I Like Porn
I called this “I like porn” probably because of the bloody brilliant shock value that can be attached to a phrase like that. Not to mention that everyone who will read this will probably say to someone somewhere that, “I once read somewhere someone saying ‘I like porn’ in a format which propagated the authentic Christian message.” Now this blog-concept isn’t in my list of skeleton ideas previously posted. That’s because I’m a sneaky ninja and you aren’t.
By the way I have altered the definition of the word porn because in our post-modern, echo-boomer, millennial mentality it’s cool to do that. Illicitly the word will now and forever mean the altercation of something that is, by generally permeating the is object with seductive and aesthetically pleasing stimulating characteristics.
I was sitting in a fast food restaurant and I looked at my friends and said that fast-food is the socially acceptable porn of everyday apathy. To pontificate, the desire for fast-food is the absence of a desire to eat in a manner that is healthy and/or financially intelligent. Fast-food will generally aid our ability to enjoy cardiac arrest, cardio and pulmonary shut-down, and the steady everyday decay of our neural-pathways and sensory receptors.
Again I will reiterate fast-food is the porn of everyday societal long-term suicide and I like it.
Divorce is the porn of marriage. Abuse is the porn of love. The road to hell is the porn of the path to heaven. Is the church in question the porn of Christianity?
A recent acquaintance suggested that Sunday morning Christianity or Sunday morning church could be described as spiritual masturbation. Dump your load (all the accumulated crap from the week and the guilt of the absence of a genuine relationship to God), feel good and move onto Monday morning real-life. I have in a previous setting suggested that in some cases church is much the idea of an incestuous relationship. Where we gather around each other as brothers and sisters in Christ and we love to pray, prophesy, speak in tongues, heal, word of knowledge and lay hands on each other. AND whoever is the best at it or has the highest quality and largest quantity of physical response wins honor, respect, leadership and is loved by all. Maybe this blog should have been entitled the sex of life contrasted to the sex of church. Either example; masturbation or incest are both horrific and belittling words for the concept of church which if church really is true, church really is the most important thing in this life and the next.
I think for a time as I said earlier that I like fast food but there will come a point when my heart stops, my lungs fail, my eyes dim, my ears deafen and something I can’t see will be eroding my livelihood from the very inners of my physical body. I’m sure in that moment I won’t like fast-food porn anymore. I think for a time I enjoyed the sex of church, the porn-moments, the heightened emotional moments… but as I theorize about it now, I feel as if the large abandonment of church is a result of this erotic display of ancient Christianity.
Again I will reiterate fast-food is the porn of everyday societal long-term suicide and I liked it – until I knew it would kill me.
Again I will reiterate single-serving-Sunday church is the porn of ancient Christianity and I liked it – until I knew it would kill me for eternity.
In the same way, the realization of fast-food as long-term suicide probably will not set in for most humans until it’s too late. The Bible reveals that Christianity is difficult to find and difficult to maintain. Difficult + difficult = ambitious, painful, ball-busting, intricate, immense, prohibitive, trying and challenging.
Don’t be so easily fooled by the injection of sex into spirituality resulting in Church-porn.
hugs and kisses,
DSW
By the way I have altered the definition of the word porn because in our post-modern, echo-boomer, millennial mentality it’s cool to do that. Illicitly the word will now and forever mean the altercation of something that is, by generally permeating the is object with seductive and aesthetically pleasing stimulating characteristics.
I was sitting in a fast food restaurant and I looked at my friends and said that fast-food is the socially acceptable porn of everyday apathy. To pontificate, the desire for fast-food is the absence of a desire to eat in a manner that is healthy and/or financially intelligent. Fast-food will generally aid our ability to enjoy cardiac arrest, cardio and pulmonary shut-down, and the steady everyday decay of our neural-pathways and sensory receptors.
Again I will reiterate fast-food is the porn of everyday societal long-term suicide and I like it.
Divorce is the porn of marriage. Abuse is the porn of love. The road to hell is the porn of the path to heaven. Is the church in question the porn of Christianity?
A recent acquaintance suggested that Sunday morning Christianity or Sunday morning church could be described as spiritual masturbation. Dump your load (all the accumulated crap from the week and the guilt of the absence of a genuine relationship to God), feel good and move onto Monday morning real-life. I have in a previous setting suggested that in some cases church is much the idea of an incestuous relationship. Where we gather around each other as brothers and sisters in Christ and we love to pray, prophesy, speak in tongues, heal, word of knowledge and lay hands on each other. AND whoever is the best at it or has the highest quality and largest quantity of physical response wins honor, respect, leadership and is loved by all. Maybe this blog should have been entitled the sex of life contrasted to the sex of church. Either example; masturbation or incest are both horrific and belittling words for the concept of church which if church really is true, church really is the most important thing in this life and the next.
I think for a time as I said earlier that I like fast food but there will come a point when my heart stops, my lungs fail, my eyes dim, my ears deafen and something I can’t see will be eroding my livelihood from the very inners of my physical body. I’m sure in that moment I won’t like fast-food porn anymore. I think for a time I enjoyed the sex of church, the porn-moments, the heightened emotional moments… but as I theorize about it now, I feel as if the large abandonment of church is a result of this erotic display of ancient Christianity.
Again I will reiterate fast-food is the porn of everyday societal long-term suicide and I liked it – until I knew it would kill me.
Again I will reiterate single-serving-Sunday church is the porn of ancient Christianity and I liked it – until I knew it would kill me for eternity.
In the same way, the realization of fast-food as long-term suicide probably will not set in for most humans until it’s too late. The Bible reveals that Christianity is difficult to find and difficult to maintain. Difficult + difficult = ambitious, painful, ball-busting, intricate, immense, prohibitive, trying and challenging.
Don’t be so easily fooled by the injection of sex into spirituality resulting in Church-porn.
hugs and kisses,
DSW
posted by DSW at
4:04 PM
10 Comments:
I'll probably have to unpack what seems to be sheer "disenfranchisement" with the church over the course of my blogging experience. However in an effort to not dodge your question I am currently going into my last year of bible college. Its a four year degree program specific to pastoral ministry. Ergo most of my thoughts are predicated and propogated from the perspective that I am learning what to do and what not to do from my own experiences - in order that I might do it well when I am in the position of spiritual leadership (whatever the hell that will look like when i get there).
hugs and kisses,
DSW
By
DSW, at 5:56 PM
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By
Joker Smilez, at 6:33 AM
You should write a blog about the "Canadian on the outside/Christian on the inside" VS. "Christian on the outside/Canadian on the inside" concept that you mentioned the other day.
Mostly because I completely agree with it.
There...I am no longer a vampiric assassin. Happy?
By
Joker Smilez, at 6:34 AM
tyler frickin' williams!
i gotta say, deedub, that's some strong language, and i resisted the urge to stand up and defend the church a couple times...
for example, "How dare you speak of the body of Christ in such a manner!", though i do see the merit in your arguments. the "comfortable pew" has been an observation of mine for some time now. perhaps not identical, but parallel to the same idea.
reproval without suggestion for improvement is only deconstructive, and i would encourage you to offer some kind of suggestion to strengthen the body.
By
Andrew, at 5:26 PM
I disagree. I think deconstruction especially in our-time is an extremely valid tool. To qualify that the blog “I Like Porn” was phrased in such a way to make the reader have to respond in some way. Either by using pervasive language against me, fantasizing about ripping my arms from their sockets (all you Star Wars fans) or sending me gifts of grandeur. It was entirely intended to spark discussion, a kind of sick manipulation to make people actually post because we all know people just read and don’t think enough to post. Maybe by phrasing things in such a way that ignites dialogue about things people would normally not talk about. What we see here in the “porn” dialogue are no names, places, peoples, etc. so its not deconstruction by a critical means of gossip but rather we’re simply talking hypothetically, or in theory. And I find that with my age bracket especially the Generation Y, echo-boomers, millennials etc. that there will be only one place to go from deconstruction and that is rebuilding. And I believe that if we can deconstruct what Christians have become so accustomed to that has stagnated a stereotypically large amount of Christians and if we can in turn deconstruct what non-Christians have viewed the church as, pedophiliacs and all… then people can start on a path to a Christ-faith without baggage, without forgery. What it comes down to is that if we can deconstruct all the known-crap about faith, God, ancient Christianity, Jesus and leave people in the unknown, leave them with questions that need answering and simply tell them to look... Well, a phrase at the church I’m in now is simply this; “We believe in God so much that if you look for Him… you will find Him.”
By
DSW, at 11:30 AM
Onions are the porn of vegetables.
By
Jonas, at 3:00 PM
One more thought... If church is like porn then its genre would likely be a "snuff film", because you're lucky if you make it out alive.
By
Jonas, at 3:21 PM
dave i love you
no comments, i just like reading
guess who (hint: come to lakeshore this summer)
By
Anonymous, at 5:28 PM
the trap of spiritual masturbation is a dangerous little trap that i think pretty much everyone will stumble upon at some point in their walk (especially those who venture to the charismatic side of the spectrum). Its not so much a question of if it will happen but more how long will it take you to wake the true reality, and when you do will you want to rid yourself of that snare
I recall my own rude awakening the hold this trap held on me. After going through what was then an all time spiritual high that lasted a number of weeks. Where I had previously never felt closer to God, and would be lost in Ecstasy during worship. When the period of richness faded (as they often do) I was left feeling dry and with a general lack of desire to spend real time with God. I soon came to the shocking and painful realization that I didn't love the Lord my God with all my heart soul mind and strength, I loved what He does for me, which isn't love if self is prominent. This awakening isn't something original, I had long been aware of the temptation to seek God for the carnal payoff of earthly blessings, but this was church, this was worship, this was safe right? Man was I wrong.
At this point I really started to examine my intentions, am I merely payoff oriented? Was I just using the manifestations of the Holy Spirit as a means to stimulate myself whilst maintaining a level of sanctity to appease my conscience? But as Dave said in a reply above, after the deconstruction of my Love(or lack there of) for Christ, the only thing left to do was to start rebuilding it.
But to actually make a comment relevant to your post, I agree that while "church porn" is nice and easy alternative, it ultimately looses its lasting appeal, and fails by comparison to the genuine article.
Alright enough procrastinating, back to work
By
Anonymous, at 2:55 PM
I really enjoyed this. A friend gave me the link, tyson, and he said that you are another open minded and confrontational christian. the blog was fabulous. whoever said that church is the masturbation of christianity is simply genius. well i know that you like debating, but i dont have anything that i disagree on with this blog, so i guess we will have to wait one day. :)
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Anonymous, at 6:53 PM
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