Why do so many religious/spiritual traditions seem “sensualphobic”

[ExistentialMuse]

It's kind of a cliché that the sensual domain of life quite often gets pejoratively portrayed as hedonistic/egocentric/materialistic etc.

From Priests to Monks to Yogis, “abstinence of the passions” seems to be a common motif of such titles.

With that context out of the way, I’m trying to understand whether there's something about the sensual domain that is actually antithetical to spirituality or whether this is just the ego cleverly “gerrymandering” what it thinks “being spiritual” should look like.

In other words, Is there merit to this way of defining spirituality or are there situations where it could perhaps be a symptom of a compartmentalized personality that doesn't know how to integrate it's full being. At any rate, I've got to say that it all seems pretty sus to the feminine side of my psyche.

[SgtPepper]

The issue stems from idolizing sensuality (ego) over God, to the point where you actually cause pain, possibly trouble for yourself, and it's recommended to regulate it.

For example, take a look at Marilyn Manson situation..

If you look Kama Sutra, or some books in the Bible like Songs of Solomon, you can see that they value and encourage sexual passion. I don't know a lot about Kama Sutra, but the Bible does it a more wholesome way sort of.

I generally understand it as a way to maintain a healthy society. For example, you might sex with someone's wife or daughter, and that might get you killed or attacked. 

 

 

Edited February 23, 2022 by SgtPepper