Religion And Sexuality Analysis

The second great force at the turn of the century is itself global: the emergence of women in the public sphere, including the public face of religion. This is in part a function of women's growing economic and political power, but also a result of religion itself coming into the public sphere in new ways. Many aspects of religion have long been considered private and relegated largely to the context of home and family, where women have often been the primary practitioners, though men might dominate in institutional leadership positions. As both religion and women move out of the private into the public sphere, new challenges arise. For example, central facets of family and home – particularly love and sex – which have more traditionally been the purview of women and of religion have entered the realm

It was not until the twelfth century that homosexuality started to be condemned. This condemnation proved to live through then until now. Due to the fact that America incorporated these early views into its early laws, even the most bland of today's sex acts were seen as unlawful (“Homosexuality and Mental Health”). Since then, these laws have changed, however, there is still a primarily negative connotation on homosexuals when coming from a church or legal standpoint concerning the masses of America.

This book Pray the Gay Away by Bernadetta C. Barton discusses about certain areas in the United States called Bible Belts were they have made absolutely no progress in securing rights for gay people. They lag behind the rest of nation were people are accepting homosexuality (Pray the Gay Away 15). Barton argues that in small towns were Christian institutions serve as a foundation for both passive and active homophobia in these areas (Pray the Gay Away 19). This article is related to the play because the two dominant religions discussed in the play was Judaism and Mormonism and both religions strongly oppose homosexuality and this lead to homophobic attitudes and themes within the play.

Ira L. Reiss, a well-known sociologist, has contributed greatly to the field of human sexuality and in the 1960’s brilliantly predicted the revolutionary changes in sexual attitudes. In his novel, An End to Shame: Shaping Our Next Sexual Revolution, Reiss develops the notion that our previous sexual revolution did not adequately eliminate the inequalities related to sexuality. In reality he argues that America is in need of a newly formed sexual revolution, one that will address the negative consequences that our sex negative culture is experiencing. A significant portion of our population argues that these consequences are due to the fact that we talk too much and too soon about sex. This is an inaccurate view of the reasoning behind the sexual problems we are experiencing in America, as in reality the negative sexual outcomes we observe are due to the opposite of this view. This misconception is a common explanation for our sexual problems and many believe it is the key to solving our sexual crisis, but in reality is part of the problem. Reiss argues that “America is long overdue for a rendezvous with sexual reality” (18) and that the future of our nation depends on accepting these realities.

Suddenly the uneasy undertow comes full circle and washes us ashore as we are encouraged to amalgamate sexual desire and religion:

Human sexuality is a common phrase for all, and anything, pertaining to the feelings and behaviors of sex for the human race. Sexuality has been a topic that has been discussed and studied for as far back as 1000 years B.C. and is still being studied today. As the discussion of sexuality has progressed through history, theories have been created based on research and experiments that scholars have implemented, based on their own perceptions of human behavior. Out of the many theories that pose to explain sexual behavior, Sexuality Now explained ten that are seemed to be the most overlapped, and built off of theories. Of these theories, two that were discussed in the text were the behavioral and sociological theory. These two theories cover some of the basic ideas of what could possibly influence a person’s sexuality.

Edith M. Humphrey’s academic discussion papers on the Bible and human sexuality provide insight into the complex realm of interpretation, in regards to human sexuality—amidst 1st generation and 2nd generation Christians. Before results are revealed, Edith begins this series of academic papers with the emphasis on the Christian obligation to read the scriptures with thorough analysis and interpretation. When proper examination of the scripture is performed, the authoritative Word of God is revealed and becomes distinct from opinions based on current human experience, concern and determination. In both the Old Testament and New Testament, human sexuality is discussed, although sexuality can cause one to misinterpret the use of sexuality within

The main thesis of Jonathan Grant’s book is to persuade Christians that the social imagination many of us have towards relationships and the erotic is “more than we realized made by our context,” (10, 19) because the cultural milieu’s imagination “has seeped so deeply into the religious landscape” that a virtuous Christian vision has yet to be articulated so as to produce a fresh “counter-formation” (11) for believers (17, 22–24). The book was written over the course of time for people within their late teens to early thirties, because Grant and his wife noticed a systematic issue for their discipleship of a young adults in their London church (17); where the culture’s perspectives on relationships and sexuality deeply formed that generation’s interactions with one another, rather than a transformational Christian perspective. Therefore, the problem

It is said all throughout scripture that acts of adultery, homosexuality, and incest are truly wrong (Pratte, n.d.). C.S. Lewis’ Christian apologetic Mere Christianity discusses these concerns from both a societal as well as a theological point of view in regard to the civilized Christian individual. Lewis (2001) begins by discussing sexual morality in the Christian faith referencing the biblical virtue of

(Step 1): The scholarly article, "The politics of masculinity and the ex-gay movement" focused on the efficacy of sexual conversion therapy and the cultural forces that surround it (Robinson, Spivey, 2007). Sexual conversion therapy involves a patient who attempts to change their sexual orientation through psychotherapy. Most commonly, conversion therapy involves a homosexual male who attempts to convert to heterosexuality. The authors hypothesized that sexual conversion therapy related to a heteronormative cultural worldview, and their findings indicated that this was the case. However, the result of the study found that sexual conversion therapy reflects an even narrower cultural worldview, one that is controlled by the Christian Right and that is also discriminatory against feminists. Conversion therapy is also motivated by a belief that gender is socially determined.

In the Antebellum time period, there were four voices that carefully discussed and showed their beliefs of sex to the society. One of the voices was known as Evangelical Christianity. Christian ministers and Lyman Beecher’s, strong ideas and passionate efforts were shown to try and get society to follow their ideas of sex. In their eyes, lust was known to be a deadly sin during the Nineteenth Century (Horowitz, 8). In order for them to control society members, they expressed and advocated that if one goes against the Christian view of sex and lacks morality, then he or she will be lead to the devil (Beecher, 45). Evangelical Christianity supporters such as Lyman Beecher believed in using the church, Bible, law and institutions to control how individuals acted upon sex as well as how sex was seen in society as

The movement of Purity balls is a very interesting and prevalent movement in our society. Many women choose abstinence at a very young age. This choice is made with the encouragement of their fathers. Throughout this essay I will examine religion, as an institution, that governs women’s bodies and sexuality. I will first, describe my opinions on purity balls, secondly, analyze the patriarchal dominance between a father and his daughters, and finally look at some of the redeeming aspects and the consequences of limited knowledge of sexual education.

Sexuality is illustrate as "a gift to be used responsibly and in obedience to God’s will." [ Levay, Simon, Baldwin, Janice and Baldwin, John. Discovering Human Sexuality Second Edition. Sinauer Associates, Inc., 2012. ]

There is constantly cessation why women and men cohabitate, nurture, desire, and endure. Many shrug the similarities and differences to the side due to the complex nature that is involved in understanding the progression. Since the beginning of time, according to the bible, man was placed as the dominant sex, fending for the families well being. The woman has tended to the important jobs around the homestead as situations arose. Often in society, one will find himself in a battle depending on the views of the receiving recipients. Following is a dialogue explaining a safe and metro sexual view as a general whole.

Growing up in a conservative Christian church, I was taught that the gospel was one, complete, and indestructible whole — particularly as it applied to human sexuality. But it’s not that simple.