As Christians, we all strive to be pure, like Jesus. We want to separate ourselves from our flesh, to which we refer as an enemy that must be subdued.
I've though noticed a large gaping problem with this, in that a large majority of us have copious amounts of guilt and constantly running away in fear that we'll be overcome by our flesh.
God created us as well as the desires we have. He created sex the other indulgences we try to run away from, and he made every single one of them to be beautiful.
With avoiding our own desires, we quickly learn to be guilty of them, guilty of sex and eating and our own bodies in general.
The problem with guilt is that when someone becomes so troubled with avoiding and being guilty of their own desires, they on the other hand become obsessed with the very thing they're trying to avoid.
We get attracted and addicted to the very things we attempt to cut off from ourselves.
This can be seen in alcoholics, sex addicts, and dieters again and again.
I've been reading books on things such as Tantra, that focus on being aware of our desires rather than running away from them, and then we naturally shift towards righteousness.
In the context of Christianity, I know God want's us to be pure, but is there a way we can regulate these natural desires God meant for us to have and to not deal with the guilt that's so rampant in Christianity?
I also notice a lot of paranoia among people who are in denial and have a lot of repression that they don't seem to be dealing with.
Again, how do we go about dealing with guilt and accepting the pleasures God made for us naturally without those pleasure overcoming us as we fear?
I've though noticed a large gaping problem with this, in that a large majority of us have copious amounts of guilt and constantly running away in fear that we'll be overcome by our flesh.
God created us as well as the desires we have. He created sex the other indulgences we try to run away from, and he made every single one of them to be beautiful.
With avoiding our own desires, we quickly learn to be guilty of them, guilty of sex and eating and our own bodies in general.
The problem with guilt is that when someone becomes so troubled with avoiding and being guilty of their own desires, they on the other hand become obsessed with the very thing they're trying to avoid.
We get attracted and addicted to the very things we attempt to cut off from ourselves.
This can be seen in alcoholics, sex addicts, and dieters again and again.
I've been reading books on things such as Tantra, that focus on being aware of our desires rather than running away from them, and then we naturally shift towards righteousness.
In the context of Christianity, I know God want's us to be pure, but is there a way we can regulate these natural desires God meant for us to have and to not deal with the guilt that's so rampant in Christianity?
I also notice a lot of paranoia among people who are in denial and have a lot of repression that they don't seem to be dealing with.
Again, how do we go about dealing with guilt and accepting the pleasures God made for us naturally without those pleasure overcoming us as we fear?