Is Religion about Sex?

[Sam Carana]

Are priests who strongly believe in creationism fit to give a general
education? Can a church give proper education on topics like history,
science, evolution, biology and sexuality, given their own
predisposition to creationism, immaculate conception and their views on
sex?

Indeed, did you ever notice how much religion appears to focus on sex?
Gender issues and sexual orientation seem to top the list of issues in
religious discussions. Should the use of condoms be encouraged to avoid
sexually transmitted diseases? or should condoms, the Pill and other
forms of birth control be rejected, while abstinence should be seen as
the sole means of birth control? Is masturbation a sin? What about a
wet dream? Should procreation the sole aim of sexuality? Is it a sin to
make sexuality one's main goal in life?

What about IVF, surrogate motherhood, sperm and egg donation, cloning
and genetic manipulation, and other issues related to sexual
reproduction?

Should gay and lesbian people be able to marry, adopt children, attend
church and go to heaven? Can a priest or bishop be gay, female,
lesbian, or married? Does a priest have to practice abstinence? All
religions seem to have strong views on such issues, moreover, they seem
to have a Freudian inclination to see sex behind things.

What about sex before marriage? What about people's secret lusts for
fetishism, sado-masochism and dominatrices? What about extra-marital
sex (adultery)? What about polygamy? When is sex OK and when not, and
how should sex be regulated, if at all? Who can issue marriage
certificates? Pornography, prostitution, abortion and the position of
women, churches typically have a strong opinion on it.

The key issue in all these cases appears to be sex. It appears that
religion evolves around sex, and that religious practices focus
strongly on control over sex. Sex is also a simple way to define
differences between various religions. Christians like to follow the
traditional model of a male-dominated, monogamous man-and-wife marriage
with many kids. The Islam is even more traditional and condones
polygamy. Christians are generally more friendly towards women,
allowing women to initiate divorce, generally while keeping the
children and with the possibility of remarrying after divorce.
Protestants are less traditional on issues like sex before marriage,
gay marriage, divorce, etc. Anyway, the conclusion is that if you focus
on sex, all pieces of the religious puzzle seem to fall in place.

What does this focus on sex mean for education? How fit are churches in
general education, given this extraordinary focus on sex? Priests may
claim to endeouvour to keep lust and sexual education off the
curriculum, but if religion hinges so much on control of sex in
society, then it inevitably does put sex on the agenda in many ways.
And of course, we all know how much churches have been in the spotlight
for sexual abuse against children that were trusted into their care. If
religion is about sex, then how fit are priests to give a general
education, given that sex is so high on the agenda?

Cheers!
Sam Carana

[Prakash Krishnamoorthy]

What about rites and rituals and sybolism associated with relegion? What about relegious questioning for the knowing the knower? What about spiritual diminesions these questions have to take up?

[Prakash Krishnamoorthy]

Exllecent statement of the problem.

 

[sowsow]

> ------=_Part_4646_12495417.1147080624157
> Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
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> What about rites and rituals and sybolism associated with relegion? What about relegious questioning for the knowing the knower? What about spiritual diminesions these questions have to take up?<br><br>
> <div><span class="gmail_quote">On 5/8/06, <b class="gmail_sendername">Sam Carana</b> &lt;<a href="mailto:sam.c...@gmail.com">sam.c...@gmail.com</a>&gt; wrote:</span>
> <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid"><br>Are priests who strongly believe in creationism fit to give a general<br>education? Can a church give proper education on topics like history,
> <br>science, evolution, biology and sexuality, given their own<br>predisposition to creationism, immaculate conception and their views on<br>sex?<br><br>Indeed, did you ever notice how much religion appears to focus on sex?
> <br>Gender issues and sexual orientation seem to top the list of issues in<br>religious discussions. Should the use of condoms be encouraged to avoid<br>sexually transmitted diseases? or should condoms, the Pill and other
> <br>forms of birth control be rejected, while abstinence should be seen as<br>the sole means of birth control? Is masturbation a sin? What about a<br>wet dream? Should procreation the sole aim of sexuality? Is it a sin to
> <br>make sexuality one's main goal in life?<br><br>What about IVF, surrogate motherhood, sperm and egg donation, cloning<br>and genetic manipulation, and other issues related to sexual<br>reproduction?<br><br>Should gay and lesbian people be able to marry, adopt children, attend
> <br>church and go to heaven? Can a priest or bishop be gay, female,<br>lesbian, or married? Does a priest have to practice abstinence? All<br>religions seem to have strong views on such issues, moreover, they seem<br>to have a Freudian inclination to see sex behind things.
> <br><br>What about sex before marriage? What about people's secret lusts for<br>fetishism, sado-masochism and dominatrices? What about extra-marital<br>sex (adultery)? What about polygamy? When is sex OK and when not, and
> <br>how should sex be regulated, if at all? Who can issue marriage<br>certificates? Pornography, prostitution, abortion and the position of<br>women, churches typically have a strong opinion on it.<br><br>The key issue in all these cases appears to be sex. It appears that
> <br>religion evolves around sex, and that religious practices focus<br>strongly on control over sex. Sex is also a simple way to define<br>differences between various religions. Christians like to follow the<br>traditional model of a male-dominated, monogamous man-and-wife marriage
> <br>with many kids. The Islam is even more traditional and condones<br>polygamy. Christians are generally more friendly towards women,<br>allowing women to initiate divorce, generally while keeping the<br>children and with the possibility of remarrying after divorce.
> <br>Protestants are less traditional on issues like sex before marriage,<br>gay marriage, divorce, etc. Anyway, the conclusion is that if you focus<br>on sex, all pieces of the religious puzzle seem to fall in place.<br><br>
> What does this focus on sex mean for education? How fit are churches in<br>general education, given this extraordinary focus on sex? Priests may<br>claim to endeouvour to keep lust and sexual education off the<br>curriculum, but if religion hinges so much on control of sex in
> <br>society, then it inevitably does put sex on the agenda in many ways.<br>And of course, we all know how much churches have been in the spotlight<br>for sexual abuse against children that were trusted into their care. If
> <br>religion is about sex, then how fit are priests to give a general<br>education, given that sex is so high on the agenda?<br><br>Cheers!<br>Sam Carana<br><br><br>
> ------=_Part_4646_12495417.1147080624157--

[sowsow]

I suggest you read THE SACRED FIRE by B.Z. Goldber, written in the
1930's It is fully illustrated and explains the role of Sex in
Religion.

S.O.Waife

[jd.rud...@gmail.com]

I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to disagree with your assesment here,
religion does not deal, mainly, or in any major way with sex. Religion
deals primarily with finding a reason for existance, it's a way of
determining the sophistication of a culture in anthropology and does
not arise just because acts of sex exist. Instead, religion seeks to
answer (or rather try to answer) the questions that arise when Man
becomes sentient and views the world outside his nutshell. Just because
in todays society many of the hot topics concerning religion deal with
sex does not mean that is the purpose/ sole ditinguishing factor of
religion. In fact, if you read most religous texts it's very hard to
find passages that deal with sexual activity. Take the Teachings of
Buddha for example, it deals primarily with discussing how one should
attain inner peace and and thus evolve (ascend) to a higher plane of
existance. Sex is only mentioned offhandedly as just another part of
the physical universe.

Your very long post, while well constructed, doesn't seem to be very
well thought out in that you really only seem to be thinking about two
religions: the various sects of christianity and islam.

[Sam Carana]

Is sex today a "hotter" issue than it was previously?  

Or is religion losing its relevance on these very issues you mention?  

 

How does one attain inner peace? Do religions preach peace in the first place?

Does one need a reason to exist? Weren't we supposed to procreate, while priests were not?

If there were different ("higher") planes of existance, does it take a high priests to get there?

 

In the past, religion seemed to have cornered such issues. In most places on earth, a

specific religion seemed to rule society to a large extent. Each religion seemed to have found a way to

collaborate with those in power, to maintain their joint position of control over a specific society.

 

Over time, churches got more competition from universities, bookshops, libraries, cinemas, etc.

Today, religion has to compete with SMS messages, with what is offered on DVD, on TV, the Internet, etc.

Science and economics permeate modern-day life. New ideas in anthropology, cosmology and philosophy

feature in cheap magazines, before they are discussed in religious circles, if discussed there at all.

In today's sophisticated culture, ideas are more discussed and access to ideas and discussions is easy.

Globalization opens up people's eyes - multiple religions cannot each claim exclusive truth.

Religion, by contrast, seems restrictive, out to deny such easy access to ideas and discussion.

 

As a result, religion overall is losing relevance in terms of guidence, in offering answers to questions.

Religion turns out to be a dead-end street, a set of rules, ceremonies and rituals without relevance.

As their spiritual appeal disappears, religions turn out to be empty shells.  

Earthly issues such as marriage protocols and lifestyles become the defining aspects of religion.

Strikingly, they typically seem to evolve around one common link: sex!

 

 

Cheers!

Sam Carana

[Prakash Krishnamoorthy]

Dear Humanities

 

               At the striaght end one should understand verily that the act of sex is a game of life and death. To dissassoicate wordly aspects of relegion by its own rethoric is dubious enough.

The concentration of economic power in the hands of Chruch (among others in Middle ages in Europe, Crucades and Canon laws), subesequent economic greed of Merchantilism and subsequent colonization and wars that has ravaged world is oppresive enough. Can relegion fill the chasm in gender dimensions of this type of processes?

 

On the other hand a lesson can be learnt from Medival India towards tolerance under Emperor Akbar (Din-i-Ilahi) and subsequent paradoxial imposition of tax on "non-ruling relegious followers" that are not captured by Western experience alone (of coexistence of  strife and tolerance across generations). Also most of the Buddhist philosophy have been assimilated and extended in and around the world? Pondering on all pervasiveness?

 

Prakash