I woke up about an hour ago and could not fall back asleep. Ended up browsing the internet and stumbled upon this article about a woman who made a pledge to God when she was ten years old. It was an interesting read, and I am of course not judging Christianity because I know it is not black and white, but I was wondering what you thought of it, Wisp. We have never really spoken about this part of Christianity before and I am curious where you stand.
http://www.styleite.com/first-person/i-waited-until-my-wedding-night-to-lose-my-virginity-and-i-wish-i-hadnt/
What a horrible, twisted perversion. And a pack of lies. Yes, you're supposed to remain chaste until marriage. You don't have to wrap yourself in a cocoon. At this point I wouldn't sleep with a guy simply because I wouldn't want to - studies have shown (so I've heard) that constant sleeping around tends to lead to depression in women, apparently it presses some sixth sense that makes them feel used/not special. And I prefer purity. Paul does say (with a wrinkled nose and an air of strong disapproval) that if a man and woman cannot 'contain' (meaning control themselves,) then yes they should marry. There are many instances in the Bible of where a man loves a woman so much he'll put everything on the line for her - the prince of wherever it was who loved Dinah, Boaz, who risked his entire fortune and reputation and livelihood and status to marry a Moabite woman, David and Bethsheba, (not that that turned out well for anybody,) etc.
ReplyDeleteI lust, of course, I'm human. I'm not God. I have dirty thoughts. I can't help it but I reign it in as best I can. I've never heard that sleeping around did anyone any favors - health issues, legal battles, (hello, recurring-conversation-on-who-gets-to-define-morality,) depression, unexpected/unwanted children, abortions, etc. It sound like the only thing that happened right to that woman was that she loved her husband above herself, and he loved her above himself. That is so very rare, these days, she probably has no idea how blessed she really is!
And because my previous comment was too long, here's the continuation of it:
ReplyDeleteThe Bible is very clear that one is supposed to remain true to one's partner once one is married. I just discovered, while reading Blood Moons, that almost any time I have a question about the Bible, where it is unclear, inconsistent, or outright contradictory, it's because of the English version of the Hebrew word that was used. I have recently been having questions about my own sexual orientation, why I believe what I believe.
I was raised in a fundamental Christian environment, where single men and women, and even boys and girls entering puberty, are chaperoned, where sexual content is strictly between a husband and wife, where most people would, in fact, feel strangled. I have felt strangled. So I have been searching the Bible on /why/ young ladies are chaperoned, why I want to remain a virgin until marriage, etc. So far, I haven't found much - one verse in, Corinthians, I think, I'll look it up at the doctor's later, and the story about Dinah - she slept with a Gentile who loved her so much that he was willing to face the wrath of her twelve brothers for her, followed all the Israelites' rules, and they all killed him anyway. Keep in mind these are the guys who could sell their own brother into slavery out of pure jealousy...
This woman did not make a pledge to God. She made it to the church to the people - you can see, all through it, how she was showing it off. It's nothing to hide but you're not supposed to wear anything like a badge, like that. God and sexuality are not oxy-moronic, Christ himself has a Bride. Marriage was blessed, as an institution, and we were commanded to be fruitful and multiply. (Granted that was coming off the ark, but even so, there it still is.) A man is supposed to leave his parents and cleave unto his wife, and they two shall become one flesh. Sexuality within marriage is not only condoned, it is encouraged, even by the devoutly chaste Paul.
God never once ever promises a happy life. He might to individuals, He might appear to them and promise to bless them. He does not promise a happy life to any of His followers, quite the opposite. We're promised a happy ending in heaven and a hard, wretched, endless fight of a life. From clues this woman dropped in her article, I can't help wondering if she's been yet another victim of replacement/modern/Catholic theology. If you ever go into Christianity, studying it or whatnot, be very very careful - there are plenty of false Christians out there, masquerading and trying to draw people into a twisted version of the Truth and deceive them. The Bible warns about them repeatedly, and they are flourishing. I want to learn Hebrew so I can read the original Torah, and from there, understand the New Testament how it was supposed to mean, not what it says in English. Blood Moons is a spectacular book, and if you want a look at the true, original Christianity, I'd recommend reading that book. (And a King James Bible, for cross-referencing. I've heard that the KJV is the closest, anyway, not that I put much stock in any English version now. Still, it's better than nothing.)