Does interest in sex reduce spirituality?

[Robert Sock]

Sex is really a primitive desire that can interfere with spirituality.

Our society is loaded with messages that sex is great. This draws an huge amount of attention toward feeding the libido with inner images and thoughts of sex.

I contend that sex is not that great and that interest in sex drastically reduces the attention available for prayerful thoughts and inner images.

"If you don't stop it you'll go blind" is very realistic in a spiritual sense.

Learning to eliminate the desire for sex at an early age is most beneficial for both spiritual and religious success. Similarly, anything that occupies human attention, like television and computers, is the cause of spiritual death.

[onjac]

Originally Posted by Robert Sock

Sex is really a primitive desire that can interfere with spirituality.

Our society is loaded with messages that sex is great. This draws an huge amount of attention toward feeding the libido with inner images and thoughts of sex.

I contend that sex is not that great and that interest in sex drastically reduces the attention available for prayerful thoughts and inner images.

"If you don't stop it you'll go blind" is very realistic in a spiritual sense.

Learning to eliminate the desire for sex at an early age is most beneficial for both spiritual and religious success. Similarly, anything that occupies human attention, like television and computers, is the cause of spiritual death.

Sex outside of marriage, of course, isn't beneficial to the spiritual life and it's certainly distracting. But sex is supposed to be a physical expression of love in marital life...

[Byrnwiga]

Originally Posted by Robert Sock

Learning to eliminate the desire for sex at an early age is most beneficial for both spiritual and religious success.

I think you're right; I've been quite successful in doing this and results are indeed greater spiritual/religious focus. On the other hand, my success may result in me being single my whole life, but I think that is inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.


-Byrnwiga

[april32010]

Originally Posted by Robert Sock

Learning to eliminate the desire for sex at an early age is most beneficial for both spiritual and religious success. .

eliminating something that is God given is never beneficial,and teaching that it is always heretical.

[McDale721]

Originally Posted by Robert Sock

Sex is really a primitive desire that can interfere with spirituality.

Our society is loaded with messages that sex is great. This draws an huge amount of attention toward feeding the libido with inner images and thoughts of sex.

I contend that sex is not that great and that interest in sex drastically reduces the attention available for prayerful thoughts and inner images.

"If you don't stop it you'll go blind" is very realistic in a spiritual sense.

Learning to eliminate the desire for sex at an early age is most beneficial for both spiritual and religious success. Similarly, anything that occupies human attention, like television and computers, is the cause of spiritual death.

100% disagree. Sex is the physical expression of the sacrament of marriage and as such should be expressed as often as physically and responsibly possible. Sex is that great. So great that as Blessed JPII says, it is the most efficacious sign of Trinitarian love.

You are preaching the heresy manacheism.

[meltzerboy]

Originally Posted by Robert Sock

Sex is really a primitive desire that can interfere with spirituality.

Our society is loaded with messages that sex is great. This draws an huge amount of attention toward feeding the libido with inner images and thoughts of sex.

I contend that sex is not that great and that interest in sex drastically reduces the attention available for prayerful thoughts and inner images.

"If you don't stop it you'll go blind" is very realistic in a spiritual sense.

Learning to eliminate the desire for sex at an early age is most beneficial for both spiritual and religious success. Similarly, anything that occupies human attention, like television and computers, is the cause of spiritual death.

Robert, this is heretical thinking in both Catholicism and Judaism.

[McDale721]

Just to be clear, I'm talking about sex when expressed within the sacrament of marriage: free, total, faithful and fruitful.

[april32010]

Originally Posted by McDale721

.You are preaching the heresy manacheism.

thanks,as a recent convert it has been a real education to realize there is no new heresy.

[itullian]

Originally Posted by onjac

Sex outside of marriage, of course, isn't beneficial to the spiritual life and it's certainly distracting. But sex is supposed to be a physical expression of love in marital life...

[Robert Sock]

Originally Posted by april32010

eliminating something that is God given is never beneficial,and teaching that it is always heretical.

Earthquakes are also God given, but they are not very beneficial.

[onjac]

Originally Posted by Robert Sock

Earthquakes are also God given, but they are not very beneficial.

I'd be careful about going down this line of thought. Everything that God does is good. But because of sin, suffering has entered the world.

[Robert Sock]

Originally Posted by meltzerboy

Robert, this is heretical thinking in both Catholicism and Judaism.

It may be heretical thinking in Judaism, but not in the Catholic Church where sexual abstinence is demanded of clergy, and often encouraged with lay people. In the New Testament there is a passage that actually states that a person is better off if he/she abstains from sex.

"But I say to the unmarried, and to the widows: It is good for them if they so continue, even as I."
-1 Corinthians 7:8

[april32010]

Originally Posted by Robert Sock

, but not in the Catholic Church where sexual abstinence is demanded of clergy

and you believe that clergy have no sexual desire ?

[onjac]

Originally Posted by april32010

and you believe that clergy have no sexual desire ?

I don't believe that's what Robert is saying.

[Robert Sock]

Originally Posted by april32010

and you believe that clergy have no sexual desire ?

Of course not, but you're taking my comment out of context. I contend that the clergy control or eliminate their sexual urges, thus increasing the amount of focused attention one can apply to holy matters.