Bible Discussion Study Meeting: Christianity's Ties to BDSM

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5–6)

        It's not often that you see the words "Christianity" and "BDSM" in the same sentence, but there are surprising intersections between the two. Surprisingly, BDSM has a long history that dates back to ancient religious times. In this blog post, we'll explore the ties between religion and BDSM, and how they have influenced each other over the years. One example is the history of flagellation – self-flagellation specifically – as a religious practice. Punishment as well, has always been a part of religious doctrine, and bdsm can be seen as a form of punishment that is enacted consensually. Join us for this week's Bible Discussion Study Meeting as we explore the ties between religion and bdsm! Are you ready to explore the dark side of religion? Or perhaps…the religious side of kink?

        Early pagan religions explicitly incorporated sexuality into their religious practices. Fertility rites, temple prostitutes (an outdated term now, but simply naming it as they were stated during those religious times), and sacred sensuality were abundant. Sex was kind of…everywhere. Then times rapidly changed. * Monotheism and Christianity enter the chat *”Hey so like…these sexual urges are like “bad” because they don’t fit with what we believe in so like, we’re gonna suppress and control it, mmkay.”

        Growing up Catholic, I was fascinated by why Christian traditions were always so focused on pain and suffering and “passionate religious devotion” as a way to show religious commitment. So many stories about someone sinning, feeling shame, and then voluntarily practicing some sort of suffering as a result to “right their wrongs”. Remember The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown and that creepy Opus Dei religious guy who wore that spiked chain called a cilice around his leg to make himself suffer for his sins? I fucking bet that kinky ass mofo had a spiked metal cock cage too! Haha. (Btw, the self-mortification practices of the Opus Dei order are, in fact, real).

         Okay, let’s go back to when monotheism and Christianity entered the chat. Going from polytheism and paganism and then violently trying to shift to monotheism and Christianity was, at the least, A HUGE MINDFUCK. “Instead of your Sun god, here’s a Jesus rising from the dead!” “Instead of centering fertility and sexuality, how ‘bout women suck and sexuality is a super duper sin?!” “How ‘bout stop doing everything that was central to your previous beliefs like…right this instance?” Last time I checked, any time you tell someone NOT to do something…they fucking do it! Or at least THINK of it even more, especially kids and bratty subs…and bratty kids LOL. Monotheism, specifically Christianity, has a lengthy ass list of “NO’s” so here’s the formula I see:

• Demanding Religious “Nos” + Humans being humans = consensual suffering for the pleasure of your religion

What is BDSM?

• Power dynamics + kinky humans being kinky humans = consensual suffering for your pleasure

         What is the giant institution of Christianity, but a huge power dynamic? What are its followers, but obedient (sometimes, actually let’s be real…mostly bratty) subs? Thus, isn’t it safe to say that suffering for the pleasure of your religion parallels suffering for your own kinky pleasure? Is it safe to say that the power dynamics of Daddy Dom Jesus and his followers parallel a Dom/sub dynamic? That the endorphins one feels post religious self-flagellation parallel the endorphins one feels after a heavy impact scene?! SUFFER TO SHOW YOUR LOVE. Sounds pretty fucking kinky to me.

         So, there you have it! A brief history of the ties between Christianity and BDSM. Christianity isn't the only religion with ties to BDSM, but it is one of the most well-known. As you can see, they have long and complicated intersections with one another. From self-flagellation to the power dynamics at play, there are many parallels between the two worlds. And while some people may see kink as blasphemy, there is no denying that Christianity has had a significant influence on the development of these sexual practices. What about you? Do you think kink/BDSM is blasphemous? Or do you think it can be a fun and safe way to explore your sexuality? Let me know in the comments below! And stay tuned for the next Bible Discussion Study Meeting where we’ll talk about how BDSM and kink can give you a religious experience!