Are Christians obscessed with sex and violence?

[Cmass]

For several days I made a very honest attempt to experience being a Christian. During that time I spent several hours in our local Christian bookstore. My preconceptions about the contents of that store were shattered when I found it was not a store of hope, peace, calm and goodwill. I can only describe it as a house of horror and a bizarre form of pornography.
Book after book after book concerning the apocalypse, about who will burn in hell, about what hell torture is like, graphic depictions of suffering and pain. Some were even devoted to talking about why God thinks war can sometimes be a good thing. (I'm not kidding!) There was an incredible amount devoted to our "enemies" and violence and God's punishments. I was repulsed.
There were also many, many, many books about sex: The role of sex in marriage, how to make sex in your marriage better, how God views sex, how men should manage there lust, what teenage girls can and cannot do with their privates, how teenage boys can keep their virginity and what God thinks about masturbation. Of course there were plenty of the obligatory gays and why they are doomed to eternal hellfire and methods for overcoming their gay lifestyle. Some books even combined the sexual and violence when talking about gays. It was truly bizarre and unsettling.
And then, of course there are the sexualized drawings of Jesus - even in the children's books.
And, of course, ironically there were books about "family values" and how terribly sexualized our culture has become.
The sheer volume of this material along with it's prominent display was shocking.


Are fundamentalist Christians obsessed with sex and violence?
I think it would be immoral to bring my child in there and expose him to all that. Am I right?

[kman]

For several days I made a very honest attempt to experience being a Christian. During that time I spent several hours in our local Christian bookstore. My preconceptions about the contents of that store were shattered when I found it was not a store of hope, peace, calm and goodwill. I can only describe it as a house of horror and a bizarre form of pornography.
Book after book after book concerning the apocalypse, about who will burn in hell, about what hell torture is like, graphic depictions of suffering and pain. Some were even devoted to talking about why God thinks war can sometimes be a good thing. (I'm not kidding!) There was an incredible amount devoted to our "enemies" and violence and God's punishments. I was repulsed.
There were also many, many, many books about sex: The role of sex in marriage, how to make sex in your marriage better, how God views sex, how men should manage there lust, what teenage girls can and cannot do with their privates, how teenage boys can keep their virginity and what God thinks about masturbation. Of course there were plenty of the obligatory gays and why they are doomed to eternal hellfire and methods for overcoming their gay lifestyle. Some books even combined the sexual and violence when talking about gays. It was truly bizarre and unsettling.
And then, of course there are the sexualized drawings of Jesus - even in the children's books.
And, of course, ironically there were books about "family values" and how terribly sexualized our culture has become.
The sheer volume of this material along with it's prominent display was shocking.


Are fundamentalist Christians obsessed with sex and violence?
I think it would be immoral to bring my child in there and expose him to all that. Am I right?

I think that maybe you took offense at something that was not meant to be offensive. Alot of the "sex" books are for marriages that are falling apart because of a lack of a physical intimacy. They give ideas to help the love life of a marriage better and thus help the marriage. As for the books on hell, etc, maybe to you they were too graphic, but possibly the authors of those books are very passionate about their writings and maybe over wrote some things to try and stress points here and there about things that happened in the Bible to help us or protect us, etc. I was raised in a very Christian household but didn't know a thing abou sex until I was 18 and had moved out. Sex is definitely not a common household word. But there is nothing wrong with sex as long as it is in a marriage. Pre-marital sex is wrong and is not to be condoned. But sex within a marriage is applauded. It is our job to reproduce and replenish the earth. God made sex enjoyable so we would want to do it. That is why it is better for us to be married before we have sex. We are to save our virginity for our wedding night and give it as a special gift to our new spouse. Plus it is sooooo much healthier for the human race if we stuck with just one peson to have sex with the rest of our life. STD's would be a lot less prevalent that's for sure. Of course, homosexuality also does not help the STD thing, but that is a different conversation.

Actually, I think you should take a look at the thread of "Is premarital sex a sin" thread. I don't think anyone has established that it is a sin. I don't even think is has been established as wrong. As a matter of fact, I do believe that a couple can have premarital sex and if the father forbids the marriage, the man pays a virgin price to the father and moves on his merry little way.. And I do believe that a couple engaged can have premarital sex, so long as they are engaged. In regards to saving yourselve until the wedding night. What happens if you find you are sexually incompatible? Boy that would be lame huh. And prostitutes existed all throughout life, so STD's have always been prevalent. But tell me, where did the first STD come from? Did some prostitute just invent it and pass it along to a man having an affair on his wife and this spread it worldwide? Or was it a punishment from God. In regards to you homosexuality and STD thing, if you are in any way implying that because of homosexuals, STD's have increased in any way, shape or form then I would really like to hear your rationale. Of course I would like to hear you sources as well. Can't expect someone as confused as myself to take the word of a stranger.

Now, in regards to are all Christians obsessed with sex and violence, I would have to say no, that would be mostly the Bible. I don't think they preach much about sex in the churches or they would have to give their sermons some sort of rating like PG, PG 13, R, MA, etc..

The Bible states that pre marital sex is wrong. In the OT if two people had sex and the father said no to them getting married, then yes a price was payed to "make up" for the lost virginity. But that does not mean that the girl was a prostitute or that we can just pay people for sex. The Bible says that both were wrong. The payment thing was a punishment for pre-marital sex.
About the STD's... They are a punishment from God I believe because the world has disregarded what God had created sex for. He made sex enjoyable for us so that we would reproduce the earth in a family environment. Not so that we can have sex with whomever we want whenever we want and get rid of the baby if someone accidentally gets pregnant and decides not to keep the child. This world has gone to Hell in a handbasket and I think that if God had not promised Noah that He would not flood the Earth again, then He would have flooded the world a long time ago and started over. As it is I think that all the wars going on right now and all the people killing each other are God's way of letting us kill each other off so He wont have to do it. You know, every time someone kills someone whether it be an unborn baby or a full grown adult, I think it breaks God's heart. Every time we say something mean to someone or hurt someone in some way, it hurts God. You know why? Because God created us out of love and now look at us. Arguing things like whether or not God is real, is abortion wrong, etc. There is little love to be found today and I think that is why we are close to the end of the World. I am so glad I won't be here when the Tribulation hits. There will be so much misery and pain and people trying to kill themselves to get away from it and God won't let them die. There will be no easy way out after Christ's second coming. Everyone who remains is doomed. So if you don't believe that Christ is the ONLY way to HEaven and you continue to do things your own way without and regard to the God who made you, and the Tribulation starts before you die, you are in a world of trouble.

[Goat]

The Bible states that pre marital sex is wrong. In the OT if two people had sex and the father said no to them getting married, then yes a price was payed to "make up" for the lost virginity. But that does not mean that the girl was a prostitute or that we can just pay people for sex. The Bible says that both were wrong. The payment thing was a punishment for pre-marital sex.

Chapter and verse please??? Let's look at it in context.

[Confused]

kman:
I don't recall any part of the passage in regards to the virgin price being a punishment. The fee was paid to the father by the man. Please show me where in the passage either the man or the woman was degraded or thought less of as a result of the sex?

STD's are a punishment from God? No. STD's are either bacterial or viral infections that can be spread by route of sex or exposure to blood or bodily fluids. Infants can be infected by the mother in some cases. So how is this punishment for these infants or for those who got it by exposure to blood (ie. healthcare workers). You say God made sex enjoyable for us so we would reproduce the earth in a family envirnonment? So this is specific only for man? Animals just have it to procreate. That animalistic instinct right. Not for pleasure. Is it this pleasure that man feels during sex that keeps the family unit together? If so, well, I think the divorce rates prove that it was a monumental failure.

Every generation believes that they are "the" generation. The ones who will finally see the second coming of Christ. If that is the only reason one believes in Christ, then they will go to hell along with the rest of those who beleive for the wrong reasons.

[k-nug]

When I was a Christian I used to discuss Christian Bookstores quite a bit. The pricing in a Christian bookstore seemed way higher than regular bookstores. Not to mention these stores sell all kinds of useless token gifts "that can be used to engage and convert!'. The cd prices were outrages, I had to pay them in order to get some Circle Of Dust. A Christian friend once commented.."You, when the rapture happens, I bet you'll see a lot of Christian bookstores open for business the next day."

[MikeH]

There were also many, many, many books about sex:

This may be shocking to you, but christians have sex.

I'll agree with you on the books dealing with hell, revelations, etc... but I think you over exaggerated just a tad. Maybe you only walked down the hell sex aisle of the store.

[katiej49]

I suspect the vast majority of any books on sex in Christian book stores is about God-ordained sex in marriage, not about promoting illicit gay sex or sex outside of marriage.

I never said they were promoting anything.
Let me clarify: A large number of books in the Christian Store I visited appeared to be about sex with the words "sex" "sexuality" or "sexual" in either the title or the subtitle. Some books without "sex" in the title still discussed it or referred to it often. I don't care if they are about gay sex, married gay sex, straight sex, married straight sex or any other kind of sex. The point is, there is a lot of it.

well Christians like sex. we enjoy it. its a gift from God.
And I go to a lot of Christian book stores too, and your description that the stores are "full" of sex stuff is ludicrous.

It is not full of sex "stuff". (no sex toys, but I did review an interesting book that discussed sex toys - and it was within easy reach of any wandering 12 year old) Sex and violence (especially violence) play a major role in the literature.
No, it is not ludicrous. (but it may be Ludacris: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludacris ) Perhaps their selections were ludicrous? Perhaps the stores you visit are less ludicrous. Maybe as a part of answering my question you could simply state the the stores you visit are not like my description. Perhaps name some store chains (in the Seattle area) that you find acceptable. I thought I made myself clear: I did NOT go into this store expecting what I saw. This is why I started this thread! I expected to find sex and violence buried deep, but it was not. It was right on the front covers, sometimes in blood-red text.

They're normally set up by subject matter: Biblical history,

Heavy on sexual deeds and misdeeds of the past. Full of violence.

Christian fiction novels,

Heavy on the immorality of sexual deeds or outright descriptions of immoral behavior and full of violence.

Bibles,

Do I need to quote Mark Twain on this?
"It is full of interest. It has noble poetry in it; and some clever fables; and some blood-drenched history; and some good morals; and a wealth of obscenity; and upwards of a thousand lies."
- Letters from the Earth

pastoral help books,

Sexual-help. How to stop being gay or stop touching things you should not be touching. Once again, full of violence or threats.

apologetics, children's Christian books,

And sexy Jesus in every single one. Why make Jesus a tall, handsome white guy with with bright white teeth, long hair and a nice white robe? It is deceitful and is no less manipulative than a light beer ad.

Violence appears to be a major motivating factor as a way to "put the fear of God" into you. Behave or be tortured - and here is an example of someone who misbehaved and was tortured.

It works: Get your attention with the word "sex" and then follow it up with blood and gore. Perfect.

I could give you plenty of examples and even took some cell phone pictures which I may upload. But I don't think it would make any difference because you would likely draw me into a debate about what was meant by this word and that word and then justify it through scripture. I believe the only honest answer for you is "I did not experience that in the bookstores I found. If it is true of the bookstore you found then it is an embarrassment to Christianity"
But, then I would still ask you to tell me why there are enough current Christian books to make this store seem like a porno/horror house.

your comment is of course absurd.