Lent came and went.
It gave me time to think about some of the bloggers I list in my blog-roll.
Some of them exercise Rule 5. They post pictures of beautiful women. Sometimes those women display skin above their navel...sometimes a LOT of skin. That makes some devout folks...uncomfortable.
The moral tension is because the Puritans who had a much to say about the culture of our country had very firm views on "titillating" attire. Their thinking was very black-and-white.
As a practicing Catholic (while not on the opposite end of the spectrum from Puritans, not all that close to them either) I realize that there are many very Catholic cultures that consider a topless woman at the beach to be no more exceptional than a topless man.
A topless woman, in their culture, is no more of an invitation to adulterate than a topless man.
From a purely Biblical perspective, one could look to the sequence of vignettes that start at Matt 5:19. Those vignettes describe "slippery slope" scenarios where the "sinner" is culpable when they decide to start dancing on that slippery-slope as opposed to the line Mosaic Law drew the line. Every individual has a unique coefficient-of-friction, a unique "weakness" with regard to various temptations.
In one sense, the vignettes anticipate "fuzzy logic". Morality does not always conform to a black/white dichotomy regardless of how much we (or the Puritans) might wish it did.
If looking at images of the boobs of a woman you are not married to increases the chances that you will cheat on your wife then don't click on some of the sites on my blog roll. I include the titles of their posts. You can tell if the post might be potentially titillating or otherwise.
If you consider the female form, unadorned by artifice or fabric to be artful and beautiful and aesthetically pleasing, then feel free to visit those sites on those days.
The women with the biggest boobs are generally the ones who dress and posture to show the most of it. They do that to take advantage of the benefits that they derive from provoking lust. Breast Enhancement is not done to make them look smarter but to gain advantage by provoking lust. So in that regard I will side with the more Puritanical position. As for those Catholic cultures that have topless beaches they allow a lot of other morally questionable behaviors . Ever seen a topless nun? ---ken
ReplyDeleteI see Joe's point. We are all adults here, you had to show ID to get on 'the internet', too.
ReplyDeleteIf DaVinci can reproduce "works of art" in excruciating realism, why is a woman (breast)feeding her child considered indecent? You don't have to go through the sculpture wing of the museum if your sensibilities require it, nor do you have to stare at a woman practicing motherhood (THAT aught to trigger some people!) Mutter a 'shepherds prayer' for the sinners and be on your way.
If you were offended by something linked to on another site, and you felt it neccessary to tell Joe, I think you must have presented a fake ID earlier.
I generally keep my Rule 5's clothed.
ReplyDeletePlenty of other places that do the other stuff.
17 years old in Denmark on a topless beach and we see a group of young ladies coming towards us sans tops. When they passed us, I was more embarrassed than they were (for a minute).
ERJ, this is one of the very interesting splits that has always fascinated me between Catholicism and Protestantism (not sure where Orthodox fall on the spectrum). In general, this sort of thing is a huge hang up for Protestants (of which, generally, I am one). For some people it is terribly problematic; their reaction is the caricature of Puritanism which actually serves both sides: the "Puritans" by feeling holy, the other side by pointing out the Puritans and saying "Dash it all, let us just go 500% the other way". Neither is particularly healthy.
ReplyDeleteThat said, this is one of those completely controllable things in the sense that if it makes one uncomfortable, do not go to those sites or frequent those places. Maybe the first time one gets surprised, but after that you know what to anticipate. It is all on you.
Why some on this side, a people who believe in the practice of mature adults making choices and running their own lives, find that a disturbing thought is concerning to me. It tells me that really they do not believe in maturity and making decisions, only in the fact they want to control decisions and are not in a place to do so.
In 1964 I was in the Young Republicans and was working to get Barry Goldwater elected as it was obvious to me where all of this compromise was leading us. Our nation is no longer what it was then. The same with the churches. I was aways hearing "you've go to compromise" and we compromised until our basis of belief in country and God has been totally destroyed. The belief in "mature adults making choices and running their own lives" without regard for the clear message of God has run us into a satanic ditch. We need to listen to what God has clearly told us and recognize what has happened to other societies that have turned their backs on Him like we have. It is clear to see that we are next and it won't be long. ---ken
ReplyDeleteIn my first year pastoring a church, a member stood up and said he was very concerned. He had read that women were to be silent in the church and not speak. He wanted all the women to stop talking at church "like the Bible said". I tried to reason with him a bit with the historical context, but he didn't want to hear it. Now, I'd tell him, that as the man of the house, he was free to make that decision for his family. But maturity also allows others to see things differently.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ken on the idea of compromise. Our politics seems to only give ground on the principled side and take it on the libertine side. But I agree with TB and you in regard to this issue. If we compromise with the more and more offended, women will have to wear black baggy sacks from head to toe, because THEIR FORM is the cause of lust, not the weakness of a man's character or the wickedness in his heart.
We are called to holiness as believers, and each of us has our own weaknesses. Therefore, we all have our own battles, and need Grace. I'll tend to mine, you tend yours, give each other Grace, we all win.
"If a man looks on bacon and eggs with lust in his heart, he has committed breakfast already." STxAR Paraphrase©.
A lot of good French, Italian, Flemish, and Dutch Catholics, not to mention a few strongly Catholic-leaning Methodists, painted women who weren't only topless, but bottomless.
ReplyDeleteAs Jim Bowie told Davy Crockett, "They ain't afraid to die, but they ain't afraid to live, neither. They live for today, not the dollar tomorrow might bring".
Of course, almost everybody looks better with some clothes on, myself included.
ReplyDeleteVanity suggests most people would not ditch clothing for that reason
While I am not suggesting compromise by the Church (Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox or Non-denominational) or Christians, I am suggesting that we also need to recognize that the world is not the church and that we need to allow others the space (or grace, depending on how you look at it) to run their own lives.
ReplyDeleteTo ERJ's point, those who would like most ditch clothing are probably not the people that should do so.
As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I suppose modesty is in the eye of the culture. Strict dressing habits of the moslem cultures are partly to control women maybe partly to control the lusts of their men. Meanwhile in a place like the Pacific Islands traditionally naked breasts would have not been noticed. What worries me is that the woke movement is trying to make open sexuality of a twisted form normal!
ReplyDeleteFor a society/country that glorifies sex, pornography and other morally questionable pursuits America has a bizarre attitude about simple nudity, especially public nudity. America also has a bizarre problem about dealing with death. We glorify killing and destruction in movies and on TV but when it's time to fact the reality that all are mortal we tend to not deal with the fact effectively or rationally. One might almost get the impression that America and American's are crazy in many ways.
ReplyDeleteThe Holy Word of God is non-denominational. God cautions us to not cause another to stumble in their faith. God says what should happen to one who causes another to stumble.
ReplyDeleteGod says to control your on behavior so as to not tempt another. The wisdom in the word of God is for all time, for all people.
Yes, we are given the ability to choose (whether to click) yet consider how the path to life wrecking porn addiction starts with one 'innocent' click.
One's response to the aforementioned is between them and God (though we have a duty towards our brothers).
For myself, I do not open those sites. I appreciate the advisory in giving the title of those posts. Experience has shown which sites to avoid altogether.
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