Phil Robertson and Why Sin Is Illogical

“When you got what you wanted, were you happy? Do you remember when you were a child, how ardently you looked forward to Christmas? How happy you thought you would be, with your fill of cakes, your hands glutted with toys, and your eyes dancing with the lights on the tree! Christmas came, and after you had eaten your fill, blown out the last Christmas candle, and played till your toys no longer amused, you climbed into your bed and said, in your own little heart of hearts, that somehow or other it did not quite come up to your expectations. And have you not lived that experience over a thousand times since?" - Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen (You)

Just a note: I am in no way siding with either Mr. Robertson or A&E on their decision to suspend him from their show based on his comments. To be honest, I don't think I could possibly care any less about a show that involves duck hunting and camo. I'm a Chicago suburbanite vegan with a propensity to shun any article of clothing that is green because she feels it makes her skin look sallow.

 

So unless you you haven't left your house or been on the internet in the past few days, Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson was interviewed in GQ and talked particularly about his thoughts on same sex attraction (it's a bit graphic, so I apologize):

“It seems like, to me, a vagina—as a man—would be more desirable than a man’s anus. That’s just me. I’m just thinking: There’s more there! She’s got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I’m saying? But hey, sin: It’s not logical, my man. It’s just not logical.”

And he's right. Sin's not logical. An attraction to another person isn't always logical. How often do we see a woman stay with a man who is abusing her? How often do we see a man stay with a woman who he knows doesn't love him, but is using him for his money? Why did I stay so long with a guy who clearly didn't love me, who I knew I would never end up with, and who I knew would never change?

Because attraction isn't logical. It just isn't. Attraction is a bunch of feelings you can't control. Your actions are what define you, not your attractions.

So let's get deeper into that with sin. When I was originally thinking about this, I thought that we were attracted to sin. That doesn't make sense though. We are all made in the likeness and image of our Heavenly Father who is love and goodness. Why would we, creations of goodness, be attracted to sin? Then it hit me. It's not an attraction to sin. It's an attraction to what we think sin will bring us. We are attracted to the good of this world, but sin clouds our thinking on how to GET that good.

Think about it. Think about every single sin and the reason behind it. Let me tackle a few:

Sins: Homosexual behavior and premarital sex (you bet I just put them together)

Reason people engage in it: They either want love and connection with another human being (regardless of which gender). They think that sex can lock someone down to be theirs forever. They don't want to be alone. They want pleasure. 

What can truly give that: A relationship with God. When you have a strong relationship with God, you don't need anyone else to be that be-all in your life. You don't need to give away your body for love. You don't need to have that pleasure to satisfy you. 

Sin: Lying and cheating

Reason people engage in it: Lying gets you things if you do it correctly. It can get you more money. It can make you look better. It can make others who have harmed you jealous of you. Lying can get you acceptance by others.

What can truly give that: God may not give you all you want, but He gives you all you need and He gives you a great appreciation for it. God gives you the peace of knowing it doesn't matter what your job is, how many 0s are on your paycheck, how you look, or what others think of you. That freedom is so much better than anything lying could have given you.

Sin: Gossiping

Reason people engage in it: For me, it is a matter of fitting in. Everyone seems to know everything about everyone else's lives and to fit in, you should too. Gossiping also makes you feel better by putting others down (it's really a catty version of bullying). "Well I may not have gotten the role I wanted, but she only did because she has been sucking up to the director and flirting with the manager for months now."

What can truly give that: A better and more godly group of friends and the confidence of knowing you are an amazing child of God and He has AMAZING plans for you whether or not they fit yours.

I am glad I read this article because it really made me think about sin in a new way. Now this was, of course, me just looking at some sins on the surface level, but it really does make sense. That's what makes sin so illogical. Why sin when choosing to NOT sin gets you either exactly what you wanted (the good) or MUCH MUCH MUCH BETTER?! Because we live in a world that tells us these things will get us that good. This world tells us that you will be so happy having sex before you're married. You will totally get that job, but you're going to need to cheat or lie or sleep your way up the ladder to get it. You will have a great group of friends, but you need to go out and get smashed with them each weekend to be a part of the group and if you talk about everyone else's mistakes (which are all so HAHAHAHAHA HILARIOUS BECAUSE SHE SLEPT WITH HIM AND PEED THE BED AND HAD TO WALK OF SHAME HOME WITHOUT HER UNDERWEAR OMG SOOOOO FUNNY), even better.

Those are all lies. The promises that are made to us by the world and the Evil One are empty. Sex won't make him love you. Lying won't make you feel good. Gossiping won't make the others girls want you to be their friend. God is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the way to goodness. He is the truth about getting there. He is the life that made it all possible. The goodness and joy we all want is that which is found only in the heart of God and to get to His heart, we must avoid sin and live out our lives in His way.

It's pretty illogical to find any other way to it.