Donatien Alphonse François - Sins of the Flesh

Donatien Alphonse François

“The sins of the flesh are bad, but they are the least bad of all sins. All the worst pleasures are purely spiritual: the pleasure of putting other people in the wrong, of bossing and patronizing and spoiling sport, and back-biting, the pleasures of power, of hatred.”

-- C.S. Lewis

In the words of C.S. Lewis, "The sins of the flesh are bad, but they are the least bad of all sins."  So, I suppose if you were to sin, a sin of the flesh would be the way to go.  It probably gets you a "special" place in hell, away from the murdering genocidal sociopaths.  I think Donatien Alphonse François and C.S. Lewis would probably agree on this point before Lewis balked at Donatien's deeper, and much darker, thoughts of debauchery.  But, then, debauchery is what the Marquis de Sade was all about.  He would have loved to mix the sins of the flesh with all the worst of pleasures.  The Marquis was a libertine, after all, and France had yet to really fall from grace.

The Marquis rose to the rank of Colonel of a Dragoon regiment, fighting in the Seven Years' War.  The French Revolution would see him elected as a delegate to the National Convention. He had inherited the title of "Marquis" which ranked above that of "Count" but below a "Duke," if one were to care, and it would seem the court didn't care much about his titles, either, when they imprisoned him for all of his debaucheries.  

"Despite having no legal charge brought against him, Sade was imprisoned or committed for about 32 years of his life, time divided between facilities such as the Château de Vincennes, the Bastille, and the Charenton asylum, where he died. He wrote many of his works during these periods of confinement."

-- Wikipedia

What a cad he was!  He actually went to court and had the death sentence rescinded.  I recommend the movie "Quills" for those who want a bit of humor and great acting from Geoffrey Rush as the Marquis, and Kate Winslet as Madeleine LeClerc.  I enjoyed it, thoroughly.  C’est génial! Oui!

I applaud the "free thinking" spirit of the Marquis, but, even I think he took his carnal appetites to their extremes.  That he was the devil incarnate, I have my doubts.  That he was one sick ticket, well, the courts deemed him so.  Insane?  I think the inevitability of his life finally caught up to him.  He was a product of his spoiled upbringing and an uncle who, during his formative years, "taught" him much of what he would expand upon, greatly, later in life.

“It is only by way of pain one arrives at pleasure.”

-- Donatien Alphonse François

That I find Donatien Alphonse François fascinating, is of little surprise to me.  My sense of humor has always been a bit over in the left field, and I did have a couple of years in a Catholic school, which will, usually, save you or kill you.  My parents were told by the Mother Superior that a "secular education" would be of more benefit to me.  The nuns simply gave up on me, the cowards.  I think it was the last straw when my buddy and I were caught by a young priest playing tic-tac-toe with white chalk as we walked behind a nun in a black habit.  Hey, it took a lot of talent for her not to catch on.  It never occurred to us to check our six.

I appreciate the sentiment of C.S. Lewis that the sins of the flesh "are the least bad of all sins."  But, if Catholic school taught me nothing else, a sin is a sin, and my time in military intelligence did me no favors where sins are concerned.  

Even though now, I endeavor to be humble and the light for others to see, I hold no fantasy that God has not reserved a special place, next to hell, for me to consider repentance of my past, and some of my present.  But, have we really looked at our present?  Multimedia is catching up to the Marquis.  I have some quotes from the movie "Time After Time" when H.G. Wells chases Jack the Ripper into modern-day San Francisco.  The following lines are spoken by Jack the Ripper to Herbert Wells in the film:

"Ninety years ago I was a freak. Today I'm an amateur."

"We don't belong here? On the contrary, Herbert. I belong here completely and utterly. I'm home."

"The future isn't what you thought. It's what I am!"

"It's catching isn't it, violence."

The Marquis de Sade could have claimed to utter the lines above, and no one today would have even considered plagiarism from the film.  It is sobering, not as far as we've come, but as far as we've fallen when it comes to morality, and, if you look at the big cities, crime is rising as fast as justice is dying.  

Have you considered your life, in total?  Do you have much to worry about, I mean, if you believe in an afterlife?  Food for thought.  If you're an atheist, there's no issue.  You're done.  Even if there is an afterlife, you won't get to be in it, since it isn't "real" for you.  But, for people with faith, we have much to consider, especially those who have dared to sample the sins of the flesh.

“In order to know virtue,

we must first acquaint ourselves with vice.”

-- Donatien Alphonse François

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

I fervently hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with the United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and, finally, a senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world-renowned, Western Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research.

Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony: tolerantpastor@gmail.com