Can thoughts be immoral, or is morality only applicable to actions?
No, thoughts cannot be immoral. People will tell you that what they think is not ‘right’ is immoral and that to think them is immoral, but those people are just afraid of stepping outside of convention. If the thought becomes an action that harms or effects another disconcenting person then it is immoral. I’m sure some people said at one point that for a white girl to think about a black man in a sexual way is immoral, but once the convention is broken it becomes normal and the game starts again.
I like to think that sexual fantasies can get a little outlandish. That is, without the person with the fantasy being worthy of punishment. There may be limits, but I hope God turns his back on our sexual pleasures while we are in the bedroom. As long as it is all in your imagination and you do not actually pursue some of the really wild things. The Bible does warn us against having lustful thoughts, such as for a person whom we are not partners of, or in the case of a man having lustful thoughts for a woman married to someone else. It is committing adultery in your heart. I do not think we should take it too literally. Surely it would be worse to follow through and pursue the real thing with the person you lust for. The verse in the Bible is just reminding us that our thoughts do count. I say moderation in all things, and that includes moderation. But I find it impossible to believe that a few lustful fantasies we may partake of for just a few minutes will blacken our souls.
