#discipline
Don’t worry princess, I’ll make the kids breakfast and get them to Sunday school. You can just stay here and think about what I’m gonna do to you when I get back.
Bound and gagged by my honey, He’s gonna watch me get whipped by the toughest disciplinarian he knows. He’s gonna enjoy it and, although I’m gonna cry, so am I.
When he makes you sit on his lap and tell him what’s bothering you, you know it’s confession time and the spanking you’ve been craving for is about to happen.
Next time I catch you touching yourself I will be using my cane, understand?
What we are doing here……………..
What we are doing here……………..
“What we are doing here is only the image of what we would like to do.”
Marquis de Sade
Both because this came up in our discussions, and because I have probably thought about and discussed this more than most people (I am very lucky to have a wonderful fiance who will talk about just about anything with me, regardless of how strange/awkward/out-of-the-blue it would be for most people), I wanted to discuss and explain the idea a little bit more thoroughly. Theoriginal article - which is a Christian blogger interviewing a pastor who “supports” BD/s - does a really good job of capturing the two sides of the coin. Certainly there are many divided views on the topic, as there are in most religions because it’s hard for most people to agree on anything, and even agreeing to the fundamental tenets of Christianity is… well… patchy, especially depending whom you ask(though all with good intentions, generally).
Again, neither side encapsulates all views, but it is a great intro because the same emphasis is placed on sane, safe, & consensual. There is also a large emphasis on interpersonal respect and trust within the relationship. Indeed, a lot of the explanation of the basics I think were mostly to relieve some of the misconceptions people have with BDSM in general. I don’t know that they quite have the same idea of SM as expressed in Newmahr’s research, but since the question came up because of 50 Shades of Gray, I’d say much progress has been made. And I think one of the most important points is again, acknowledging that there are personal degrees of comfort. The comparison to spicy food is a really useful one. I can’t stand spicy food, others find food bland without it. And there’s never any pressure or need to change that. I feel like we tend to assume that most people are “hardcore” but the “soft stuff” is probably much more normal than most people assume. Anyone who’s ever asked for rough sex, or “pretended” to be elusive during sex or whatever has experienced really the far side of soft BDSM. Anyone who’s ever wanted to “be taken” or whatever - that totally counts! That desire of wanting to be what we might call “desperately desired"—
Basically, anyone who’s sung "I Want You to Want Me” by Cheap Trick and agreed with the sentiment of the lyrics - yes, you. You’ve experienced the base-level idea of D/s - the “thrill” of it.
It’s certainly not the only motivation, nor is it necessarily the main one, but it is a valid one and one that people experience - they really feel “wanted” in a way that goes beyond a girl dressing up and having guys drool at her, or a guy walking in and all the ladies turn to look or whatever your fantasy may be.
The Christian “brand” of BDSM tends to be more about trust and acceptance than anything else. Yes, there is definitely the sexual component and making sex exciting and fun - you know, when Cosmo’s tips just aren’t enough - but I think the most prominent form of BDSM is actually something called CDD: Christian Domestic Discipline. For those of you who aren’t going to bother opening the link, I’ll post the most significant part here (though honestly, their explanation page I think, is very well-written, straightforward, unapologetic, and sticks to their principles):
He is to be the head of the home. She is to be the heart of the home.
He is not a dictator. She is not a doormat.
He is not an overbearing Lord of the Estate, seeking to trample over his family. She is not some weak-minded lass, needing to be molly-coddled, or seeking to get straightened around.
He has the responsibility for leading his family and is accountable before God for their well-being and development. He has the authority to spank his wife for disciplinary reasons, but in real CDD marriages, this authority is taken quite seriously and usually happens rarely. Most CDD marriages do use spanking, generally for serious offences, such as the “Four D’s” (Disobedience, Disrespect, Dishonesty, or Dangerous [as in dangerous choices… reckless driving, disobeying doctor’s orders, etc]). Some CDD marriages also use non-corporal disciplines, such as writing lines, or the temporary forfeiture of a favourite privilege. Again, every marriage is unique, and CDD is much more than just corporal punishment or spanking.
CDD is not a “magic pill”, and this website does not claim CDD will prevent all marital rows. It is simply a tool, one method which many couples round the world feel is quite effective in strengthening their marriages, and improving the quality of their relationship.
CDD is the husband loving his wife enough to patiently guide and unselfishly cherish her.
CDD is the wife loving her husband enough to follow his leadership and trust his direction.
A Christian marriage should embody selfless love and true romance.
A Christian couple is to be a reflection of Jesus and His Bride.
Now you’ll note that they do believe in a male-headed household. Which I, raging feminist as I am, also agree with, for the same reasons I stated in my post about Newmahr, which is basically that two dictators can’t get anything done. It has to be a compromise. If you disagree with the male-headed household, hold your peace and examine everything else in context. As with BDSM, there is a major emphasis on open communication and support, and there is a major blogging community for CDD as well. Also, generally, I think, anonymous.
But to boil down why I think it’s useful, I like to think of trust-falls and dieting. Trust-falls force you to build trust. It is not an option. You can’t “maybe-trust” someone to catch you - and if they don’t catch you, you won’t trust them anymore. BD/s activities do not work without trust. They would not continue without trust. And lack of trust is probably a good portion of most marital strife. Most arguments over decisions happen why? Because they can’t trust the other person to make the decision, right? “I have the better idea. I don’t trust that if you do what you want, it’ll end well.”
As with punishment, dieting is a good example - when I discussed this, I initially likened the punishment/spanking to spanking kids, and the mentality is similar, but the motivation is different; with kids, parents decide what is good/bad; with a spouse, you agree on what is good/bad, and it’s in the agreement. So say I was going on a diet. Or trying to exercise. I’m bad at both. I want to get better, but I can’t motivate myself. So what? I might ask Joe to help motivate me. Maybe if he gets the groceries, then if I don’t exercise, he won’t get me my ice cream for the week. It sounds silly, but it’s the same idea. And it works, especially with women who are prone to self-guilting. We inflict much more self-punishment than anyone else. When they yield control over to someone else, they have to trust that the punishment was sufficient and stop feeling bad and let it go.
Does it work perfect? No. Many couples still struggle. But a lot of women report feeling incredibly loved and secure in their relationship. So, as with BDSM, really, I think it’s important to keep an open mind about these things. Because honestly, these aren’t just weird people - they’re making the decision for a reason.
The weird ones are those of us who don’t question and intentionally make these choices for ourselves about our love and sex lives.