Is Christianity cruel? No, but humans often are cruel, so sometimes Christians can
be cruel. We are human, too.
Freethoughtpedia.com has a list of 20 reasons why people should abandon
Christianity. This one is number seven. The reason why I didn’t throw it in with my last
“Abandon Christianity” post is that there is actually potential Biblical support for it. I
couldn’t do my usual “this has nothing to do with truth or falsehood” retort, because, if the
Bible condones masochism (the enjoyment of self-inflicted pain) and/or sadism (the
enjoyment of pain in others), there are some serious problems with Biblical contradictions
and Christian conduct.
In this post I will focus on masochism because, frankly, I don’t see a lot of Biblical
support for sadism. Jesus wasn’t sadistic, Paul wasn’t sadistic, etc. If you read the New
Testament, you’ll find that most of the time Christians are the ones who experience the
pain. They don’t dole it out.
But what about masochism?
Christianity encourages self-inflicted pain. I will quote the most obvious verse. Paul writes
in 1 Corinthians 9:27:
“No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to
others, I myself will not be disqualified” (NIV). (Similar readings are found in the ASV and
ERV)
Now, that seems real tough. So, to be like Jesus, I have to beat myself? Not so fast.
Other versions read something a little different:
“But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I
myself should be disqualified” (ESV). (Similar readings are found in the KJV and NLT)
See the difference? Some versions say that Paul struck or buffeted his body and
made it his slave. Others say that he simply brought his body under control.
I use mainly the KJV, so here I could simply gloss over the issue and say, “In my
version there is no problem.” But I know many others will encounter this issue, so I won’t.
The simplest explanation for the versions that potentially encourage masochism is
context. In the preceding verses, Paul was talking about training oneself so that he can run
the race of this life well. When athletes train, they punish themselves physically to achieve
the fitness level necessary to perform at a high level. So Paul was talking about training
himself to obey the Lord.
Either way, the Bible does not encourage masochism. In contrast, there are
numerous verses about enjoying this life. In fact, Solomon says (somewhat) to party it up in
Ecclesiastes 2:24. Matthew 6:34 says to not worry about the next day. In 3 John 1:2, John
writes to Gaius, telling him that he (John) hopes he (Gaius) is in good health.
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So far I’ve gone through the most commonly cited verse for Christian masochism.
I’ve gone through a few verses about living well (physically and mentally). Are there any
verses that specifically condemn masochism? I think I’ve found a couple.
Leviticus 19:28 writes, “You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor
make any tattoo marks on your head: I am the LORD” (NASB).
This one deals specifically with masochism, but someone might point out that Moses
adds “for the dead”. They would say that the Bible is alright with masochism as long as it’s
not “for the dead”. Well then, here’s some more. In Matthew 6:16-18, Jesus says:
(16) “Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they
disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They
have their reward.
(17) “But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
(18)“That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy father which is in secret…”
(KJV).
Here Jesus specifically condemns people who disfigure themselves so that they
appear pious. He says to look normal. This dismisses Christian masochism, where the
worse you look the better. The more you mess your body up, the more Christian-like you
are.
No, that is not Christ-like. Look normal and go about God’s business.
in my next post. Some take it to the extreme (masochism), some to the next extreme
(asceticism), and some to the correct “extreme”. This “extreme” is extreme in that the
world doesn’t care for it, but God calls us to it. This extreme is not about works, but about
the heart. Everything, including our bodies, is God’s. We are to deny our self (flesh) and to
live for God solely. Occasionally this means renouncing our worldly possessions.
But anyhoo, that’s for next time.
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