I had a very interesting topic brought up today with a fellow life styler friend: Religion and BDSM. Talk about a touchy subject. And its not the first time it has come up. But it certainly got me thinking more about the relationship personal beliefs and our life style.
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I do not consider myself a religious person but a spiritual one, and pretty much a non practicing spiritualist. I am a Christian on paper. So I can safely say at this time in my life my personal belief are not in conflict with my BDSM practice. Is that the case for you? I did a little research on the world’s biggest religions theories and here is what I found on the web:
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Well a lot of sites mention the fact that Christians first and foremost submit themselves to Jesus and God, as Jesus did to God himself. I came across a lot of scriptures that reinforce this, a lot of scriptures mentioning how wives should submit to their husbands. Ahum….got an issue there. That is great if its a M/female sub. What about us Femdoms? Only thing I found said it is OK for a man to submit physically to his wife but the man remains spiritual head of household….that is a lot of BS. Just as the Church manipulated its followers throughout history through their submission….seems to me like Christian BDSMers still enjoy the patriarch aspect protection it can give them. Other examples of BDSM practices in Christianity: flagellant monks could inflict grievous wounds on their own bodies and believe themselves closer to heaven; Forgive me Father; the Inquisition!
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Now here is a definition of Buddhism: …holding that life is full of suffering caused by desire and that the way to end this suffering is through enlightenment that enables one to halt the endless sequence of births and deaths to which one is otherwise subject. Buddhism is most concerned with whether an action is helpful, based on good intentions, and freedom from harm. Thus, a specific act can sometimes be either permissible or not permissible, depending upon its context. What is frowned upon is sexual misconduct: adultery, child molestation, incest, rape, sexual abuse in any form, and sexual harassment. Consensual sexual activity by a committed couple is not misconduct, whether engaged in by a heterosexual or homosexual couple. For BDSM, it is interpreted that if both parties are consensual and that the Dominant is respectful, not looking to just harm and sincere in proper training then it is acceptable to Buddhism.
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Islam, now this an interesting one. I have found through emails I have gotten from various profiles hat there is a HUGE amount of Muslim men wanting to submit to a dominant woman. Kind of goes against what we think, I know. My new boy is a Muslim. And ever here of the Latex Lady? She is a 24/7 submissive who wears latex burkas…..all the time. She is a very intelligent woman with a PhD in Educational Theory, she and her husband/Master are latex fetishists, she is bisexual. Again, totally against what we imagine. Now in this religion sexual relations are confined to marriage between a wife and a husband. Sexual health is considered important, it is not just for procreation. Sexual dissatisfaction are considered grounds for divorce. I could not find anything definitive on BDSM but Islam does consider self harm, anal sex and homosexuality as prohibited acts. Flogging is still used as punishment for such crimes as drinking alcohol. Again, nothing definitive on Islam and BDSM…..but it definitely happens behind closed doors.
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Lets now take a look at Judaism. There is nothing in the Torah that prohibits the practice of BDSM, as long as there is no force involved i.e. all parties consensual. Apparently this question was asked twice on Askarabbi.com. The first answer was the one above. The second was “that just because something is consensual doesn’t make it OK: “to humiliate another human being or degrade the equality of a marriage would be frowned upon by Jewish law”. Well if you are a life styler then you know that second comment is obviously written by someone which knows nothing about BDSM. This person sees BDSM as a form of degradation. Yes there may be some acts that the majority of the population may interpret as degrading on face value, but that is not the purpose of the act.
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Tantric Sex and Kama Sutra anyone? Hinduism is probably the most liberated of all the religions discussed here when it comes to sexual views. Even homosexuality, which is not necessarily well seen everywhere, is not clearly rejected in Hindu religious text.”Hindus believe love and devotion are important in attaining Moksha or Liberation from the cycle of rebirths.”…hmm…devotion you say. Sex is considered divine but only between a married couple. Again, I could not find any clear info on the web about Hinduism and BDSM. But considering the more lax attitude between a loving couple I assume BDSM can be practiced easily enough for those of this fate…perhaps also behind closed doors though. Another interesting note here though are Fakirs. They are both revered and feared, considered holy men with supernatural powers. And they use pain (nail beds, walking on shards of glass, being pierced with hooks and needles) as ways to get to a higher spiritual level…sort of like subspace?
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Again, I want to mention I tried my best to use basic theoretical information about religions, not what leaders or the common folk has interpreted. What does this all mean to you? How do you feel about your practice? How do feel about other’s specific practices? My friend mentioned above came across a text that offended her personal beliefs. I have read that text she reacted to: it was shocking, really not my cup of tea, it definitely shakes the core of personal ethics. but there was nothing illegal about that situation. So she and I have no choice but to accept the writer’s text. I know a Muslim who commonly uses the expression “catholic guilt” every time he releases during orgasm. I say as long as things remain Safe, Sane and Consensual, and LEGAL, we have to give people the right to practice that they like. Even if we disagree with it. Under those right circumstances we have to remove the word shame from our vocabulary.
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What makes our community so strong is our great ability to accept people as they are.
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Mystress Lady Evyl
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