My response to a defense of the bdsm lifestyle

__________, your apparent defense of bdsm (bondage, discipline, sadism, masochism) relationships is unconscionable. The verse that immediately comes to mind is Isaiah 5:20 where is says, "What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter."

Since you said that you are "glad that people are talking about it more now," let me talk about it for a few moments.

First, the one who receives the punishment is really showing much about themselves. It is a fact of life that folks act out (and allow others to act toward them) based upon how they see themselves. A simple moment's reflection validates my point.

So, that being said, when someone feels like a person of value, they expect that others will treat them that way. When someone feels worthless, they allow (and expect) others to treat them that way.

For a Christ-follower, we realize that if we are mistreated we are to pray for our abuser because they are not behaving in a way that is right and appropriate (Matthew 5:44). We recognize the wrong that is happening because they are mistreating a person of value (created in God's image and also a child of God) so we pray for them.

Yet, when someone accepts (even craves) abuse from others, it reveals something very dark about that person's thinking. It shows how they view themselves. It reveals that they feel deserving of such treatment ... that they feel unloved, or uncared for, or unvalued.

That's the power of the mind God has given us. We may not be able to explain what's going on in our thinking but all we have to do is observe how we act and how we expect others to act around us to see the health (or lack thereof) of our thinking.

Second and finally, the one who dishes out the punishment shows much about themselves, too. Someone who finds sexual gratification in abusing someone else is desperately wicked.

The Bible commands a husband to love his wife just like the love that Jesus has for us (Ephesians 5:25). That kind of love is described further in Ephesians 5:29 where is says, "For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the Church." (No abuse language found there!) Further, 1 Peter 3:7 commands husbands to "live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel." In other words, treat her respectfully and carefully. Guys who abuse their wives (or any other woman in their lives) are in no way demonstrating Christ's love.

The kind of "love" that would abuse the object of one's affection is perversion. It reveals a domineering, totalitarian, self-love rather than the submissive, self-sacrificing love that husbands and wives are commanded to have for each other.

For the world system that is in a moral free-fall, I am not surprised that such behavior is becoming accepted and even applauded. In fact, we read in Romans 1:18-32 that when a society progresses in that free-fall, sexual deviancy is a major part.

But, for the follower of Jesus, there is no room for such behavior or the approval thereof. While we reguarly fall short of God's standard and must daily receive God's grace and forgiveness, we also realize that there are certain things that God commands and certain things He prohibits ... for our good. The bdsm lifestyle is clearly where we part ways.