Saturday, October 6, 2012

Yahweh vs. Venus

The motto of Venus, goddess of sex, is, “If it feels good, do it.” One spring afternoon, David, king of Israel, accidentally saw a woman bathing (1 Samuel 11). Although David learned that she was married to a man named Uriah, David sent for her, had sexual intercourse with her, then sent her home. Venus wholly approved.

Yahweh didn’t. David might be king of Israel, but what he had done violated many relationships in profound ways. Yahweh sent Nathan, his prophet, to confront David with his responsibility for these violations.

Like the other Olympian gods, Venus likes to bully and bribe us into taking what we can get by regarding others simply as means to our own ends. She wants us to regard anything sexual as essential to the meaning of life, to enjoy sexual intercourse with anyone we please, to marry to our advantage, and to divorce our spouse as soon as a more advantageous person comes along.

Venus also bullies and bribes us into thinking that someone of great physical beauty is more important, and more virtuous, than someone who is not. And she has us treat with contempt anyone who, by her standards, is physically ugly.

Copyright © 2012 by Steven Farsaci.
All rights reserved. Fair use encouraged.