Eros
Sexual Love
Referring to eros as “sexual love” is not very accurate because, strictly speaking, sex has nothing to do with true love. Sex can occur without love; it happens all the time. Love can exist without sex; the two are not dependent upon each other. Within the sacred and monogamous bonds of marriage, as established and ordained by the Creator, sex is a warm, intimate, and beautiful expression of love, but by itself, it is not loved. This is where the world’s viewpoint has become so completely turned around. The ancient Greeks delighted in, and in a way, even worshiped the beauty of the human body and sexuality. Eros was their word for sexual activity in all its forms, which they regarded as a type of love. Eros was also the name the Greeks gave to their god of love. Worship of Eros involved, among other things, ritual sex acts and prostitution. The “god” Eros still reigns today in virtually every segment of society. Millions of people worship daily at the altar of Eros and call it love. Within the sacred and monogamous bonds of marriage, as established and ordained by the Creator, sex is a warm, intimate, and beautiful expression of love, but by itself, it is not loved. In its fullest and most literal sense, the word eros embraces sexual longing, craving, and desire with no respect for sanctity; sensual ecstasy that leaves moderation and proportion far behind. Another word to describe eros would be lust. Utterly selfish at its core, eros seeks to fulfill its lust at the expense of another. Unlike true love, eros is completely sensual. It centers on the physical stimulation of the five senses sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch, and the desires and cravings aroused by those senses. Because it is physical, eros is controlled by chemical reactions and interactions within the body. As such, it is driven completely by the flesh; whatever the flesh desires, eros seeks to gratify. Erotic love is emotional love, fueled by feelings, and therefore rises and falls as feelings do. True love, in contrast, is constant, neither motivated nor controlled by emotions. A person who is driven by eros alone sees his or her potential partner as nothing more than a sex object, a target to conquer. It is a sad state of affairs indeed that our modern society so often encourages the view that members of the opposite sex are challenges to win or “scores” to be “made,” and then calls it “love.” Relationships built around eros last only as long as the physical attraction and desire that drew the people together in the first place. In its selfishness, eros has no regard for the feelings or desires of the other person, being interested only in the personal gratification it can get from that person. Eros knows little and cares less about human dignity or respect. It is a desire out of control, unleashed and unrestrained passion in the spirit of the modern philosophy that says, “If it feels good, do it.”
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