Fetishes

[Seraph]

Well this might be a slightly awkward thread, but I figured I'd make it. Where do you think fetishes fit in the Christian lifestyle? Are they depraved, or are they God-given? Are they beautiful, horrific, or a bit of both? They seem natural to a persons sexuality, though certain paraphilias seem rather...odd.

Also, sex outside of marriage may be a sin, but is it also wrong for a single person to mildly indulge in a fetish outside of marriage?

[Danieltwotwenty]

To me fetish implies obsession, obsessions are a distraction from God (This is my personal experience, may not be others).

You have to ask yourself, does my behavior honor God, does my behaviors honor myself and does my behavior honor others?

[Seraph]

Sometimes it's difficult to tell

[Danieltwotwenty]

That is very true and I don't think there are always easy answers and they are very personal decisions.

Speaking as a Christian, we have been given the holy spirit to convict us of sin and guide us to truth, I tend to go with the voice in my heart that even if I don't like what it tells me, I go with it anyway.

I guess I live by the spirit in these matters.

[Seraph]

True true, still unknown area for me though.

I could say what my temptations have been but I probably don't want them out in the open here.

[Byblos]

Sometimes it's difficult to tell

If you haven't already, you really must read The Last Superstition by Edward Feser. It lays an excellent case for the purpose of sex and what deviations from that purpose mean. That it completely demolishes atheism is just a fringe benefit .

[Jac3510]

To expand a bit on what Byblos is getting at, if you are a libertarian, then there's very little you can say for or against pretty much anything when it comes to sexual ethics. So long as two adults consent, then whatever! Society may impose the idea that it has to be in marriage, or you may say that the Bible insists on that, but shy of really stretching a few verses really far out of context, I don't think that you can make the Bible say anything about this particular subject.

If, though, you adhere to natural law (which I think we ought to), then you can say a great deal about this. There may be debate among nl theorists about particular issues, but at least you have something other than personal opinion to go on. It would seem to me that to the extent that any given fettish aids and promotes (or even is neutral to) the intended end of the sexual union, then there's nothing wrong with it. To the extent that any fettish frustrates and negates the intended end of the sexual union, it is wrong and ought to be discouraged.

So, with Byblos, I would strongly encourage you read The Last Superstition. Agree or disagree, at least you'll be introduced to a framework on how to think about this.