Theology, Philosophy, Psychology.. its all the same. Isn't it? Well, not really if you want to be a Nazi about it. But connecting thought and idea when using your brain, can result in similar beliefs and correlations. Now understanding those is a little different and takes a bit more culturing in over looked and over used phrases. For example: "S&M" also known as Sadomasochism, Sadism, or Masochism.
"You mean leather bondage right?" Not exactly. S&M has been a term used in refering to sexual pleasure derived from pain. Sexual pleasure can be taken to the literal sense with whips, chains, and handcuffs or to a more scientific level of dopamine arousal in the brain. Sex can be looked at as a purely physical act, if you allow it. But there is so much more mentally and spiritually that tie the two together. Just as sex raises levels in the brain, so do other mental and physical scenarios that we all go through in everyday living. Feelings of injustice or suffering. Living in fear or appraisal.. I find that these also apply to the S&M mindset and are often used as means of survival, control, or even power.
"Sadism refers to sexual or non-sexual gratification in the infliction of pain or humiliation upon another person. Masochism refers to sexual or non-sexual gratification from receiving the infliction of pain or humiliation.[1]" Thank you Wikipedia.org
This is where the psychology of the Masochist and Sadist begin to unfold in the war like game that goes on between the two, creating the arousal of "Who is in charge now?" (kind of childish game). Remember when you were a child and the opposite sex had "cooties" and so you didn't want to touch them or play games? But really you were very intrigued by that girl or boy but you just didn't understand how to process those feelings at such a young age. Automatically our brain goes into some sort of survival mode, no matter at what age. In the majority of human behavior, or intelligent design, that can result in S&M tendancies- whether that be mental or physical. These behaviors and actions have been theorized for many years by well known psychologist who have even devoted time in writing books on the subject.
If you have no clue what I am refuring to I suggest reading the "Sadomasochism" page in full off of Wikipedia.org it is basic Anthropology. AND it is very interesting...
"the exchange of power in S&M may not be along the expected lines. While it might be assumed that the "top"—the person who gives the sensation or causes the humiliation—is the one with the power, the actual power may lie with the "bottom", who typically creates the script, or at least sets the boundaries, by which the S&M practitioners play."
Masochism?
"The reaction to the real or imagined creator of suffering is pictured in the Old Testament itself as wrath, ill temper. Suffering produces fruits like curses, imprecations, and prayers for vengeance more readily than reform and insight. Suffering causes people to experience helplessness and fear; indeed intense pain cripples all power to resist and frequently leads to despair." [Soelle, Suffering, 21]
Apathy?
"Apatheia is a Greek word that literally means non-suffering, freedom from suffering, a creature's inability to suffer.... Apathy is a form of the inability to suffer. It is understood as a social condition which people are so dominated by the goal of avoiding suffering that it becomes a goal to avoid human relationships and contacts altogether. In so far as the experiences of suffering, the pathai (Greek for the things that happen to a person, misfortunes) of life are repressed, there is a corresponding disappearance of passion for life and of strength and intensity of its joys." [Soelle, Suffering, 36]
More on Theodicy & Suffering can be found on this site.
