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Christians and Sex: Where Wrong Thinking Comes From, Pt 1
the intimate couple
Part 1: Dualism
Unfortunately, Christians and sex are two words that are not usually thought of as being comfortable together! Wrong thinking about what the Bible really says concerning Christians and sex has totally misrepresented God's intention and design! Remember, sex was God's idea!
Wrong Thinking Introduced
Early in the formation of the Catholic Church, St. Augustine -one of her greatest theologians, exerted a powerful influence on the thinking of Christians that is still felt today. Unfortunately, he was all wrong!
Some Facts about Augustine
- he was born in Algeria in 354 AD.
- he had a Christian mother, Monica, and a pagan father
- Augustine rejected the Christianity of his mother, and traveled from North Africa to Rome where he pursued philosophy
- he met a young lady who would be his mistress for 10 years; they "loved one another deeply and found great pleasure in one another's arms"; she bore him a son
- his pursuit of truth led him to study the philosophies of his day, and he was deeply effected by dualism
- dualism contends that the universe is divided into two distinct arenas: the corruptible world of matter, including appetites of the flesh (body), and the pure, immutable world of spirit
- the mind and body are separate, with the mind being trapped in a wicked, flawed, sinful flesh
Then, at the age of 35, Augustine was miraculously converted, and became a Christian! He left his mistress, and turned his back on everything sexual. Augustine's decision to become celibate still affects Christianity today! Chastity became a recurring theme in his writings.
Being so profoundly affected by dualism, he brought this philosophy of life and mingled it with Christianity. As a result, the Greco-Roman world's ideas crept into his theology. This is why, according to Augustine, Christians and Sex did not get along very well with each other!
- Augustine held a deeply pessimistic view of the human sex drive
- he thought the pleasure of sex was the very mark of human sin
- the only possible justification for sex was the procreation of children
- Augustine rejected sex as part of the loving bond between man and wife
- though his opinions about sex were only a small part of his writings, they hugely impacted Christian thought
- there is no dualism in Christian teaching
- sex is not inherently sinful. It was designed for a committed monogamous relationship called marriage
- celibacy is a valid option for some, but one of the very first commentaries God made about humanity was "It is not good to be alone", and He designed marriage
- the Bible reveals that sex is a gift from God and is fun! (see Song of Solomon)
- the New Testament teaches that husband and wife should regularly enjoy sex together, and not deprive each other of sex ( I Corinthians 7:2)
Read about the other negative influences on the Christian mindset relating to our attitudes about sex:
- Dualism (in this article!)
- the Error in Pairs (here at Searchwarp)
- the Christian Bubble (coming soon)
- the Law of Low Expectations (coming soon)
Article submitted Thursday, June 05, 2008 & read 335 times.
Jim Gordon has gone much farther than his grade 3 teacher, Mrs. Hall, would have ever predicted! He went on to complete elementary, junior high, and senior high school. In fact, after majoring in Science and Math in University, and completing Teachers' College, Jim started a private Christian school where he remained a teacher and principal for 20 years.
Jim and his wife, Carrie, have been married 26 years, and have an active household with 9 children! (No, this is not a typo... 9 children!) From their 25-year-old musician-songwriter daughter to their 9-year-old little princess--with 7 dynamic young men in between--Jim and Carrie’s mission is to impart values for life to their children.
Their experiences (aka what they learned from their mistakes!) have enabled and qualified them to provide leadership in marriages and families. Jim and Carrie carry the dream that their articles at www.the-intimate-couple.com will inspire and empower you to experience authentic intimacy with your spouse!
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» left by Hope from Ft Collins, CO (3 years 104 days ago.)
Thank you for commenting on this subject. When I read Confessions I was struck by Augustine's dualism also. I am searching online to find further implications of this.
Hope
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