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Universal Pictures' Fifty Shades of Grey, starring Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson, is based on E. L. James' best-selling erotic romance novel, which has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide.
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CHRISTIAN OP-ED
Fifty Shades of Grey: It's Called "Bondage" for a Reason
By Laura Gallier
Contributing Writer
CBN.com
- I have a unique life calling. Among other things, I write and speak on sexuality—namely God's biblical plan for sex, marriage, and family. Consequently, I feel compelled to comment on Universal Pictures' upcoming movie, Fifty Shades of Grey.
Now don't go assuming that just because I advocate premarital abstinence and refuse to laugh at perverted jokes that I can't appreciate spice in the bedroom. After all, it's God—not Satan—who invented sex, and He intends that it be passionate and gratifying.
God also intends that sex serve a profound, glorious purpose. In summary of two Bible passages (Matthew 19:4-6, Malachi 2:15), the reason God created two genders in the first place is so that a man and woman would become husband and wife for life and through their loving sexual union, share a oneness of soul that results in precious children who, seeing their parents' devotion to each other and to God, develop a heart to love God and others.
But alas, we have a spiritual enemy who burns with such unfathomable hatred toward God and humanity that he goes to great lengths to pervert God's plan for sex, hoping to wound the next generation before they even get here.
If you've read the third chapter of the Bible (think shiny red apple), you know that Satan relies on a three-step strategy to undermine God's plan of protection and destroy humanity. It goes like this: (1) Cause us to question the validity of God's commands; (2) Dangle an appealing yet deadly temptation; (3) Assure us those consequences God said would happen, won't.
That said, Fifty Shades of Grey is nothing more than a satanic bait-and-switch. It's lethal poison disguised as a lollypop, and for those who lick to the center, there is something in store, but I assure you, it's not a tootsie roll.
Let's break it down.
Sexual arousal in connection with pain is sadistic, not sexy.
E. L. James, author of Fifty Shades of Grey, glamorizes the idea of combining sex with pain, but the occult has been doing that for eons. Isn't that just like our spiritual enemy to take something God intended to be loving and pleasurable and twist it into something torturous? You can't love someone and seek to inflict pain on them, and loveless sex depletes the soul, destroys lives, and ultimately bankrupts society. Call me crazy, but it would seem conditioning people to be aroused by pain is a great way to groom rapists and serial killers.
Perversion doesn't lead to lasting romance.
In Fifty Shades of Grey, it's my understanding that what starts as an explosion of lust and heartless sex leads to love, marriage, and family for the two main characters. Honestly, that's like saying smoking crack paves the way for career advancement and bulging muscles. Lust, by its nature, is insatiable and craves promiscuity, not fidelity. In short, loveless sex never blossoms into lasting romance and commitment. How cruel that such a destructive lie would be impressed on today's young people.
Sexual bondage creates spiritual bondage.
Our merciless spiritual enemy is continuously looking for entryways into our lives—areas of rebellion against God where he can invade and set up shop in our souls. When we disregard God's instructions for sex and romantic relationships, we swing the door wide open for demonic oppression, which can manifest in a myriad of ways—all painful. And for those who tell themselves they're safe because they're only reading about it or watching it on the big screen, think again. The Bible says it this way: "If your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness." (Matthew 6:23)
Jesus bore our pain and shame, and it wasn't so we'd romanticize it.
Consider what Jesus Christ suffered for you and me: "But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed." (Isaiah 53:5)
Bondage in the bedroom is more than an edgy sexual practice—it's a creepy mockery of Christ's suffering on our behalf. Furthermore, sex is never supposed to hurt, much less be the driving factor on which a relationship is built. Sex is the celebration of a beautiful martial union in Christ. For the sake of our souls and the wellbeing of the next generation, don't fall for this bait-and-switch.
If you're like me and haven't always known or respected God's protective boundaries for sex, know that God is willing and ready to forgive and restore—and there's nothing shady or ‘grey' about that.
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Laura Gallier is known for her insightful presentations and resources on the topic of sex-related values and romantic relationships. She also addresses broader issues surrounding the faith-filled life, providing down-to-earth explanations for frequently misunderstood notions about God and the Christian life. www.lauragallier.com
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