{"id":31147,"date":"2024-10-01T14:48:44","date_gmt":"2024-10-01T19:48:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/?p=31147"},"modified":"2025-02-04T15:25:11","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T21:25:11","slug":"sexual-feelings-are-not-the-standard-of-morality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/sexual-feelings-are-not-the-standard-of-morality\/","title":{"rendered":"Sexual Feelings Are Not the Standard of Morality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Morality is defined as \u201ca doctrine or system of moral conduct.\u201d1<\/sup><\/a> By \u201cmoral\u201d conduct, we mean \u201cconforming to a standard of right behavior.\u201d2<\/sup><\/a> If God does not exist, then there can be no objective3<\/sup><\/a> standard for \u201cright behavior.\u201d As atheistic philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre summarized: \u201cEverything is indeed permitted if God does not exist\u2026. He [man] cannot find anything to depend upon either within or outside himself.\u201d4<\/sup><\/a> If there is no God, Sartre recognized that we have no \u201cvalues or commands that could legitimise our behaviour. Thus we have neither behind us, nor before us in a luminous realm of values, any means of justification or excuse.\u201d5<\/sup><\/a> Atheistic evolutionary biologist William Provine likewise admitted that if organic evolution is true, then one logically can conclude, \u201cNo inherent moral or ethical laws exist, nor are there absolute guiding principles for human society.\u201d6<\/sup><\/a> In short, if humanity evolved from animals, then there can be nothing objectively immoral about acting like animals, including sexually acting however a person chooses or in whatever ways our \u201canimal instincts\u201d drive us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though apparently quite uncommon, a coherent conversation about sexual conduct logically begins with whether we were created by a supreme, supernatural God or whether we evolved \u201cnaturally\u201d7<\/sup><\/a> from lower animals. If we are merely evolved animals, then we can reasonably \u201cact like the animals we are\u201d8<\/sup><\/a> and do whatever we want. But, if humanity was created by the holy God of the Bible,9<\/sup><\/a> and if we are going to be judged one day according to His holy will10<\/sup><\/a> (Acts 17:30-31; 2 Corinthians 5:10), then absolute objective morality exists, and humanity should humbly and fully submit to God\u2019s<\/em> will and not our own\u2014even when (yes, especially when) His will is difficult.11<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many are resistant to God\u2019s will for their lives because they want to feel free to express themselves sexually\u2014however and whenever they want. In Charles Bufe\u2019s 2022 book titled 24 Reasons to Abandon Christianity<\/em>, three reasons deal with sexual matters, including \u201cChristianity\u2019s morbid preoccupation with sex.\u201d12<\/sup><\/a> Bufe wrote: \u201cSince its inception, Christianity has had an exceptionally unhealthy fixation on sex, to the exclusion of almost everything else\u2026. This stems from the numerous \u2018thou shalt nots\u2019 relating to sex.\u201d13<\/sup><\/a> Bufe went on to list 1 Peter 2:11, Galatians 5:19, and Romans 8:6. Then, after quoting 1 Corinthians 7:1,14<\/sup><\/a> Bufe wrote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In addition to the misery produced by Christian intrusions into the sex lives of non-Christians, Christianity produces a great deal of misery among its own adherents through its insistence that sex, except the very narrow variety it sanctions, is evil, against God\u2019s law. Christianity proscribes sex between unmarried people, sex outside of marriage,\u2026homosexual relations, bestiality,\u2026even \u201cimpure\u201d thoughts.15<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Though we would contend that waiting until marriage to have sexual relations and practicing monogamy throughout marriage is extremely enjoyable and rewarding, such an argument is not the point of this article. The thesis of this brief article is simply that if there is no God, then animal-like sexual desires can logically be fulfilled in any way a human being chooses. However, if an omniscient, omnipotent, eternal, loving, holy, and just Creator exists, and He has revealed His sovereign will about sexual matters to humanity,16<\/sup><\/a> then objective standards (which, by definition, do not change with human opinions) exist, and humans are expected (by their Creator and Judge) to submit to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A person may sincerely feel<\/em> \u201cthis way\u201d or \u201cthat way,\u201d but such feelings are not an objective<\/em> moral compass. Objective morality transcends the whims of countries and cultures, as well as public and private opinions, whether in this century or in some other. By definition, objective truth<\/em> cannot be changed by anyone\u2019s \u201cpersonal feelings, prejudices, and interpretations.\u201d17<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feelings, Freedom, and Human Folly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

From as far back as I can remember, I have craved sugar, milk chocolate, and all manner of sweet carbohydrates. I would love <\/em>to eat a dozen Krispy Kreme\u00ae doughnuts every day (especially if the alternative is broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts). At any given moment (and especially at meal times), I much prefer immediate and unrestrained gratification over self-control. Yet, continual self-indulgence often leads to serious, long-term physical problems. Thus, I frequently find myself not eating nearly as much as I desire (and I\u2019m still several pounds overweight!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Children may crave revenge for some perceived (or real) wrong committed against them, but good parents do not allow their children\u2019s retaliatory feelings and actions to run rampant. People of all ages can feel irritable and angry about all manner of things, but that doesn\u2019t mean that God \u201cmade them that way\u201d or that He condones continual, childlike, ill-tempered thinking and behavior. Humans from a young age may covet money and material things, and people can choose to act upon such covetous thinking by stealing from others. Yet, such feelings and use of one\u2019s freedom do not prove that such thoughts and actions \u201ccame from God\u201d or are morally acceptable to the Moral Law Giver.18<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, humans are sexual beings with the ability to have sexual feelings and engage in sexual acts. A study of secular and biblical history reveals that people have had all manner of sexual thoughts (and fantasies), many of which have been acted out. Should children be allowed to act upon their sexual desires whenever and however they want? Is there any objective moral code that governs whether children must obey their parents\u2019 wishes, including about sex? Do parents have any real, objective moral right to tell their 11-year-olds or 15-year-olds what they can and can\u2019t do sexually? Are parents cruel if they forbid their children from looking at pornography? Are they unkind for prohibiting their children from having sex? If God does not exist, and objective morality is a mere fantasy, then how can parents \u201crightly\u201d forbid any sexual actions that their pre-teen or teenage children desire?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If God does not exist, pornography is not a problem, fornication is not wrong, and sexual activity with the same sex is not sinful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n