Acting Out Desires

Jewish World Review Jan. 7, 2005

Serpents of desire: Good and evil in the Garden of Eden — Friedrich Nietzsche and the Disc Jockey

A few years ago, I flipped on the radio while driving in New York City. A disc jockey on one of the music stations was offering to help love-stricken callers sort out their romantic troubles. Listening for a few minutes, I encountered an exchange between the DJ and an earnest young, religious fellow who was explaining why he had chosen to remain sexually abstinent until he was married. The DJ debated with him -- and to my surprise, advanced a religious argument -- very pious sounding, actually -- against the caller. "Tell me", the host began, "are you a normal fellow? Do you have any desires?"

Silence at the other end of the line.

After a suitable pause, the host continued: "Look, why do you think the L-rd placed these desires in you if He didn't want you to act upon them?"

(Fohrman, http://www.JewishWorldReview.com)

[TBC: The young religious caller might very well have continued the argument to the point where he became very angry. He then could have asked the DJ, "As we have argued I have gotten angrier and angrier to the point that I have had thoughts of murder going through my mind. Tell me, why do you think the Lord placed these desires in me if He didn’t want me to act upon them?"

Beyond the obvious, the host’s question must ignore the plain teaching of God’s word to even ask his question. We have many desires and even unregenerate humanity realizes that there must be some restraint exercised for the greater good.

Finally, Paul wrote, "know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians:6:9-11 [9] Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, [10] Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. [11] And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
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