August 28, 2009
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Dark Schemes: The Free Lunch
Warning: I talk about several different types of sin addictions here in some detail. If you are extremely sensitive to triggers, so much so that even a mention can set you back into addictive behavior, don't read. I say that specifically for a friend of mine, but may apply to others too.
To keep up with the series from the beginning, just click the DarkSchemes tag. Instead of writing a scenario, I'm going old-school with this one...as in about 3000 years ago school. Take it away, Samuel!
"One late afternoon, David got up from taking his nap and was strolling on the roof of the palace. From his vantage point on the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was stunningly beautiful. David sent to ask about her, and was told, "Isn't this Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hittite?"
Now read that again--it's David's lucky day, right? Man's just on a walk when suddenly he looks down and sees a naked woman. What a freebie! He didn't do it himself, she's just there! If you read between the lines, Bathsheba must have had more curves than Richard Simmons (um, I'm not good at analogies, haha) to be noticed from that high up. How can he not look? It's a free lunch!...right? or wrong?
It's pretty easy for me to realize why I shouldn't murder my neighbor, or lie to my mother. Those sins hurt someone directly. But what about a class of sins that don't harm anyone? That do indeed seem like a "free lunch" where no one has to pay for what the Bible would term as sin? Here's some examples:
Food or self-control sins: Sure, I just gorged or starved myself, but hey, I bought the food, and it's not hurting much...yet. It's my choice! Or, sure, I gambled away $300--but I would have spent it on something fun anyway, why not gambling?
Pornography sins: It's easy to argue "Oh, 123432 people already watched this video or read this magazine; it's not like my viewership made a difference, right? They already made the video, would have done it whether I watched or not."
Environmental or wasteful sins: So I completely deforest a field even though I just need a few trees, or shoot animals wantonly that haven't done anything to me and that I will not make use of in any way. They're not people, right? But I would still argue that some types of environmental misuse is sin, as we are failing our responsibility to be wise stewards.
Coveting sins: Sure, I spend half my time drooling over my neighbor's car, house, or wife, but is it really so weird that I take night-vision pics of his Corvette while perched on my tree and then photoshop my name on the side? Oh wait, that one's easy.
What I find fascinating about those sins, too, is that these are the ones that are toughest to talk about in church. When was the last time you heard a gluttony sermon, anyway? These indulgences are personal and don't hurt our neighbors, so they slide by. But they still are wrong in many cases; the Bible condemns them as lack of self-control, idolatry, or sexual perversion of God's plan with good reason. Here's a few thoughts that I have been mulling in combating those sins:
Long-term Perspective: Sure, David can't help seeing Bathsheba that one time. But just watch--soon David will find excuse after excuse to hang out on that roof. Then that won't be enough--he'll start patrolling the neighborhood in his chariot on excuse that he was cruising for wheat'n'wine at the local Safeway. Soon enough, David's responsibilities, family, and spiritual life will suffer, as the addiction takes away more and more of the things that make David a good man, father, and king. And the same thing happens to us--those sins have a way of taking over the good parts of our lives. Which leads to...Self-Control: I once watched a lengthy series on spies. It's amazing how many people got blackmailed into spying because they weren't careful with their money or relationships. And that's something we should worry about as Christians; our weak areas may become areas where we are manipulated easily. If I can't control myself around a dessert table or computer, that's not a healthy sign. Sure, it may not hurt anyone yet, and I do it in my down time...but isn't it embarrassing to admit that Jesus doesn't own you then? That you can't say no to yourself? Also...
Shame: Some things don't hurt anyone, but they are shameful for good reason. Don't be so quick to knock shame! It keeps many of us from our worst tendencies. Ask yourself, can I really do this in front of a friend with a straight face? Pick a friend off facebook list--could you really tell them about this? If you can't, then that free lunch is rotten.Good vs. Best: Now, sometimes these actions aren't sin by themselves. Maybe I can appreciate a pretty woman walking by without being tempted to fantasize in any way--even strike up a nice conversation with her while I'm at it. But I also have to ask myself--did it really do me any good to watch her walk by? Am I better off for it? Or am I likely to suddenly start fretting about being single, or wish that guy wasn't next to her? If I can't close the deal and actually ask her out, why am I hanging around? Same thing with food--I may enjoy a delicious dessert, but if I have to spend the next hour fighting temptation for a second piece, maybe I should have just skipped dessert altogether. I'd rather have a decent lunch I pay for than a free lunch that churns my stomach.
Back to the Future: Let's suppose all of us who aren't hardcore gamblers swore never to visit a casino, because they hold so many people addicted who spend beyond their means. Would that casino ever have opened to begin with? Yes, it's there when you walk by, and it doesn't hurt the casino much if you, Susan Smith, don't walk in on Tuesday, June 5th. But imagine if every Susan Smith didn't walk in, every day? That casino would be closed in weeks. Arguing that you're not responsible for your choice because there's just one of you is weak; litter laws had to be created precisely because of bad logic like this. Same holds true for sexual matters--yes, the person or video may be available, but if someone like you said "no" years ago, that would never have been available to start with.
Others? I realize it's a touchy topic and not everyone will agree with my choice of sins per se.
Comments (13)
It's not really the choice of sins that makes this so powerful, I think maybe it's not so much about what the sin is as it is about what it does to us. If we are honest with ourselves we all have weak spots and most of us know exactly what those spots are.
What I do only effects me. That is one of the biggest lies we tell ourselves
and man i would have looked twice too. but as a son of samuel i would have thought the third time around... about the consequences.
Exellent post! I think it's part of human nature to think of ourselves as small. What I do won't make a difference. This thought hurts both ways...both from abstaining and from helping. My $1 donation won't help this charity. But if you think of it the other way, if everyone in the US gave $1 to a specific charity...that's a lot.
For those things we should be abstaining from it really is self-control as you mentioned. It's funny actually because we discovered our neighbor occasionally sunbaths...much like your story
. She is up on a balcony so she must think no one sees her (or just doesn't care).
Driving is my issue. I have caught myself rationalizing why it is perfectly ok for me to be in the left lane passing a line of cars to get near the front but then upset by someone else doing it. "But I'm really in a hurry. I'll just do it this one time".
Thanks for the post. Good food for thought!
I like this quite a bit.
It's a snowball effect, most definitely, when the little sin gets in our way.
This is quite a good observation! There is one thing I think you're lacking. When I first became a Christian I "knew", from the teachings of the Bible, that prostitution was sin. I'd say, "Prostitution is wrong, because the Bible says so." What I did not know was "why" the Bible said so. Even with what the Bible taught, if you asked me I'd have to tell you I didn't have a personal problem with prostitution.
Then I started working at a soup kitchen in the inner city. I met prostitutes galore. It took a long while to get to know them. But when I did I saw what prostitution did to the men and women in the trade. I saw the broken families, drug addiction, and how human beings were used, abused and discarded. I now know how wrong prostitution is because God's word tells me, and because the lives of prostitutes tell me prostitution is wrong.
I don't think it's useful to lock prostitutes up, but I could never support the legalization of prostitution. Anything which destroys humans the way prostitution does can't be made legal, no matter how much people claim it's a "choice". I can't be convinced, because the lives I've shared, even briefly, tell me, prostitution is a terrible crime, against God and His beloved humanity.
Lonnie
We always find out later - sometimes - much later why God forbids us certain "innocent" pleasures. He knows the addictive/debilitating consequences of indulging ourselves. He knows our frame - He knows us better than we know ourselves and He will not collaborate with our rationalizations He is not an enabler for sinful man. All sin destroys and kills. The wages of sin is death. When we realize that Christ had to give His life to ransom us from our sin, we also realize that to continue in sin once we are saved is to disrespect Him and ignore/forget that sacrifice.
On the other hand, because sin is only gratifying and attractive at first we may understand that to obey God is rewarding in so many ways that we are cheating ourselves of by taking the gaudy bauble of sin instead of the beautiful rich life in Christ.
I like your points about how our actions can hurt others without our realizing yet or can snowball until they do hurt hurt others. I also like the point that if we feel ashamed and couldn't talk to our friends about it, then we probably shouldn't be doing it. These points apply to Christians and non-Christians alike. Sins are sins for a reason, and I think that reason is that they are bad for us whether or not we believe in God or a higher a power.
Sometimes, life's better moments are just smelling the rose and enjoying the beauty. Enjoying Bathsheba's beauty doesn't have to lead to desires to kill her huband.
Minimal comments always follow sin discussions, don't you find?
Good thoughts and ideas for people to mull over. Thanks for bringing it up/out.
@QueenMeadow - Ha, yes, it's hard to get good feedback to such posts. But the people that did write in were fairly insightful.
although now you aren't anymore.
@RushmoreJ - I do kind of like the Catholics' classification of venial sins. Some of the ones I mentioned fall in that category. But if we continually wave off our venial sins--we can't ignore how many people truly do get destroyed by the little things. BTW, this is completely from a Christian viewpoint, so I can see it may not make sense to some.
@yourkbear - I think so too; to a certain point sin shows by its very fruit that it is harmful. But there are some people who seem to sin without any ill effect whatsoever. So then, it must also be that some things are wrong because God said so, for no other reason. Since that can be hard for the human heart to grasp, I put other reasons down.
@quest4god@revelife - Payday can take a while, ha. I love the use of the term "wages"; it is earned, and it may delay, but it will happen yet.
@Such_Were_You - Ah, this was my favorite comment. Lonnie, you're so right; many times, we see the glitzy side of sin, but when we see what truly happens, it is disgusting. There are relatively few pampered "escorts", and many, many more beaten prostitutes. And even the escorts are misused; rich men are not of higher moral character.
@Levanna - Snowball, a good term to use for a Northeast'er like yourself
@myfate22 - Isn't it interesting how we forgive ourselves but not others? I wish I was harder on myself at times.
@tomakeapoint - Aww, too bad you're gone now, thanks for the comment.
@trunthepaige - Very true, I like the sci-fi stories on how small changes made due to time travel have drastic effects on the present and future.
@echois23 - We know our weak spots, but I think we often do not notice the arrow tossed at those spots until it is too late to bat it away. Has happened to me on occasion
@GreekPhysique - I'm so sorry. I'm praying for you.
but is it really so weird that I take night-vision pics of his Corvette
while perched on my tree and then photoshop my name on the side?
hahaha.
Comments are closed.