It’s wonderful when people of faith can reconcile their faith to their sexuality and basic nature by overcoming the toxic messages that have been drilled into them over time, usually since childhood, by religious leaders, family and friends. But for many, we have become leery of any hind of “God talk” in relation to our sexuality.
In Western Civilization, thanks largely to the Christian religi...on, sex has been devalued. Even though everywhere you turn, there are sexual images and sexual suggestions, there is still an undercurrent of hostility toward sex. Our Christian heritage tells us that sex is an intrinsic part of a fallen world. People who avoid sex are thought of as more pure. And those who are prudish are invited to think of themselves as morally superior. We’ve been taught that the only legitimate purpose for sex is procreation in the context of a heterosexual marriage.
Some people are a bit more liberal, and they want to send the message that sex can be an important part of intimacy–usually with a long-term, monogamous partner. They emphasize the intimacy–the hand holding, the romantic dinners, the cuddling, the feeling of being safe and secure with your significant other. All of these things are great, but I think sex for it’s own sake is also great. Sex outside the context of a committed relationship is not necessarily sleazy or an act of desperation.
Imagine two guys go on a camping trip. They may not know one another very well. Maybe they only met a couple of weeks before, and through the course of a casual conversation, they discovered they had a mutual interest in backpacking on a particular trail. So they make plans to go together. One afternoon it begins to rain, so they stop early and seek shelter inside their tent. After eating an early dinner, they end up jacking one another off. This, too, can be a beautiful expression of one’s sexual nature. And it happens all the time. There is no deep level of intimacy. There is no expectation of monogamy. And there is no hope, and possibly no desire for a long-term committed relationship. It’s just two friends giving one another pleasure on a rainy day.
In Western Civilization, thanks largely to the Christian religi...on, sex has been devalued. Even though everywhere you turn, there are sexual images and sexual suggestions, there is still an undercurrent of hostility toward sex. Our Christian heritage tells us that sex is an intrinsic part of a fallen world. People who avoid sex are thought of as more pure. And those who are prudish are invited to think of themselves as morally superior. We’ve been taught that the only legitimate purpose for sex is procreation in the context of a heterosexual marriage.
Some people are a bit more liberal, and they want to send the message that sex can be an important part of intimacy–usually with a long-term, monogamous partner. They emphasize the intimacy–the hand holding, the romantic dinners, the cuddling, the feeling of being safe and secure with your significant other. All of these things are great, but I think sex for it’s own sake is also great. Sex outside the context of a committed relationship is not necessarily sleazy or an act of desperation.
Imagine two guys go on a camping trip. They may not know one another very well. Maybe they only met a couple of weeks before, and through the course of a casual conversation, they discovered they had a mutual interest in backpacking on a particular trail. So they make plans to go together. One afternoon it begins to rain, so they stop early and seek shelter inside their tent. After eating an early dinner, they end up jacking one another off. This, too, can be a beautiful expression of one’s sexual nature. And it happens all the time. There is no deep level of intimacy. There is no expectation of monogamy. And there is no hope, and possibly no desire for a long-term committed relationship. It’s just two friends giving one another pleasure on a rainy day.
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