Re: I have bad news for you Jim
Submitted by jeroen on January 21 2001 06:02:09
In reply to Re: I have bad news for you Jim submitted by Jordan on January 21 2001 04:34:32
|
Greetings brothers: I am a new poster on this site, and am not much used to expressing my thoughts in writing on this subject, but would like to add my two cents on the subject of temptation and sin from the perspective of the Eastern Orthodox tradition. The church Fathers distinguished several stages of temptation, only the last few of which actually disturb relationship with God (this is part of what the word "sin" means). Let us say you see a beautiful boy, so attractive that he becomes the focus of your attention. If you enjoy the pleasure of his beauty as a reflection of the beauty of God and the wonder of God's creation, then this can bring you into closer relationship with the Lord. ("Beauty" in the material world is an aspect of God's attribute of Mercy, or healing power: when particularly struck by the beauty of something, it is common to repeat the Jesus Prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy", as an expression of that.) If you are in a state of "prelast", or spiritual delusion (which most of us are most of the time), then the imagination takes over. There is nothing wrong with fantasizing, but too much fantasizing, or trying to act out our fantasies can lead us horribly astray. So, your imagination being stronger than your good sense, the image of having sex with this boy enters your mind. This is the first stage of temptation. If you can cast out this thought, or elevate it back to the contemplation of beauty, well and good. If not, then the next stage begins: in your imagination, you start playing with the thought of having sex with the boy, rolling it around in your mind and considering all the possibilities. This is the stage of "communion" or "conversation", and is what we generally mean by "sexual fantasy". This in itself is not sinful, but can lead to the next stage, which IS sinful: the stage of "assent": at some level, you have decided "I'm going to have sex with that boy." Even if outward circum- stances don't actually allow this to happen, the intentions of the soul have turned away from God and toward one of his creatures. This is what Christ meant by lusting in the heart. (We Americans with our depraved attitudes toward the body tend to think of this solely having to do with sex, but appies to any sinful passion, including laziness, greediness, and violent anger.) Sexual fantasy is NOT "lusting in the heart" because the "heart" in the Eastern traditions includes the will and intention. These stages do not always follow a logical sequence, as stated above; they can happen all at once. And despite what many would say, falling into delusion and sin in this or any other way does not make one an especially bad person. We are ALL bad people, we are all wounded and in need of the healing grace of God's mercy; we ALL need to pray, every moment of our earthly existence: "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me." We are all subject to temptation and demonic provocation. God created this world with so much beauty in it (and giving us as persons created in His image our own unique appreciations of it) in order to give us something with which to elevate our passions, and to bring us into the power of His Divine Beauty by its reflections in His creation. Forgive me for being so long-winded, but I don't get much chance to express these ideas in my daily life. I promise I will try to make future posts a little more concise. --Jeroen Haas |
Follow ups: