Is "Temptation" an Outmoded Concept?
May 17, 2011
People will resist eating fats and sugars because they are unhealthy. But they think nothing of indulging toxic and self-destructive desires.
by Henry Makow Ph.D.
"Rule your mind or it will rule you." -- Horace
"It's all good" -- popular expression c. 2011
Most people act like the concept of "temptation" is a relic of a bygone era.
Yet in their hearts, I think they know the concept has never been more timely and urgent than it is today.
A woman asked a newspaper advice column recently:
"I've been in a relationship for many years with the same guy. I love him, but I've recently discovered I might be more attracted to members of the same sex. Should I tell him? Should I end it? Is there something psychologically wrong with me?"
The psychologist Dr. Joti Samra replied:
"First and foremost, there is absolutely nothing that is psychologically wrong with you for having questions about your sexual orientation.... One's true sense of sexual orientation is not a choice ... If you feel that your partner is someone you could talk to openly, and without judgment, you could certainly gently raise the issue with him."
This lady has a passing fancy for other ladies. No wonder, the media is full of it. It's the latest thing. So she raises it with her boyfriend. If he isn't also brain-dead, he will not be happy to learn that his future wife, and the mother of his children, his rock and solace, is a closet lesbian.
Wouldn't it be smarter to shut up and let it pass?
Do we have to indulge every attraction we feel, even if it is destructive to us and the people we supposedly love?
Say she were attracted to other men. Should she act on that too? Discuss it with him? Most heterosexuals are sexually attracted to many members of the opposite sex. But if they are already committed to someone they care about, they repress it. They recognize it as temptation.
Suppose this woman was sexually attracted to children? Would the psychologist OK that as well? "One's true sense of sexual orientation is not a choice.." Believe me, this kind of logic leads to pedophilia. After that, bestiality.
People will resist eating fats and sugars because they are unhealthy. But they think nothing of indulging toxic and self-destructive desires.
True religions see man as the interface between spirit (God) and matter (animal.) Man is like a little boy (spirit) riding an elephant (body.) He must restrain his animal instincts. He must be able to recognize temptation and resist it.
Our "secular" society is a stepping stone to the Illuminati's satanism. The satanist does not recognize this dichotomy between spirit and matter. He denies the existence of spriit and sees humans as animals. He finds salvation in self-indulgence, not self-restraint. "Do what thou wilt," is the satanist motto.
We are like Eve in the garden, subjected to temptation 24/7. Money. Sex. Food. Material things. Power. Fame. TV is full of gorgeous bodies.
They have abolished the very concept of temptation.We have been disarmed, and made vulnerable to all these appeals. We see it. We want it. We are no longer able to discern what is good and what is self-destructive.
We need to rediscover this spiritual skill. An alarm must go off in our mind every time we are tempted.
Quickly we will discover that the rewards of self-restraint far exceed self-indulgence. We will feel as much self confidence and pride from exercizing our spiritual muscles as we do from an intense physical workout.
Spiritual discipline gives life definition and challenge. As we purify ourselves, we begin to enter into the fourth dimension, the moral dimension. We begin to experience the person we were meant to be.
I would like to hear your stories about recognizing and overcoming temptation.
hmakow@gmail.com
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The Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13)
"Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil."
Comments for "Is "Temptation" an Outmoded Concept? "
Matt said (May 18, 2011):
Temptation tends to occur when; first we have established our identity and when we are most venerable (e.g. tired and hungry). So when you say something like, ‘I am Christian,' be beware! Satan likes to challenge one's identity with God through Temptation, it is a common motif throughout the entire Bible.
Elizabeth said (May 18, 2011):
Interesting article that needs to scrutinize every psychologists in town. No wonder, despite all churches around United States, we have a
disease called "lack of self-control," that has allowed men to commit extra marital affairs, women to have relationships with other women
and same goes with men too. The entire nation is under the spell of temptations. The psychologists might have even advised the financiers to go and steal pension funds, create wars, and kill innocent people.
They have advised that pornography is healthy and so we have sex offenders running around the country creating menace in the prisons.
For God sake, let the bible be preached. The new generation are itching to hear what their sick mind want to hear. When humanity has lost touch with God, the flesh is in control. Consequently, the flesh spews out the sickness that even animals dare not.
Michael said (May 18, 2011):
A good article.
As I see it, the most seductive temptation in the modern world does not
have anything at all to do with sexual desires.
It has to do with fear:
The fear of doing what you know is right because you will stand out from
the crowd.
The fear of not going along with immorality because you will be looked
upon as a 'prude' or 'strange'.
The fear of telling the Truth because the Truth is simply too dangerous.
The Truth, for example, that the Doctrine of "resurrection" was taught by
Isaiah, Daniel, Jesus and Mohammed as a Doctrine of 'Rebirth'...
Which literally THOUSANDS of religious 'authorities' and media officials
are TERRIFIED of saying out loud or allowing to be published in ANY media...
Which forms the basis for the religious warfare between Islamic and Judaeo-
Christian civilization.
Resist the temptation of fear.
Michael Cecil
http://unsealing-the-seven-seals.blogspot.com/
Joe said (May 18, 2011):
Now when temptation comes I utilize a different strategy…instead of trying my best to defeat it, I recognize it for what it is and remind myself that I am no longer a slave to sin and will then say to myself, “I don’t *have* to do that! Unlike those that serve the other master of this world, I have a choice and I don’t *have* to sin! Jesus steps in with incomprehensible blazing power and decisive victory is realized!
Henry, please review the following links in this order:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a11ASw5NRUw – Paul Washer (today’s equivalent of George Muller) “Jesus Died” / 11 minutes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMq25hxtvYw&feature=relmfu – Paul Washer “This is War” / 14 minutes
Jesus is not standing there with hat in hand hoping for us to make the right decision – He IS The King of Glory and all depends on whether we fully choose Him as He Is…or we perish in the most unimaginable utter horror! Paul Washer reminds us that Hell is Hell because God *is* there…it is not Lucifer that rules over Hell…it is God that rules over Hell!
Marcio said (May 18, 2011):
Something that certainly helps a lot is to be watchful and prayerful as Christ said.
And a good method is through St. Ignatius of Loyola's Spiritual Exercises, a book full of meditative exercises and hints on how to fight bad tendencies. It is worth trying it. It is the jesuit's spirituality (by the way, that is why they used to be persecuted by the Illuminati: they were able to think and act better and in a more disciplined manner than the rest and to neutralize their influence; do not believe in all the crap that says they are powerful and lead the world to satanism - "universal religion" - and new world order - that is counter-propaganda, and they are not as influent as they used to be, thanks to the apostasy in Church and to the abandonment of such exercises).
Basically, all you have to do is to do the opposite your bad thoughts and feelings might lead you to. There are some rules in such book to assess if your motions, as he calls such feelings and thoughts, are divine or diabolic and it they must be obeyed or disobeyed. That leads to self-control, a balanced and disciplined personality, a clearer view of what is going on both inside and outside, better and wiser choices, and a strong desire to serve God and not our idols (=temptations). It also makes us more virtuous as we have to do the opposite that temptations want us to do. Therefore, it builds a stronger character.
Have in mind what Christ said: be prayerful and watchful in order not to be led into temptation. The Enemy is around!
Remember that a real man is a brave warrior. And every man's soul is a battlefield. Falling into temptation is for sissies.
Spiritual strength is true manhood (that is also - and principally - for true women, as they are clearly more tempted than us and more easily led astray by today's idols as well - see that Eve fell before Adam and she misled him too, which made women even more fragile in their reckoning and thus more impulsive and compulsive too).
The apothegma and sayings of the desert fathers (early christian monks) are also very helpful.
Brigitte said (May 18, 2011):
Someone must have realized that if we all kept our Christian faith and behaved according to Christian principles, it would not be good for business. Here in France I have seen many advertisements openly encouraging viewers to give in to temptation like I never saw in the United States.
In the chocolate candy aisle of a Paris supermarket there was a sign whose message was meant to be subliminal because instead of garish colors screaming the message, it was written in green on a white background, in the handwriting-style typeface. It said "la gourmandise n'est pas un vilain défaut". There is no english word for "gourmandise". It means greed for food, especially sweets. Greed is one of the 7 capital sins. As children wee were admonished that greed for food was indeed a bad defect.
Obviously the merchants of this world need to overcome our moral barriers in order to sell us their wares.
Advertising in all its form is nothing but an attempt at overcoming these resistances to temptation, it is really devilish in this respect. After all it was Satan who tempted Eve in the garden of Eden, and who tempted Jesus in the desert by promising him untold glory and riches if Jesus would only pay allegiance to him. Temptation is all around us. We need to steel ourselves against it or we're toast.
Doug said (May 18, 2011):
This is one of your best articles. Our evolution from a life in the flesh to a life in the spirit is our true raison d'etre, the meaning of life. Re-connection with your Creator and fellowship with Him is the most important thing you can do while you are here. Succeed in this and God will change you into an eternal being that millennia from now will talk of being "spiritually born" on planet Earth. Awesome really.
Jesus said ..."God is a Spirit: they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24)
Indulging temptation is inimical to spirit and truth. Self discipline may have a price but it also has a reward."If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." - Jesus. (John 14:23)
Phil said (May 18, 2011):
Temptation, by the World, the Flesh and Satan, if indulged in leads to sin and sin leads to death.
"All unrighteousness is sin." - 1st John 5:17.
Sin separates one from God. This separation from God is death.
Sin should be confessed to God and the sinner should repent of his sin.
God will forgive the sinner and cleanse him/her.
Do not love the world but love God.
Study God's word, the Maker's manual and become like Him. Jesus Christ was God in the flesh. He is our Saviour and our Lord.
The world is going to Hell in a handbasket if you, the reader, hadn't noticed.
CV said (May 18, 2011):
Although it might not be seen as an classical temptation, to me the most vital and dangerous temptation in the modern world is to hate. If you examine hate, to a certain degree it is a healthy thing, because it means that you protect your own system of values and understanding the world from another competing view, that doesn´t fit into your system. I mean healthy because it is important to have a comprehensive system, that you don´t question everyday and undermine by to much tolerance towards things and people that really seem wrong to you.
Dan said (May 18, 2011):
This postmodern society of humanism views indulgence in temptations not so much symptomatic of mental illness, but as achievements of personal growth and liberation of the 'beast within'. Self induced permanent psychosis is dignified as "liberation of the beast within", or "be who you really are". OTO 80's punk artist "Genesis P. Oridge", author of 'Wreckers of Civilization', termed it "becoming a fully integrated human being".
But that's not the number one subversive notion undermining our culture. Most people haven't yet reached the advanced stage of self-delusion of the humanist. Before that, very early in childhood, there's a basic pre-supposition they have in common with most people today. That's the notion that we're all 'born good', or even 'loving beings'.
It is a pretty idea, though dangerously naive. It goes with the related humanist notion that there's no such thing as sin. Between these two notions, 'temptation' loses it's meaning.
Now let's make the object of your temptation relative to 'who you are'. Now we're getting into the arena of 'rights'.
The French "Enlightenment" philosopher Rousseau promoted this candy coated subversive notion that we're all born loving and fair - This, from a man (Rousseau) of whom Voltaire quipped, had dumped his children on the doorstep of an orphanage because they annoyed him.
Tom said (May 18, 2011):
Another point, that you probably are also cognisant of, is that when you live in the presence of the Divine, it is almost as though, when tempted, the Living God creates a buffer around you which has to be very deliberately and wilfully negated. It's, what I perceive as Hosts shepherding you in the right direction sometimes with human agents assisting, making it very difficult to negate God's providence.
I don't mean to make this sound grandiose, as this is an experience we can all be privileged to, if we surrender to the Divine (King Jesus). This is how powerful and detailed our Ruler is with His subjects. I'd encourage anyone, not just for this reason, but for the broader, in numerous benefits of being a subject in the Kingdom of God to join up!!!! The prayer that Henry has quoted is more that a Good starting point to consolidate on your citizenry!!
Anon said (May 18, 2011):
"A wise man should avoid unchastity as if it were a burning pit of live coals. From the contact comes sensation, from sensation thirst, from thirst clinging; by ceasing from that, the soul is delivered from all Sinful existence." - Siddhartha Gautama
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Some Further reading:
http://www.shunyata.net/mara2.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism#Suffering.27s_causes_and_solution
Henry Makow is the author of A Long Way to go for a Date. He received his Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Toronto. He welcomes your feedback and ideas at
Debra said (May 18, 2011):
As a person improves Spiritually (getting closer and closer to Christ, Spiritually), proportionally, the actions in the physical world should improve. Temptations, but proportionally one's ability to resist.
Resisting temptations is a sure sign of Spiritual strength, yet one must not get haughty, or will fall.
"Lead us not into temptation" obviously, logically applies to those who follow / getting to know God.
Succumbing to temptations are twofold: followers close to God presented with the more difficult tests, or those far from God,
lacking reason or spiritual skills to abstain from temptation and evil.
The Divine in me - http://jahtruth.net/noti.htm