I am sure that there are people who see a real conflict between BDSM and religion. By way of background, for those who do not know me all that well, let me just say briefly that I am a collared submissive/slave, living with and serving my Master Jesse (Sir Payshtha) and also a very active leader in my church. I am a lay leader and have planned church services and have even given the sermon when asked to do so.
BDSM is a large part of my spiritual journey in many ways. Serving my earthly Master and submitting to his will has lead me to a deeper understanding of the service and submission that I desire to give to my Heavenly Master. I also know that the fact that Master Jesse serves the same Heavenly Master that I do enriches our lives together and is something that is at the core of both of us.
The Great Commission that my Heavenly Master gave to His children (paraphrasing here, too lazy to look it up) goes: "You must love your God with all your heart and soul and being, and love your neighbor as you love yourself." So the foremost duty of a Christian is to love. To love totally. This does not conflict in ANY way with my understanding of the BDSM lifestyle. Correct me if I am wrong, (as if I had to ask this group to do that.... lol), but in my opinion, the practice of BDSM is loving, is spiritual, and of course, is safe, sane, and consensual.
I suppose the conflict between religion and BDSM would arise for you if you see the lifestyle as sinful or wrong, somehow, and I do firmly believe that it is not either sinful or wrong. The sins that I am profoundly repentant of, the sins that bring me grief and pain and remorse are the sins that I have committed that have gone against the Great Commission. These sins are the times that I have been unloving, that I have been unforgiving, that I have been intolerant, that I have hurt other people (either through actions of mine, or through failure to do the right thing by my fellow human beings). A great sin, to me, would be to fail to speak of the great love of God for all of his creation, including you and me.
For me, this path of earthly slavery that I have found paradoxically frees me greatly to be the person that God wants me to be, and has sped me on the journey. I know it is the same for many people, both Dominant and submissive alike. My earthly Master has, as one of his goals, the goal of helping me become a better person. No possible way that this could be "sinful" or wrong!
There are Christians who make the news by opposing our lifestyle, and I know that their opposition to us stems from a basic misunderstanding of what we are all about. What we do together in a scene LOOKS like abuse, LOOKS like a negative, even harmful activity, APPEARS to be an activity that is meant to injure the submissive, and if this were so, then YES, it would be a sin, and YES it would conflict with your relationship with God.
But nothing could be further from the truth. BDSM play is the opposite of abuse. And I know this through bitter experience, for I was in an abusive marriage years ago. I have been abused mentally, emotionally, and physically, and I do know the difference between that hell on earth and the wonderful life that I now am blessed with.
I thank God every day for my life, for my dear Master, and for the blessings of the way of life that we share with you, our community of friends.
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