Why are carnal pleasures so bad for you?

Question

Why is it that sins of the flesh have such negative side effects? Why is it that stupid little stick we call cigarettes can have such devistating effects on your body if you use them too much? Please, don't tell me about the chemical effects of cigarettes. I know how they kill you, but I can't understand why. I mean, why aren't cigarettes on a daliy basis good for you? Why is alcohol on a daily basis so bad for you? Why do these products cause addiction? Why does alcohol destroy your liver? Why can't alcohol be extremly fun, while at the same time be extremly good for you? Why is a promisquous lifestyle dangerous? I understand the risk of pregnancy, but I can't understand the risk of disease or viruses. Why is it that the only reasonable source of fuel for cars is so destructive on the environment? Of every element on Earth, the one perfectly suited to make a car run best emits CO2, which destroys our environment.

Why can't carnal pleasures be good for you? Why are things that are so bad for you the things we find most tempting? I can't understand why the things that tempt us most can't also be good for you... Why must we live such a dull life to live a virtuous life?

Why is junk food so bad for you? Why does something that taste so sweet (candy) rot your teeth? Why can't candy be good for your teeth? Trident figured out a way to do it, but mostly, it's bad for you.. Why???

To those who say you live a virtuous life, but still have an exciting life... Do you get around on horses? You don't drive a CO2 emitting vehicle to get around? You don't eat junk food? You don't drive a car??

2 Great answers, but the point i'm trying to get at is the bizarre connection between carnal pleasure and a negative reaction... I agree, things in moderation is ok, but their is a risk for going over board, so they tell us to avoid it. Why is too much of a good thing bad? I know we have created much of what has the potential to destroy us and the world around. I just don't understand why these things happen to destroy us. Why is it that the world would be perfectly balanced without us? Why do we have to make a conscious effort to do good by avoiding the very things we had the capability of creating? And why do these things have such negative effects?? Everything in life makes perfect sense to me. How gravity works, how life has come to existance, the creation of everything in the universe... The only thing that I can't comprehend is why desires of the flesh has negative effects, and this is the ONE thing that leads me to believe that maybe there really is a God.

The reason why it leads me to this conclusion is because if there was no God, then there would just have to be at LEAST one carnal pleasure that has no negative effects. Cars would run on fuel that doesn't destroy our environment, or there would be a drug that will get you drunk without creating a negative effect, etc.

Answer 1

Maybe it's about evolution.

We haven't caught up to ourselves yet. Our bodies crave food that makes us fat because in the not-too-distant past, most humans had to be seriously motivated just to find enough to eat on a daily basis. Our bodies crave sex because it's built into us -- the survival of the species depends upon babies, and babies depend upon sex, so an organism with a low/no sex drive would not survive in the long term.

We're too smart for our own good. We know how to make alcohol and cigarettes and all kinds of other things that will get us drunk or high or delirious; we make cars and all kinds of other luxuries that make our lives easier in the short term. But we can't think long-term enough as a species, at least not yet, to realize that we need to put our brains to really good work and pursue a way to get the good without so much of the bad.

And one of the things that stops us from doing that is, ironically, the draconian idea that pleasure is morally wrong or bad. Many people seem to think that the consequences of ill-conceived ways to get pleasure show that pleasure *itself* is wrong, and that's a mistake of logic.

What we really ought to be doing is trying to figure out ways to make ourselves happier without the negative consequences, and quit punishing ourselves for giving in to what is, in all honesty, the only-human pursuit of pleasure.

Answer 2

Life is a cruel test. If it weren't so difficult we'd all pass with flying colours. There would be no challenge. Bad things are tempting to make life more interesting. To test our self-control. Most of the negative, destructive things in the world are our own creation. In a sense, we're destroying ourselves. Nature is perfect. We tamper with it & it becomes dangerous to us (depleted ozone layer, global warming, natural disasters, etc). We create diseases. We create noxious chemicals. We destroy ourselves! Luckily not all carnal pleasures are bad for you. Making love with someone you love intensely & who loves you is the greatest pleasure of all & is not bad for you (well, certainly take precautions if you don't want babies & definitely be sure about your sexual histories before engaging in anything. Choose your partner wisely & that's one less worry!) Personally I never had an interest in promiscuity, I never smoked (tried once, it's gross), don't drink alcohol (again, I couldn't get past the unpleasant taste & it made me feel like crap), never tried drugs (I'm a control freak, not about to let some substance mess with my mind!) I've been lucky not to have picked up a lot of really harmful habits. However, I do still have my own vices albeit tame ones (junk food cravings & my addiction to coca-cola!) No one is perfect we all have things that we are drawn to that may be bad for us. The key is to try to keep bad habits in check. Especially the ones that can really ruin your health & your life. Find healthier habits.

Enjoy the wonderful things that life has to offer that aren't bad for you. & just cut down on the things that might harm you. Everything in moderation.

Answer 3

Quite frankly, I'm living it up. Yes I take care of myself with exercise and some dietary changes, but I also eat chocolate and pump my body with caffeine.

I am simply not going to live eating nothing but vegetables and doing nothing but exercise-with my luck, I would do all the right things and get hit by a bus at a young age anyway.

Answer 4

Well to answer from a christian perspective we are Gods people and we are the temple of God, since God cannot stand sin He wants us to be pure and free from all things which bring harm to are body.

Answer 5

I am a Christian and my life is far from dull. I am always busy, I have tons of family and friends. I love my job, I have peace and I have fun.

Answer 6

Who told you they were? lol

Answer 7

Friend….. pl read on ….Most important……God’s Simple Plan of Salvation …..VERY HUMBLY I SUBMIT TO YOU THE GREATEST MYSTERY KNOWN TO MAN….PLEASE DON’T GET OFFENDED ….BUT I AM TELLING YOU THE TRUTH…..My Friend: I am asking you the most important question of life. Your joy or your sorrow for all eternity depends upon your answer. The question is: Are you saved? It is not a question of how good you are, nor if you are a church member, but are you saved? Are you sure you will go to Heaven when you die? God says in order to go to Heaven, you must be born again. In John 3:7, Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Ye must be born again.” In the Bible God gives us the plan of how to be born again which means to be saved. His plan is simple! You can be saved today. How? First, my friend, you must realize you are a sinner. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Because you are a sinner, you are condemned to death. “For the wages [payment] of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). This includes eternal separation from God in Hell. “ . . . it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). But God loved you so much He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, to bear your sin and die in your place. “ . . . He hath made Him [Jesus, Who knew no sin] to be sin for us . . . that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus had to shed His blood and die. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Lev. 17:11). “ . . . without shedding of blood is no remission [pardon]” (Hebrews 9:22). “ . . . God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Although we cannot understand how, God said my sins and your sins were laid upon Jesus and He died in our place. He became our substitute. It is true. God cannot lie. My friend, “God . . . commandeth all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). This repentance is a change of mind that agrees with God that one is a sinner, and also agrees with what Jesus did for us on the Cross. In Acts 16:30-31, the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas: “ . . . ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ And they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved . . . .’ ” Simply believe on Him as the one who bore your sin, died in your place, was buried, and whom God resurrected. His resurrection powerfully assures that the believer can claim everlasting life when Jesus is received as Savior. “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12). “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13). Whosoever includes you. Shall be saved means not maybe, nor can, but shall be saved. Surely, you realize you are a sinner. Right now, wherever you are, repenting, lift your heart to God in prayer. In Luke 18:13, the sinner prayed: “God be merciful to me a sinner.” Just pray: “Oh God, I know I am a sinner. I believe Jesus was my substitute when He died on the Cross. I believe His shed blood, death, burial, and resurrection were for me. I now receive Him as my Savior. I thank You for the forgiveness of my sins, the gift of salvation and everlasting life, because of Your merciful grace. Amen.” Just take God at His word and claim His salvation by faith. Believe, and you will be saved. No church, no lodge, no good works can save you. Remember, God does the saving. All of it! God’s simple plan of salvation is: You are a sinner. Therefore, unless you believe on Jesus Who died in your place, you will spend eternity in Hell. If you believe on Him as your crucified, buried, and risen Savior, you receive forgiveness for all of your sins and His gift of eternal salvation by faith. You say, “Surely, it cannot be that simple.” Yes, that simple! It is scriptural. It is God’s plan. My friend, believe on Jesus and receive Him as Savior today. If His plan is not perfectly clear, read this over and over, without laying it down, until you understand it. Your soul is worth more than all the world. “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). Be sure you are saved. If you lose your soul, you miss Heaven and lose all. Please! Let God save you this very moment. God’s power will save you, keep you saved, and enable you to live a victorious Christian life. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Do not trust your feelings. They change. Stand on God’s promises. They never change. After you are saved, there are three things to practice daily for spiritual growth:·Pray -- you talk to God. ·Read your Bible -- God talks to you. ·Witness -- you talk for God. You should be baptized in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ as a public testimony of your salvation, and then unite with a Bible-believing church without delay. “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord . . . .” (2 Timothy 1:8) “Whosoever therefore shall confess [testify of] Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32).