overwhelming success of the video, it has some 4.2 million clicks and as many as 50,000 likes, I'd like to discuss it here.
The likes can't stem from Christians, I think. *

At minute 2:30, the video says that God convicts "people for feeling [what lust feels like]".
I doubt it.
I think that lust is totally fine. Even for God. He created it, I think.

* it is the purpose of the channel to address religion "because of the people who believe in God." The author does not " want them to believe in a fantasy" as he says.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Um...isn't lust one of the seven deadly sins? So you feel he's cool with it?

What about...

• Greed
• Gluttony
• Sloth
• Wrath
• Envy
• Pride

Do you think he's he cool with those as well?

So yeah, based on Christian belief, I would say the video is pretty accurate.

 

[thomas t]

Um...isn't lust one of the seven deadly sins? So you feel he's cool with it?

What about...

• Greed
• Gluttony
• Sloth
• Wrath
• Envy
• Pride

Do you think he's he cool with those as well?

So yeah, based on Christian belief, I would say the video is pretty accurate.

that's Catholic teaching. I often say to other Christians: Bible only please.
If you can cite Bible for your claims then it may count as Christian teaching, ok?
To the best of my knowledge, the Catholics allow for extra-biblical teaching.

I'm not an anti-Catholic, though. It's just that they don't promote the principle of Bible alone determining sound theology.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Fair enough. The seven deadly sins might be a Catholic teaching, but is lust still not a sin? Isn't it in direct opposition to the Ten Commandments?

Matthew 5:28

 

[thomas t]

Fair enough. The seven deadly sins might be a Catholic teaching, but is lust still not a sin? Isn't it in direct opposition to the Ten Commandments?

Matthew 5:28

Thanks for bringing up the verse.
In my opinion, it refers to wanting the whole of the woman as property - not only sex with her.
Or I should rather say - not "only" sex with her.

 

[SalixIncendium]

So it's okay to add spin to justify your feelings?

If not, please show me in the context of that verse how you're coming to the conclusion that it incorporates more than "only sex."

 

[Estro Felino]

Well...
I think etymologically ...lust is a misleading term to indicate what Christians (Catholics mainly) believe it deals with.

God does want people to be happy. He did create sex for that purpose. He does want people to be sexually satisfied.
But satisfaction is achieved when there is interior peace and balance which is shared with another person.
When you see in the other an end, and not a means, or an instrument.

Sex is the union of two souls. It is a creative process...hence romance. Romantic Love.
When it becomes something mechanical, it loses meaning.

And this is an example
Kazakhstani bodybuilder marries his sex doll girlfriend in a tender ceremony

 

[exchemist]

that's Catholic teaching. I often say to other Christians: Bible only please.
If you can cite Bible for your claims then it may count as Christian teaching, ok?
To the best of my knowledge, the Catholics allow for extra-biblical teaching.

I'm not an anti-Catholic, though. It's just that they don't promote the principle of Bible alone determining sound theology.

Not just Catholic, but also in Anglican, Lutheran and Methodist traditions.

But one needs care in defining lust in the context of sinfulness. The Wiki article on the seven deadly or cardinal sins has this to say:
Lust, or lechery (Latin: luxuria (carnal)), is intense longing. It is usually thought of as intense or unbridled sexual desire,[23] which may lead to fornication (including adultery), rape, bestiality and other sinful sexual acts. However, lust could also mean other forms of unbridled desire, such as for money or power. Henry Edward Manning says the impurity of lust transforms one into "a slave of the devil".[5]

Dante defined lust as the disordered love for individuals.[24] It is generally thought the least serious capital sin[22][25] as it is an abuse of a faculty that humans share with animals, and sins of the flesh are less grievous than spiritual sins.

Please note that lust in this context is not confined to unbridled sexual desire.

I think today we often use the term lust to mean any kind of sexual desire. There is no suggestion that that is ipso facto sinful - it's just a natural urge, after all.

 

[oldbadger]

* it is the purpose of the channel to address religion "because of the people who believe in God." The author does not " want them to believe in a fantasy" as he says.

I couldn't watch the vid, but since I'm a Deist the question about God punishing lust just doesn't exist.

Thank goodness, or I'd be in a fair bit of trouble.

 

[thomas t]

So it's okay to add spin to justify your feelings?

If not, please show me in the context of that verse how you're coming to the conclusion that it incorporates more than "only sex."

no, adding spin is not ok.

Matthew 5:28 says "wanting her" as opposed to "lust after sex with her". I think it means the former.



This does not imply that every woman thinks it's ok when men want to have sex with them, of course.

 

[oldbadger]

There is no suggestion that that is ipso facto sinful - it's just a natural urge, after all.

Pheww!

 

[SalixIncendium]

Matthew 5:28 says "wanting her" as opposed to "lust after sex with her". I think it means the former.

*smiles* No, it doesn't.

You think it means something it clearly doesn't say. Do you honestly not see that interpreting it as such is adding your own spin?

 

[thomas t]

*smiles* No, it doesn't.

You think it means something it clearly doesn't say.

Let's dive into Koine Greek then: Matthew 5:28 Interlinear: but I -- I say to you, that every one who is looking on a woman to desire her, did already commit adultery with her in his heart.

So you see it says desiring her and not desiring [the sex with] her. Between the word "desiring" and "her" there are no other Greek words in between that could clarify that sex only is meant.

Furthermore, the word used for "desire" is one to indicate a wish in the broadest sense, I think:
Strong's Greek: 1937. ἐπιθυμέω (epithumeó) -- desire, lust after

This word isn't confined to a sexual meaning/ sexual lust. In Greek, you could desire anything, not just sex. (See same link)

 

[Polymath257]

The poll doesn't have an option for what I believe.

As an atheist, I do not have a belief in a God. So I don't have a belief about what God thinks about lust.

That said, way too many theists condemn others for lust and sexuality.

 

[Revoltingest]

The poll doesn't have an option for what I believe.

As an atheist, I do not have a belief in a God. So I don't have a belief about what God thinks about lust.

That said, way too many theists condemn others for lust and sexuality.

It's useful to look at the poll as poetic.
For a god to condemn inherent human traits,
including the ones we think good....it's silly.
So <no> is a good option.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

that's Catholic teaching. I often say to other Christians: Bible only please.
If you can cite Bible for your claims then it may count as Christian teaching, ok?
To the best of my knowledge, the Catholics allow for extra-biblical teaching.

I'm not an anti-Catholic, though. It's just that they don't promote the principle of Bible alone determining sound theology.

I'm sure you can find support in the Bible for your "Bible only" approach, then.

 

[thomas t]

The poll doesn't have an option for what I believe.

As an atheist, I do not have a belief in a God. So I don't have a belief about what God thinks about lust.

That said, way too many theists condemn others for lust and sexuality.

It's useful to look at the poll as poetic.
For a god to condemn inherent human traits,
including the ones we think good....it's silly.
So <no> is a good option.

thanks, but the poll only asks if you think the video depicted the biblical stance about lust in a correct manner.
Should I have formulated the question more clearly?

 

[Polymath257]

thanks, but the poll only asks if you think the video depicted the biblical stance about lust in a correct manner.
Should I have formulated the question more clearly?

Your question asks whether the video correctly portrays God's views. It says nothing at all about the Bible. Your OP also says nothing about the Bible, just what God's views are on lust.

 

[Estro Felino]

It's useful to look at the poll as poetic.
For a god to condemn inherent human traits,
including the ones we think good....it's silly.
So <no> is a good option.

Indeed...He doesn't condemn them.
He respects people's free will.

As John Keats said, Beauty is Truth...so I think God just wants us to search for beauty...I guess.

 

[Stevicus]

I'd like to discuss

Spoiler

another prominent video

promoting atheism.

Last time, many atheists said that atheism didn't need a prophet or a leader in the way Christianity does.
Many atheists disagreed with the videos from that channel.

Nevertheless some agreed.
Taking into accoung the overwhelming success of the video, it has some 4.2 million clicks and as many as 50,000 likes, I'd like to discuss it here.
The likes can't stem from Christians, I think. *

At minute 2:30, the video says that God convicts "people for feeling [what lust feels like]".
I doubt it.
I think that lust is totally fine. Even for God. He created it, I think.

* it is the purpose of the channel to address religion "because of the people who believe in God." The author does not " want them to believe in a fantasy" as he says.

I don't know if there is a God or if God punishes lust. However, a lot of people here on Earth seem to think that He does punish people for whatever "sins" they might have committed - and this punishment is a fiery, permanent sentence in Hell until the end of time. It's become a popular theme in religion and across the entire culture. The video presents many people's impressions of how it is after death and people lined up waiting to be judged for all eternity.

This is also where the concept of "free will" enters the equation, since many view God's punishments as fair and just, mainly because people are said to have chosen to sin of their own free will. This even includes things like lust, even though we've been supposedly designed to feel lust. In fact, most sins appear to be rooted in the way humans were designed and/or the situation we were thrown into at the time we were supposedly created.