I feel vindicated

(well, its people anyway)

It is about saying sorry Ana.

Thaat lets you off the hook, does it? Like confession for Catholics?

Sacrement for Methodists. Communion for Anglicans. Part of it is about saying sorry for any sins, even those we do not know we have even committed.

Yes it lets you off the hook, so long as you mean the saying sorry, and dont intend to keep on repeating them.

God (or whatever caused us to exist) told us to go forth amd multiply. To do that involves desire for sexual intercourse.

There is no off switch that prevents that from giving a little automatic flicker when faced with certain members of the opposite sex other than those to whom we are bonded for life.

Taking that flicker and encouraging it into a flame is turning the instinct into lust, and carrying that lust into action is infidelity/adultery/promiscuity - or rape if the other party doesn't wish to do so.

The quote about "looking at a woman . . . etc" is about the preventable parts of the sequence, not the instinct. Monks used to be flagellate themselves with scourges because despite taking vows of "celibacy and continence" they still had the instinct that would continue the human species - of course they did, it is built-in.

(The difference between celibacy and continence was that celibacy = no sex, continence = no wet dreams.)

Saint Augustine became a Christian. He decided that he would not only be a Christian, but a priest, which meant celibacy; hence, his famous prayer, "Lord give me chastity and continence, but not yet."

And by asking the Lord to give them to him he is abnegating his own responsibility to be chaste and continent, I reckon. The Lord doesn't make people good; a person is good because of their own morals and decisions about their own behaviour.

Free will and all that.

Think St Augustine also said "Love God and do as you will." Chastity very over-rated in my opinion!

obi you have done a great job!

I would just like to add that once you are aware of sin to wilfully multiply it is not wise.

The way to avoid the judgement we will all face concerns true repentance which comes before seeking forgiveness. First of all though we need to understand what sin is so that we can truly repent and ask for forgiveness. Sin has become a dirty word as nobody likes to acknowledge such a thing nowadays since it then has to be dealt with.
Sin is anything which makes us fall short of the glory of God.
God is the one true God. He is pure and cannot, and will not, have impurity in His presence which is why we will all be judged at the end of time and some will be sent away from God's presence and go to hell and the saved will go to heaven.

Jesus, who is part of the Triune Godhead, paid the penalty for our sins by His death on the cross and that forgiveness is available to all those who believe, confess their sin, repent and ask for forgiveness.
Jesus said "no one comes to the Father but by me" so if we want to be accepted in the beloved we have to follow the steps outlined.

Oh, and just because you are a Christian it does not mean you suddenly become perfect and never sin again it just means that you are now aware of your sin and know that you should be doing your best not to do that sort of stuff. We all sin every day so have to keep coming to Him and confessing, repenting and being forgiven. It is hard work but we are promised that the rewards are great!

Chastity is good, celibacy very difficult!

DH always told DS that he could think what he wanted but to engage brain before saying it. Think before you speak!

I read somewhere that most men think of sex at least once an hour. If this is true, does it mean that heaven is only for women?

Elinor's sister Marianne always acted on her strong feelings and seemed incapable of dissembling, but we must remember that Jane Austen wrote about a society where outward appearance took precedence over one's natural feelings and in this context Elinor was the heroine. Marianne only attains this after much bitterness in her life. Today's society seems to have cast away this reticence, which may or may not be a good thing depending on one's viewpoint.

So, if my feeling that what OBI has written is a load of c**p is going to get me sent to hell, By writing it here do I get send to a deeper level?

Sorry, should have been....by writing it here do I get sent to a deeper level. Must be the fear of eternal damnation causing finger flutter.