Sense and Sensuality

Let me ask you this question?

Is is possible to pursue pleasure without an objective moral framework?

Or another way to frame it:

What are the consequences of pursuing pleasure without an objective morality?

Have a long hard think about it.

Let's see what Solomon says of the pursuit of pleasure:

2 I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless. ² So I said, “Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?” ³ After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world.

⁴ I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. ⁵ I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. ⁶ I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. ⁷ I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. ⁸ I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire!
⁹ So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. ¹⁰ Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. ¹¹ But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere......

²⁴ So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. ²⁵ For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him?^[b] 26 God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. This, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

Ecclesiastes 2

and in final conclusion:

¹³ That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. ¹⁴ God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.

Ecclesiastes 12

Here's a another question after reading this:

If pleasure is the opposite of pain, evil and suffering, then what is the purpose of both?

Pleasure is the opposite of pain/suffering. Suffering is the consequence of evil.  Evil is the breach / transgress of the original or innate true purpose of something.  For example, you bend a leg the wrong way, it hurts, it snaps by something whacking it - immense pain comes from evil.  Or you have sex with another woman while in a marriage - you hurt, your wife hurts, your children hurt and purpose of marriage has been breached.

If I am to pursue a life unbounded by a moral code in the pursuit of pleasure, then where does that road lead to? 

This might seem like a stupid and obvious question for us men, but the world is pushing very forcefully a big banner down our throats calling us to pursue pleasure without at times the slightest hint of the need to consider the morality of it. And the Christian man is at times struggling to keep up. 


"My dad is like, 'Son, you're not murdering anyone, you're not screwing anyone's wife, you're not prostituting yourself, you're maintaining your morals in the industry. So go out there, and be the best at what you do and have fun."


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life/my-biggest-sin-is-creating-lustful-eyes-meet-stripper-pistol-pete-20130524-2k4r7.html

Let's just take a look at the show "OffSpring". Watch now: Older parents are divorced, they have a 20something year old son who's a bum, still lives with the mum,  and a mid 30something year old daughter who's an obstetrician and a neurotic older daughter having recently married.
Here's the subtely and not so subtely of pleasure without morality. The Father has a baby because he had a fling with a young woman, he's slept with a bunch of other women including one that died on him on a first date during sex. The Mother is having it off with real estate agents and again with her former husband. The son is trying to earn money by being a human Guinea pig for pharmaceutical trials and is having sex with random women, including a midwife where his sister works, and get's her pregnant. The obstetrician is lusting after a married man, then has a one night stand with her sister's boyfriend, then falls for another work colleague and is now pregnant with his child. Finally her older sister breaks up with her long term boyfriend, goes off and has sex with other men, finds them unfulfilling, get's back with the former boyfriend, they want to start a family, but can't because he's shooting blanks (supposedly from smoking too much pot) and so they decide to go IVF with his gay brother's sperm, and all 3 will raise the child.
Now one thing is very true about this show, accountability morality are absent, and pleasure is the highest form of truth for these lives.

Now Offspring is suppose to be a funny, light-hearted show doused with reality, but when you read it like this, it's almost an insult to the common man's sense of reason, morality and intelligence.
But the real kicker in this, is the fruit of their pleasure seeking lives - that part, the show get's partially right - their lives are a disaster! Unfortunately, the show doesn't follow through with the devastation they leave in their wake, caused by their pleasure seeking actions.

What I'm trying to do here men is raise our spiritual antenna to understanding the enemy's strategy in having you and I sucked into pursuing pleasure and walking over our morality to get there.

Ravi Zacaharias says it so well in his book Sense and Sensuality:

'In seeking pleasure you pursued the body and lost the person. You sought the sensation and sacrificed the individual. In pursuing sensuality you exalt the body and profane the person."

This was such a huge revelation for me, when I saw that the opposite of the age old question "How can God exist with so much suffering in the world" is inversely asked "How can pleasure exist without a moral framework to keep it in check?"

Because I am constantly bombarded with "pleasure" options, and to the common man, he's going to get sucked right down that rat hole if he doesn't have his spiritual moral armour on - and that armour is the Holy Spirit and person of Jesus protecting your heart mind and soul.

I would contend that as men sharpening each other, this area is worth being grated across the stone, so we can really be sharpened to the fallacy of this world view.

Pleasure without accountability is just as dangerous as evil without accountability.

If my heart, my soul is led by my emotions by my feelings, then just as devastating consequences await me and the people in my life and future lives.

Now hear me straight, I am not a wowser or the fun policeman,  by no means.  What does Jesus say: "I have come to give life and life to the full".  "If you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father provide you with the things you need"

But I come back to this premise: IF I am to walk in Truth (I am the way, truth and life - JC), and that "the Truth will set you free", then this sucker of a message about pursuing pleasure without a moral framework is a dud.

The really interesting point view of this topic, is that mankind is desperately trying to create new technologies, products, services and engineer ways in which we can pursue and consume pleasure, without morality, or orchestrate it so that the consequences of that pleasure, vacant of a moral code are delayed or pushed onto someone else.

Here's some other examples:

- "Pay now with no interest for 48 months"

- "Fat free yoghurt" but with more sugar than a candy bar

- "Lose weight while you sleep"

- "I can look so long as I don't touch"

- "Let’s be honest, no matter how much you love sex with your BF, you’ve had a longer affair with yourself. Yep, we’re talking about masturbation and we know it can get boring if you don’t shake things up a bit. That’s right, solo sexcapades need a little spice thrown in from time-to-time too! Lucky for you, we have seven searing hot ways to have you coming like crazy, all by yourself."
http://www.cosmopolitan.com.au/sex/sex-advice/2013/5/the-omg-guide-to-solo-sex/

- "Why should I get a job when I have enough social benefits to get me by?"

- "Ms Allouache gave birth to a baby girl, named Alexandra, on Sunday morning at Adelaide's Women and Children's Hospital.

"She's wonderful, just wonderful," Senator Wong told News Limited.

"Sophie and I are delighted beyond words."

Alexandra was conceived using IVF and sperm from a donor known to the couple.

Senator Wong has said the biological father is a friend who will be known to the baby, but his name is not expected to be made public

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-12-14/penny-wong2c-partner-welcome-baby/3730418