Sex and the Religious experience

In thinking about the relation of sex and the religious experience I have come to the conclusion that there is very little difference. Now to qualify this I have to say that as a guy of course I'm thinking about sex, but reviewing my religious experience I have found most of the 'emotions' that people feel with God are the same as those that are experienced in sexual encounters. Now that is not to say that a person experiences an orgasm with God. But who know since some ancients referred to the religious experience as "ectacy". In the process of the religious experience a person experience all the same emotions so in pentecostalism you could argue that the experience is nothing but pent up sexual energy that is finding relese in god. This is especially true when you listen to the language that is used to speak of God and peoples relationship with him. Such things as "lover of my soul" are quite common and there are more numerous ones to count.
All of this to say that it is not neccessarily wrong to have this type of emotional outburst with God and I would venture to say that its not neccessarliy wrong to seek the experience. But I would insist on calling the religious experience for what it is..."sex" with god. People take their pent up sexual energies and desires and put them on to God. God then becomes the recipient of all this.
The answer to this problem is to accept the fact that God is not as relational as people want to make out. More than likely he is not involved in every aspect of our lives. What humans need to do (particularly pentecostals and other religions that attempt to create an experiental side to the spiritual) is to properly learn how to speak about their sexual desires and to express them to their spouses. Speaking honestly with one another will go farther than seeking another experience, and who knows you maybe able to act out your fantesies without it being a sin.

Comments

Kat said…
All religions were created to control and brainwash mankind. There are now over 20,000 versions of Christianity alone! If God is not the author of confusion, then 'man' is written all over the bible. That book has more errors and contradictions than anyone has been able to count and has caused more bloodshed than the 'believers' care to admit. Of course sex plays a huge part in the religious experience or people wouldn't be so anxious to participate. One would think that a light would go off in the brains of these people at some point in time, but I guess they are getting what they want and can feel good since they call it an 'experience' with God. Religion is insanity and it fosters evil men who keep the lie going for their own greed. No one really chooses to believe in anything, that decision is made for the majority by their parents before they are even born. How any christian can read the OT and fail to see that yahweh was nothing more than a concocted tribal god used to scare the hell out of ignorant superstitious people so the leaders and preist could justify the theft, murder and rape of all who had something they wanted just shows how brainwashed the religious morons really are. Any god that condones the rape of anyone, much less a child, is one sick SOB. The OT is full of this sick garbage but the 'people of god' never read these parts or just sweep them under the rug. All religions are lies and evil to the core. I am sure this won't get posted, but truth is never welcomed in the religious world.
1:28 PM
wes said…
Thank you for posting even though this is an older post of mine. The idea that religions were created to "control and brainwash" mankind is if you pardon me is non-sensical. There are far more effective ways to control people than religion and if you choose to spit Nietzshe at me you should first examine what eventually came from this thought line and experience. Even if religion is vacated from a persons being there are still operative ways of controlling them so it makes little sense to to work so hard to support a false way of living. Not to mention the fact that if I am to believe what you say here than no good can come from any religion and that is hardly the case (I believe both Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi support my case sufficiently)

The idea that there are over 20,000 versions of Christianity and the influence of humanity on scripture as evidence in your favor shows a complete lack of understanding of Theology in any sort of way. In theology there is the doctrine of sin that actually lends itself to an explanation of this.

While I speak of the sexual experience here, I am speaking from a perspective of someone who believes it should occur in Marriage. Also that it is something to be celebrated. My issue is not so much that there are some identification of sexual experience in religion but the view that the flesh is evil which doesn't fit with many of our various theologies and doctrines.

"Religion is insanity and it fosters evil men who keep the lie going for their own greed." Again you betray your ignorance of theology and doctrine or you would realize that the majority of religions generally see themselves as combating insanity, the chaos at the beginning of creation that all mythologies and religions deal with. Also while there are some that bend their religious influence for greed it must be remembered that all groups have this not just religions. It is common in government, it is common in Unions, so a decision based purely on the "bad people" is a shallow decision.

Your miss reading of the OT and YHWH are very humorus as well. Much of the language used in the Psalms don't lend themselves to this idea of a God used to make people fear and such.

I will not gloss over the "sick garbage" you talk of. There are very real problems in the biblical text, and the majority of Christians have moved past these issues, and have excepted that they are wrong. In particular I would like you to either quote the direct passage or story before you make statements about the "sick" parts so I know exactly what you are talking about and can perhaps offer interpretation.

I will not delete this post but I do ask that you would do your research before you post and include references where appropriate.
4:36 PM
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