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Historyof Sexuality

Q3.In Christian Terms, What is Good Sex, and What is Not?

InChristianity, good sex is between a man and his wife. These two arepeople who have entered into a legal matrimonial union. According toPaul, sex is reserved for the husband and the woman (144). His piecesof advice on sex and marriage are echoed in 1 Cor. 7:1-17. Paul’sview is accepted wildly around the world because it echoes God’splan on human marriage. Furthermore, he advises Christians in Corinthto marry and have sex within the confines of marriage so that theycan avoid fornication. Some Christians today engage in loose sexualbehaviors but attend Sunday service looking innocent (Hawkes 155). Inother words, Paul was telling them that wrong sex was practicing itwithout the limits of legal marriage.

Similarly,Paul advocates for marriage between a man and a woman (Kuefler 144).He recommends that a man should take a woman as a wife, and the womanshould take a man as a husband. Therefore, Christians maintain thatsex should be practiced within such a relationship. Therefore, anysexual relations between similar genders is considered wrong sex.However, same-sex marriage issue is addressed in a complex manner inthe Christian Bible which has resulted in interpretation problems.

Lastly,the wrong form of sex is between a married individual, and anunmarried person. Adultery between married people is also considereda sin among Christians (Hawkes 156). This is also called infidelity.In Christianity, this is a wrong form of sexual relation as it isbased on unfaithfulness. Paul suggests to married couples to upholdbenevolence and consider it as the foundation of the shared intimaterelationship 1 Cor. 7:3.

WorkCited

GailHawkes, Naughty but Nice, Or Never on Sundays?: Sex and Sin, Past andPresent in Gail Hawkes and John Scott (eds.), “Perspectives inHuman Sexuality,” (South Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 2005),155-167

Paulon Sex and Marriage, in Mathew Kuefler (ed.). “The History ofSexuality Sourcebook,” (New York: Broadview Press, 2007) 144-145.

Historyof Sexuality

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The

Sexualityhas been defined as the feelings and attractions that individualsdevelops towards others. The term has been closely associated withfornication and adultery and both people in the olden and modern daysconsider sexual immorality as a sin. From the biblical point of viewsex was considered as a sin and whoever committed sex, then thatperson sinned against his body as St Paul puts it in his teachings.Also both the traditional and the modern world view sex as an act ofevil and condemn it using the strongest terms possible. The paperdiscusses the origin and how Christians influence the westernattitudes that associate sex with sin.

Theorigin of sex can be traced back to the creation story in the bible.God created man in his own image and out of man he created a woman.He put them in the Garden of Eden to take care of the garden. Fromnowhere the devil appeared and deceived both Eve and Adam to eat theforbidden fruit. After eating they realized that they were naked.They made aprons out of leaves to cover their nakedness. Thenakedness in this case has been associated with sex and shame¹.

Alsofrom the teachings of Jesus, sex arises from divorce. Jesus affirmsthat any man who divorces his wife forces her to commit adultery andany woman who divorces his man commits adultery².A certificate of divorce should be issued if one partner divorces theother. Also sex arises from reproduction. From the teachings of theapostle Paul, he says that marriage can lead to sex. Therefore heurges men not marry and a woman not to be married since it promotesex³.Also the gnostic view sex of reproduction as the origin of sin. Theycondemn the act due to the fact sexual reproduction leads toincreased evil of human beings in the world⁴.

Inconclusion, sex has been established to have originated from theGarden of Eden. Both Christians and the modern world have differentviews concerning the act of sex. In some instances they tend todiffer whether sex is a sin or not. For example some believe that sexwith pleasure is not a sin while other believes that it is a sin.

Reference

Hawkes, G. (2004). Perspectives in Human Sexuality. Oxford University Press.

1^ G. Hawkers, “Perspectives in Human Sexuality,” Naughty but Nice or Never on Sundays, 2004, pp 159

2^ M. Kuefler, “The history of Sexuality,” Sexual Renunciation, 1969, pp143

3^ M. Kuefler, “The history of Sexuality,” Sexual Renunciation, 1969, pp144

4^ G. Hawkers, “Perspectives in Human Sexuality,” Naughty but Nice or Never on Sundays, 2004, pp 158