I do not think that many would disagree with the statement that there is dispute on the subject of sexuality. I've started several posts related to the subject, but in all cases I find that I need to lay some groundwork first (as I best think about things from basic principles, as you've surely noticed if you've read my thoughts before). So I begin with underlying principles.
The doctrine to which I subscribe and the belief which I have about sexuality is full of a sense of the sacred. People are sacred. Their bodies are sacred. Sexuality is sacred. The parts of the body associated with sexuality are sacred. All of these things are tied to the very purpose of life, and our potential to grow and to become all that we are meant to become.
The moral principles of chastity are fundamentally tied to this sacredness. We are to be chaste because God so commanded, but also because, in doing so, we honor our own sacredness, the sacredness of those around us, the sacredness of the body, the sacredness of sexuality, the sacredness of sex organs, and the sacredness of life and godhood. These things are not to be treated lightly, and this sacredness is so great that God has given very direct commandments about what is required in our respect for them. These things are not to be mocked, displayed and so opened to mockery, made use of except in a context equal to their sacredness, or otherwise treated lightly. This sacredness is, so far as I am aware, the underlying principle by which we may understand the Law of Chastity and associated commandments.
This conception of sexuality and chastity is clearly at odds with some other ideas that one might have about the topic. By subscribing to it, I obviously reject the idea of "free love": it is not morally right to act on all sexual impulses simply because we have them, we cannot in righteousness sleep around as we wish, and indeed this respect for the sacred requires us to exercise self-control in abstaining from sexual activity except in very particular circumstances. At the same time, I reject the notion that sexuality is evil: Chastity exists not because sexuality is evil, but because it is so very good. I believe that God wants us to enjoy sex, that it is supposed to be pleasant and to build sacred bonds between husband and wife, beside the fact that its role in producing life is a key part of His plan for this life. Yet these things, pleasant though they are, and though God intends that men and women should enjoy them, must not be indulged in except in His way.
One more piece of theology, in order to suggest the great depth of this sacredness. One of God's great roles, indeed, among the things that defines His Godhood, is His role as creator. Sex is the means by which men and women can act as co-creators with God in this life. And it is not only a creative act in a very divine sense, it is the creative act by which the pinnacle of creation, a very child of God embodied in the flesh, is brought into the world. In sexuality, properly respected, we work with God for the very fulfillment of His work and glory, the growth, progression, perfection, and eventual immortality and eternal life of His children. At the same time, it looks forward to God's plan for us, to grow and to become as He is, creators and parents as He is a parent. In sexuality, there is a microcosm of godhood, and a foreshadowing of what God, in His mercy and power, will make of us if we will allow Him. This idea is so glorious, beautiful, sacred, and divine, that with all the care, awe, and respect that I might give, I am fully aware of my inadequacy in approaching the subject; yet I hope that this account of things gives at least some sense of the level of respect which sexuality deserves.
I hope that this may serve as a guide in considering related topics, and I hope that as I approach them, I am in clear in illustrating how they are tied to both this sacredness of sexuality which I have considered tonight, as well as the sacredness of other things which may be implicated (particularly people).
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