This development could take the Possum Lodge in an entirely new direction.
Posted on 12/02/2004 12:30:35 PM PST by Mr. Silverback
Ask the typical college student, What’s love? That’s a no-brainer—love is a romantic feeling, right? And what’s the purpose of sex? Pleasure, of course. What else could it be?
In his new book Ask Me Anything: Provocative Answers for College Students, University of Texas professor J. Budziszewski tells students that both of these “obvious” answers are dead wrong. Take the idea that love is a feeling. If that were really true, then how could people getting married promise to love each other until they are parted by death? Feelings come and go; you can’t promise a feeling. What you can promise is a commitment of the will to the good of the other person. And that’s what love is.
Or take that other “obvious” but wrong answer that the purpose of sex is pleasure. “False,” says Budziszewski. Of course, sex is pleasurable, but that doesn’t make pleasure its purpose. The exercise of every natural power is pleasurable. Eating is pleasurable; taking a deep breath is pleasurable; flexing a muscle is pleasurable. Is the purpose of all those things also pleasure? Think what that would imply. If the purpose of eating was pleasure, then if it gave you more pleasure to eat, purge, and eat some more, you ought to do it. The reason you shouldn’t is that the purpose of eating isn’t pleasure, but nutrition. In the same way, says Budziszewski, the purpose of our sexual powers isn’t pleasure, but procreation—in other words, making families.
In a snappy dialogue format, Budziszewski takes up these and lots of similar questions. The first part of the book is what he calls “girl and guy stuff.” What are “the moves” of courtship, and why are they so hard to figure out? Is “missionary dating” a good idea or a bad one? Does it matter whom you live with? Why do so many people seem to be afraid of growing up? And here’s an explosive one: I got my girlfriend pregnant—what now?
My favorite question is why “sowing your wild oats” never works out the way it’s supposed to. Sexuality, he says, is like duct tape. The first time you use it, it sticks you to whomever it touches. But just like that duct tape, if you rip it off and then touch it to someone else, it isn’t as sticky as it was before. So what happens when you pull it loose from one partner after another? Budziszewski explains: You just don’t stick anymore, your sexual partners seem like strangers, and you stop feeling anything.
I like that answer. Not only is it thoroughly biblical, but it honors the fact of our natural design—the way we are actually made to fit the way the world really is.
If you want to learn more about how to explain the creational plan for love and courtship to the young people in your life, check out this wonderful new book Ask Me Anything: Provocative Answers for College Students. During the next few days, Mark Earley and I will be talking more about it.
Don’t forget: If we go against the way God designed us to live, it is like cutting across the grain of the universe, and we’re asking for trouble. All we have to do to live right is to get with the plan—His plan, that is.
BreakPoint/Chuck Colson Ping!
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ProLife Ping!
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Sex is an impediment to reproduction.
I just love it when you can work sex and duct tape into the same discussion.
You reap what you sow.........too bad liberals never seem to grasp that Truth
Love is, apparently, like duct tape.
ping
I wonder if he realizes that he just described the contraceptive approach to sex?
Budjizewski (sp) writes great stuff. You can read his articles on evolution, homosexuality, abortion, premarital sex, etc. on the "boundless.org" site (affiliated with Focus on the Family).
He deals with these topics using the solid logic of a conservative ethics and philosphy professor (which he is) having discussions with fictional students. He's always very easy to read and thought provoking.
He's got a new one up about the superficial "Jesus was a liberal" claim.
Giggle. I know what you mean.
And since duct tape is also referred to as "mexican epoxy", love must be like epoxy...
WD-40 now its getting really kinky.
That's just sick. The many reasons you shouldn't make yourself throw up after eating don't include, "The purpose of eating isn’t pleasure, but nutrition."
If the purpose of eating is nutrition, what's the purpose of dessert?
/8^)
With or without duct tape? ;)
You forgot the horns for /8^)!!
What happens to people who only eat desserts?
=/8^)
***What happens to people who only eat desserts?***
They don't get to star in a Subway commercial?
P.S. And you missed a GREAT opportunity to please the FR word-lovers in the structuring of your question.
If I may help?
What happens to people who eat just desserts? (chortle)
So, if we're not makin' babies, we gotta quit makin' whoopee, eh?
Sexuality, he says, is like duct tape.
Handyman's-secret-weapon ping.
THE HORNS MAKE THE MAN!!
Ah, but life isn't an either-or proposition. If you believe the purpose of eating is only nutrition and not pleasure, what are you doing having dessert? For that matter, you could save a lot of time and money just eating dog food and a vitamin pill every day, so here's your Iams, dig in!
The purpose of something is not the same as the result of something. The purpose of something, for a Christian, is what God designed it to do. It isn't the answer to "what does it do" but the answer to "why does it exist at all".
The purpose of eating, or at least it's primary purpose, is nutrition. That doesn't mean that it doesn't do other good stuff, as well, but doing that good stuff isn't what it is primarily intended by God to do. It's primarily intended to keep you alive. The other stuff is, as they say in Louisiana, lagniappe. (I believe I spelled that right.)
The purpose of dessert is to make you feel guilty, of course!
Paging Bill Clinton!
I've had a vasectomy, so I think it's pretty safe to say that when I have sex, the purpose is pleasure (mine, and hopefully someone else's).
Hahahahaha!
bump
This development could take the Possum Lodge in an entirely new direction.
exactly, enough duct tape can fix pert near anything!
Yes, you spelled lagniappe correctly. That made me very happy.
Oh, it was also a very cogent post. You're so good at that!
I love Red Green. The Possum Lodge is the best.
News to my wife and me (three kids so far.) Care to elaborate?
Yep. That takes a true master of the rhetorical form. Either that, or someone who's using duct tape for a really sick and/or illegal purpose.
And what's Colson's problem with eating? Eating of course is pleasurable - otherwise we'd just be satisfied with tasteless "nutrition blocks." What a puritanical attitude.
Asexual reproduction is quite successful and represents the most common way for organisms to reproduce. Sexual reproduction adds another element to the process and, as such, serves as a form of selective pressure...only those who can attract another and perform all the necessary components of sex get to contribute to the gene pool.
One Question, doesn't the Bible talk about sex being for the pleasure of a man and wife. It was meant to be a gift from God for those who obeyed his commands. I know that my friends who sleep around are never fully satisfied by the sex, however, my married friends all seem to be happy and more fulfilled.
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