Dragon59
Conversation Conqueror
- Apr 24, 2020
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Thank you Dr. Kellogg (and others) for giving us a world (well, a country) where baby boys were routinely circumcised in order to prevent excessive masturbation (which they felt lead to insanity). I think of it as confusion over cause and effect. I imagine that given the nature of mental institutions, I mean insane asylums at the time, many of the neglected inmates probably played with themselves to provide some stimulus in their lives. 19th Century doctors see this and BAM! Masturbation causes insanity!Even this is misinterpreted in modern religious circles to mean that masturbation is bad, that's not what's happening here.
Which brings us back to the sins of Sodom.As you said, it was about not giving his brother heirs, his 'sin' wasn't spilling the seed, it was the context around that spilling of seed.
His 'sin' was greed (because if his brother had no heirs, he stood to inherit his brother's possesions).
Anyway, that's why I usually include giving the brother an heir. I don't usually follow up with "and depriving himself of an inheritance."
Can you imagine modern preachers of "prosperity doctrine," with all their cars, planes, and mansions, actually preaching these accurate messages against greed?