Sacred Sexuality Historically, sex and spirituality have been two things that have not been received well in the same sentence. While some ancient religions did include sexuality in their own rites, others sought to control sexuality, either by suppressing it or by severely limiting its expression. Most of the dominant religions in the world today are preaching the suppression of the sexual urge or the channeling of that urge into socially acceptable forms. For example, Roman Catholics used to be very sexually explicit and open people. After a man who, in his youth, was sexually explicit converted to Catholicism and pledged selibacy for himself; he became a priest by the name of St Augustus. St. Augustus arose the birth of moral laws in Christianity when the first law he brought into public light was that there would be no fornication unless it was for strictly procreational reasons. In any case, this moral law led to making adultary illegal, just as it is by today's standards. Though many people today do not necessarily follow "moral laws" or, even their own religion's belief about sex, there is still a connection between sex and spirituality. There are ancient practices such as tantra, tao sexology, and (namely) Kama sutra, which tends to be the most practiced and well known of the three in western culture. Which ancient traditions chose to include sexuality as a spiritual act? Some sects of early Christianity incorporated sexual rites into their religious practices; all of these sects were persecuted into extinction by the Roman Catholic Church once it was able to successfully inundate its political standing on Roma as the sole religious institution of Europe. The Sumerians perfor... ... middle of paper ... ... be subjected to a new kind of lovemaking. Bibliography: klWork Cited Burton, Richard (translator). Vatsayayana: Kama Sutra. Translated in 1883. Original writings are unknown. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Tantra. Columbia University Press: 2000. Chang, Steven Dr. Sex and Rejuvination: Taoist Style. Cosmopolitan Press:1999. Douglas, Nik. Spiritual Sex. “What is Tantra?” Sebastopal, CA: 1995. Griscom, Chris. The Ageless Body. Light Institute Press ISBN: 1992. Melchizedek, Drunvalo. The Ancient Secret of the Flower of Life: Volume I. Light Institute Press ISBN: 1994. Muir, Charles and Caroline. Tantra:The Art of Conscious Living. Light InstitutePress: 1999. Kouhia, Juhana. Love Teachings of Kama Sutra. 1996: http://www.funet.fi/~kouhia/kamasutra.html
In chapters 9 and 13 in “The Spirit of Intimacy” by Somé, she discusses how the Western society has constructed an illusion of romance. This illusion of romance is presented in our media such as television, movies, and social media. She believes that basing a relationship off of romance leads people to mask their true selves which eventually leads to issues in the relationships long term. By building a relationship based on a spiritual connection, it allows individuals to build their relationship from the bottom up, be honest with themselves as well as their partners, and helps people better understand their partners in order to have a happy and fulfilled relationship. Furthermore, Somé discusses homosexuality and how her village refers to gays and lesbians as the gatekeepers. They live on the edge of both the spiritual and the village world. The gatekeepers serve as mediators for men and women so they are able to better understand each other in their daily lives. There are two different groups of gatekeepers, one possess the ability to protects a limited number of gates including the elements such as water, earth, fire, mineral, and nature because they vibrate the energies of those gates. The second
Unlike sex, the history of sexuality is dependant upon society and limited by its language in order to be defined and understood.
“Sex and religion? Those two don’t really go hand in hand,” commented by a freshmen student from UF. Like this student, numerous people around the world believe this misconception to be true. Whether people argue for or against the importance of sex in religion, more than just what goes on the bedroom has been heating up lately. Many debates have sparked due to the negative connotation associated with sex when confronted about its position in religious cultures. A study done had proven a direct relationship between religiosity and sexual attitudes in college student, but to what extent are their spiritual values influential in their sexual beliefs and what are the reasons behind this (Beckwith, n.pg.). Either way, there is to some extent an influence on sexual behavior, whether it is by gender, ethnicity, or religion. After extensive research and several interviews, I’m determined to find the truth about sex and its importance in religious cultures, its effects on spirituality, and the roles it plays in religion.
In the article “An Anthropological Look at Human Sexuality” the authors, Patrick Gray and Linda Wolfe speak about how societies look at human sexuality. The core concept of anthology is the idea of culture, the systems of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors people acquire as a member of society. The authors give an in depth analysis on how human sexuality is looked at in all different situations.
The focus of this essay is to explore sexuality presented by Philoclea in the New Arcadia. Philoclea cultivates a relationship towards another women in the book. Yet readers understand that Zelmane is in fact Pyrocles. Sidney allows the reader to be given the impression that until Pyrocles admits to be Zelmane, Philoclea would be shown to have a homosexual tendencies. Philoclea herself is certain that a same-sex friendship is giving way to sexual desire.
Looking at our past, there have been dramatic changes in the way humans view sex. Long before the 1900s individuals framed their views based on the religious institution. Due to the fact that they strongly centered their idea of sexual thought on religion, they believed that the only purpose of having sex was to procreate. As the 1920’s approached, there were various factors that changed the way individuals viewed sex. The “new women” known, as flappers were women who were confident in who they were. They changed their attire as well as their social attitude. In the 1920s, the flappers redefined sex; customs and traditions were broken and new norms were created by society.
THERE’s much more to sex than the genitals, seeing someone bare or even the most common goal of sex – an orgasm. Sex experts will tell you that sex is intimacy; it is opening yourselves to spiritual mingling, exposing and exploring your sexual desires. But these are sometimes hindered by social constructions of sexual behaviour – the taboos, the myths and misinformation can sometimes make something as natural as sex very complex.
These three articles give the modern reader a sense of what sexuality was in Ancient Rome. These articles reinforce that sexuality is important in human societies. They show that how you did or did not do sexual activity was very important and under scrutiny like in Western societies today. Though these articles are using limited resources to make conclusions, they do their best to help the reader make sense of sexual Roman society.
Teenagers are definitely a great concern when speaking of premarital sex. I would like to believe that society's concern for these teens is out of a moral and religious attitude. Yet politicians as well as society seem to care more about the problems after the fact, like health and welfare costs. Ten percent of all 15 to 19 year-old females become pregnant each year. More than 80 percent of pregnant girls under age 17 who give birth and keep their babies end up on welfare, costing society a staggering $21 billion a year. Three million new cases of STDs among teens are reported each year. Every 10 seconds a teenage becomes sexually active for the first time. All the concern over pregnancy and STDs doesn't seem to be deterring sexual activity. With out a focus on religious ...
The Church teaches people the moral truth, which contains the truth about sexuality. The church could connect with other churches, denominations and religious groups in teaching and fostering this morality.
In the past, society was very conservative when it came to sex. During the middle ages, sex was perceived as a sinful act if it was not within marriage. Adultery and fornification, in the church’s eyes, were punishable by death. Anything other than missionary position was considered a sin as well (Morton). Sex was not commonly thought of as a pleasurable act. The act of sexual intercourse was strictly for married couples trying to conceive children. “Condoms, then, consisted of animal bladders or intestines tied with twine and were reused many
Since the first eukaryotes appeared, all living things have been reproducing primarily by a female and male union. Contrary to popular belief, there were other sexual relationships other than between opposite sexes. Homosexuality has baffled most of humanity as it seemingly goes against Mother Nature. While societies such as Ancient Greece viewed it as completely natural and it was a social custom, others viewed it with much resentment and considered it abnormal. Some want to treat this natural phenomenon as just another mental disease and cure it with therapy, while others think that if you engage in homosexual activities you will spend your after life in the fiery lakes of hell. However all three sides both present evidence to try to support their dogmas.
I will begin first with the idea that sexual behavior should not be granted its own moral code. Sexual ethics only makes sense if sexuality plays a unique role in human life. If procreation has significance precisely because it is a contribution to God's ongoing work of creation, sexuality is supremely important and must be governed by restrictive rules, which would therefore prohibit sexual acts that are not for procreative purposes. This justification of sexuality as a unique aspect of human life, however, is dependent on a theological claim that there exists a God who micro manages the sexual lives of individuals. Without the presence of such a God, there can exist no separate restrictive rules on the nature of sexual acts. Even if we grant that there is a God, most people will agree that sex is more often used as a way to intensify the bond between two people and therefor sex is the ultimate trust and intimacy that you can share with a person.
Like many people in our time, Christians are studying and discussing issues related to human sexuality over many years. What is God’s view of sexuality? How are the pressures from a broader culture and the development of technology affecting God’s role in regards to human sexuality in tomorrow 's society?
In today’s society chastity has become less of a standard in most cases. The topic of sexual morality is a rising conflict with people of all ages. Sexual morality is mandatory in becoming a strong Christian.