The Scholarly Case for Hebraic Purity

The original Hebraic-Messianic faith, as lived and taught by Yeshua and His apostles, maintains an uncompromising standard for sexual purity grounded in the Torah. This standard is not about legalistic loopholes or finding ways to skirt divine commands, but about a holistic purity of heart, mind, and body. The Torah unequivocally reserves sexual intimacy for the covenant of marriage between one man and one woman, as established in Genesis 2:24: "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." This foundational principle is echoed throughout the Brit Chadashah (New Testament).

Yeshua Himself elevated the standard beyond mere physical acts, addressing the root of sin in the heart. In Matthew 5:28, He declared, "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." This teaching dismantles any notion that physical acts alone constitute sin, while intentions or preparatory actions are permissible. The Messianic understanding of purity encompasses both outward behavior and inward disposition. It is a call to holiness, as articulated in 1 Peter 1:15-16: "But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”"

The Apostle Paul further clarified this in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, stating, "For it is God’s will that you should be holy: You must abstain from sexual immorality; each of you must know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God." This command is direct and leaves no room for ambiguity regarding sexual practices outside of the marital bond. Furthermore, 1 Corinthians 6:18 warns, "Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a man can commit is outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body." The Hebraic perspective views the body as a temple, not a vessel for illicit gratification.

The concept of "durfing" or "soaking" — engaging in sexual acts that stop short of full penetration — fundamentally contradicts this Hebraic standard of purity. It attempts to create a legalistic distinction where none exists in the spirit of the Torah or the teachings of Yeshua. Such practices are born of a desire to circumvent clear divine commands, rather than embrace the call to holiness in all aspects of life. The focus on external compliance while internally desiring or pursuing illicit intimacy is precisely what Yeshua condemned in the Pharisees, as seen in Matthew 23:27-28: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity. In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."

Adversary Teardown: LDS Cultural Permissiveness

The phenomenon of "durfing" and "soaking" within certain segments of the Latter-day Saint (LDS) community exposes a critical fault line in their doctrinal and cultural adherence to biblical sexual ethics. While the LDS Church officially condemns premarital sex, these euphemistic practices demonstrate an attempt by some members to navigate or loophole these prohibitions. This cultural deviation is not found in the official doctrines published on lds.org, but it flourishes in the interstices of strict rules and human desire, often popularized through informal channels and social media.

The very existence of such practices underscores a systemic issue within LDS culture: a tendency to create man-made rules and interpretations that, rather than fostering genuine holiness, inadvertently foster legalistic workarounds. The founder of Mormonism, Joseph Smith Jr. (1805-1844), introduced a series of doctrines and practices that progressively deviated from the established biblical canon. His "revelations," such as those found in the Doctrine and Covenants, introduced concepts like plural marriage (D&C 132), which directly contradicted the monogamous standard of Genesis 2:24 and the teachings of Yeshua. While the LDS Church officially ended plural marriage in 1890 under federal pressure (the First Manifesto by Wilford Woodruff), the historical precedent of reinterpreting and adding to divine law remains a foundational aspect of their tradition.

The problem of "durfing" highlights a similar pattern: instead of embracing the comprehensive call to purity found in the Torah and Brit Chadashah, some LDS members seek to define "sexual immorality" in the narrowest possible terms to justify practices that are clearly rooted in lustful passion, which 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 explicitly warns against. This approach contrasts sharply with the Hebraic principle articulated in Deuteronomy 4:2: "You must not add to or subtract from what I command you, so that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I am giving you." Similarly, Proverbs 30:6 cautions, "Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you and prove you a liar." The LDS tradition, from its inception, has been characterized by "additions" to the divine word, paving the way for cultural practices that deviate from true biblical standards.

The Book of Mormon itself, presented as an additional scripture, contains numerous anachronisms that undermine its historical claims. For instance, the presence of horses, chariots, steel swords, wheat, barley, and silk in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, as described in the Book of Mormon, lacks archaeological support. Michael Coe, in "Mormons & Archaeology: An Outside View" (1973), meticulously detailed these discrepancies. Furthermore, the claim of Lamanites being of Hebrew descent has been thoroughly refuted by genetic studies, as detailed by Simon Southerton in "Losing a Lost Tribe" (2004), which points to Asian rather than Semitic mtDNA origins for indigenous American populations. These factual errors and deviations from established historical and scientific understanding demonstrate a pattern of presenting narratives that do not align with verifiable reality, creating an environment where cultural interpretations of morality can similarly drift from established divine truth.

Counter-Arguments Anticipated

Objection 1: These are just isolated cultural practices, not official LDS doctrine.

While "durfing" and "soaking" may not be codified in official LDS scriptures or manuals, their prevalence, particularly among young Latter-day Saints, indicates a significant cultural phenomenon that arises within the framework of LDS teachings on chastity. The very need for such euphemisms suggests an attempt to circumvent official rules, which itself points to a disconnect between the spirit of the law and its application. Yeshua condemned those who focused on external compliance while neglecting the "weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness" (Matthew 23:23). The Hebraic standard calls for purity of heart, not just avoidance of specific physical acts, rendering such legalistic distinctions moot.

Objection 2: The LDS Church teaches against premarital sex, so these practices are contrary to its own doctrine.

This objection, while true regarding official LDS doctrine, fails to address why such practices are so widely understood and engaged in within the culture. The fact that a term like "durfing" exists and is commonly understood points to a cultural workaround. The issue is not merely what is officially taught, but how those teachings are interpreted and applied in practice, often leading to a focus on the letter of the law rather than the spirit. The Torah-observant faith of Yeshua demands a complete abstention from all forms of sexual immorality and lustful passion, not just specific acts, as articulated in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5.

Objection 3: These are private matters and should not be publicly scrutinized.

While sexual purity is a deeply personal matter, when cultural practices emerge that attempt to redefine or loophole clear biblical commands, they become subjects of theological scrutiny. The Hebraic-Messianic faith, rooted in the Torah, calls for transparency and adherence to divine standards in all aspects of life. When a community develops euphemisms for sexual acts that fall short of intercourse but are clearly driven by lust and violate the spirit of purity, it is imperative to expose this deviation from God's word. As Yeshua taught, "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in her heart" (Matthew 5:28).

Position Lock

Position Lock: The Hebraic-Messianic faith unequivocally condemns all forms of sexual intimacy outside the covenant of marriage between one man and one woman, including practices like "durfing" or "soaking," as they violate the Torah's commands against lust and sexual immorality, demanding not only external purity but also a pure heart before Elohim.

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