Stifling Joy!

[ShaMan]

All things in balance and moderation I say.

[John V]

The Judeo-Christian god, especially the Christian one seems to be against many forms of harmless human enjoyment---sex being at the top of the list of things we oughtn't enjoy.

No, the Christian god invented sex and wants us to enjoy it within the bounds of marriage. Paul specifically says that married people should have sex regularly.

ETA: Read Song of Solomon, or at least the wiki entry on it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_of_Songs

...it celebrates sexual love. It gives "the voices of two lovers, praising each other, yearning for each other, proffering invitations to enjoy". The two are in harmony, each desiring the other and rejoicing in sexual intimacy; the women (or "daughters") of Jerusalem form a chorus to the lovers, functioning as an audience whose participation in the lovers' erotic encounters facilitates the participation of the reader.

[RobbyPants]

bullshit again. you are also dishonest.

does it make sense for it to mean "don't dwell on it" or
"don't think about it at all."

Matthew 5:27-28

27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

That seems pretty clear. If you lust after someone, it's bad. It doesn't mention frequency; the mere act is bad, so the better translation out of your two would be "don't think about it at all".

Now, it is true that it doesn't say "don't think about sex" as opposed to "don't look at people with lust", so it could be cool to mind-hump your wife all day long, but a single errant thought about any other woman is a sin, according to Jesus.

[ThomM]

The Judeo-Christian god, especially the Christian one seems to be against many forms of harmless human enjoyment---sex being at the top of the list of things we oughtn't enjoy.

A few years ago I had the same sad but hilarious conversation with my mother twice. She called to warn me that men lose some sexual function as they get older (my step-father was about 75 at the time).

Carefully, and round about, with many euphemisms, she explains that after a certain age men don't get hard unless you touch "it". And that it's not really so bad, kinda nice, once you get used to it. (Clearly oral sex is out of the question)---And suddenly I felt sorry for my poor detached iceberg of a father.

Why is religious morality so bound up in sex? Unwanted pregnancy I get. Stifling pleasure I don't.

Modern Christians and Muslims have added wine and who knows what else to the bad list.

Sorry - but you are wrong with your firs statement

While Muslims and Xtians may have denegrated Sex to a filthy habit - it is NOT that way in Jusaism.
In fact - in Judaism - one of the most sacred orders of the god was Go Forth and Multipy. Israeli leaders had numerous wives and concubines to do that with. Solomon is claimed to have had over 700 wives and over 300 concubines - and if having 300 concubines is stifling pleasure - how many more could you really satisfy!

[Esquilax]

bullshit again. you are also dishonest.

That's not an argument, and unlike you, seemingly, I've actually read the verse in question.

does it make sense for it to mean "don't dwell on it" or
"don't think about it at all."

Not the way that it's phrased. But then, that would require reading the verse, instead of knee jerk oppositional bullshit.

[Wyrd of Gawd]

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The Judeo-Christian god, especially the Christian one seems to be against many forms of harmless human enjoyment---sex being at the top of the list of things we oughtn't enjoy.

A few years ago I had the same sad but hilarious conversation with my mother twice. She called to warn me that men lose some sexual function as they get older (my step-father was about 75 at the time).

Carefully, and round about, with many euphemisms, she explains that after a certain age men don't get hard unless you touch "it". And that it's not really so bad, kinda nice, once you get used to it. (Clearly oral sex is out of the question)---And suddenly I felt sorry for my poor detached iceberg of a father.

Why is religious morality so bound up in sex? Unwanted pregnancy I get. Stifling pleasure I don't.

Modern Christians and Muslims have added wine and who knows what else to the bad list.

---

Sorry - but you are wrong with your firs statement

While Muslims and Xtians may have denegrated Sex to a filthy habit - it is NOT that way in Jusaism.
In fact - in Judaism - one of the most sacred orders of the god was Go Forth and Multipy. Israeli leaders had numerous wives and concubines to do that with. Solomon is claimed to have had over 700 wives and over 300 concubines - and if having 300 concubines is stifling pleasure - how many more could you really satisfy!

According to the Bible and the Babylonian Talmud the Jews banged anything with a hole, regardless of age or species.

[Jenny A]

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---

Sorry - but you are wrong with your firs statement

While Muslims and Xtians may have denegrated Sex to a filthy habit - it is NOT that way in Jusaism.
In fact - in Judaism - one of the most sacred orders of the god was Go Forth and Multipy. Israeli leaders had numerous wives and concubines to do that with. Solomon is claimed to have had over 700 wives and over 300 concubines - and if having 300 concubines is stifling pleasure - how many more could you really satisfy!

According to the Bible and the Babylonian Talmud the Jews banged anything with a hole, regardless of age or species.

But nudity bothered them a lot. And the foreskin thing. . .

But I freely admit. Jews are remarkably unhung-up about sex when compared to Christians. I even kinda like the idea that a husband has a duty to provide his wife with good sex. But hell, everyone by Muslims and Mormons are less hung-up about sex than Christians. And the Christians use the Old Testament for much of the support for their sexual hang-ups.

[ignoramus]

Because sex is the most basic survival instinct of nature, it compares us to the rest of the animal kingdom who rightly do it without guilt or shame. They are human emotions.

And all major religions like to keep us at arms length with those "animals"!
For we are more than that! We are all god's children and should know better!

Now put $10 on the plate and fuck off!

[Cinjin]

The Judeo-Christian god, especially the Christian one seems to be against many forms of harmless human enjoyment---sex being at the top of the list of things we oughtn't enjoy.

No, the Christian god invented sex and wants us to enjoy it within the bounds of marriage. Paul specifically says that married people should have sex regularly.

ETA: Read Song of Solomon, or at least the wiki entry on it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_of_Songs

...it celebrates sexual love. It gives "the voices of two lovers, praising each other, yearning for each other, proffering invitations to enjoy". The two are in harmony, each desiring the other and rejoicing in sexual intimacy; the women (or "daughters") of Jerusalem form a chorus to the lovers, functioning as an audience whose participation in the lovers' erotic encounters facilitates the participation of the reader.

Where does it say that you have to be married? Is it in there or is it another one of those apologists applications?

Also, I'm not sure that Solomon is a very good reference. The man had 300 wives and 700 sex slaves. Who gives a fuck what that guy has to say about having sex within marriage?! He was plowing a thousand chicks. You know what - Fuck You Solomon, I won't complain about sex only in marriage either when my god makes a special rule just for me to bang 1000 women with no consequence.

[naturestubbs1]

Bullshit.

what it is against is addiction to them.

For the love of no god. people are so stupid.

The amount of repression depends of the brand (or even the particular church). This is the religion that brought us the "sins" of onanism, i.e. masturbation, contraception, homosexuality, single sex, dancing, revealing clothing, etc. Do they all make sins of all those things? Nope. But some churches make sins of all of them. It goes back to the Old Testament. Ham got banished for seeing his father Noah naked. It continues through Jesus and Paul.

I always wondered why a "god" would give animals genitals if the bearded leprechaun didn't want them to use them often like eyes, ears, toes or fingers. Hell, those appendages are used constantly. It's part of that twisted doctrine to mess with peoples emotions. What is so sick about it is that it isn't just hypocritical but it is meant to put restrictions on the very things that genitals are used for.