Religious people get so uptight about sex. For instance. Of the seven deadly sins they come down most on lust. How many times to you see them coming down on people for gluttony? Not too often. You know why lust is the most talked about? Because it’s the most interesting. Because it’s all about jealousy, envy, fear and power and it dates back to the beginning of humanity, long before organized religions.
God doesn’t want you sleeping around before marriage. God doesn’t want you having homosexual experiences. God doesn’t want you masturbating (yeah they’ve loosened up on this one). The list goes on.
In the Islamic world they still treat women like property. Something that at least most modern day Christians have evolved out of. Well in first world countries anyway.
However where does this all come from? I think it’s pretty clear and the answer is not God.
Mankind hasn’t evolved that much in our time here. Early men were just as much into sex as guys are today. Many would want to take a women or several women for their own. As if they were their property. The women themselves would just be concerned whether they themselves and their young would be taken care of. Obviously men who had more then one woman would make other men jealous or envious.
“If he can have two or three, why can’t I?”
Men who took women wanted those women to be virgins. They didn’t want them violated by another man first. Like buying a used car versus buying a new car. After all why should a man get something used if he can get something new? Right? So the idea of marriages came about. Both as a way to link families together and as a way to make sure that the “property” (the woman) was legally and religiously bound to the man. Of course the man could still sleep around in most cases. But God forbid the woman should do it, because after all she is his property.
From a females perspective, she wanted to keep her man and usually in most cases would become jealous of him with other women. The core reason being because if he took interest in another women he may give up taking care of her and her young. So marriage works for a womans benefit in that way. Even if she is still the property of her man.
It’s pretty easy to look back and see how all of this came about. Which only makes it even easier to understand why religion would get in on the game and say that “God said this” to bring in that fear element and keep people in line.
But we live in the modern world now. At least here in the United States and other first world countries. We have systems in place and women are no longer property. We don’t need the fear of God keeping us in line. We have tens of thousands of years of human history we can look back on to help us understand how we work. We’ve gone through a lot of trial and error to understand. Not to mention we have such things as birth control, condoms, women who support themselves, child support where men are held responsible and so on. All of this changes the landscape when it comes to sex. The old world did things a certain way because they didn’t have these things. But we don’t live in the old world anymore and it’s time some people start to accept that fact.
If someone wants to be a certain way, like wait till marriage for sex or not masturbate or something. That’s fine. But “God says” is not a reason to tell other people to be that same way. I’d like to think we’ve come out of the dark ages some time ago. I know it takes time for things to change. Obviously we’re always going to tell other people what they can and cannot do. That’s just how societies work. But the God exuse is an old one that doesn’t work with everyone anymore. So if religious people enjoy their way of life and want to make a positive impression on others, they need to use cold hard facts and if they aren’t really facts and just more like beliefs, well those don’t stand as much ground.
Just because you said “religious people get so uptight about sex”, I’m timestamping my sex post (oh, the irony).
… and now I need to find it. Grr.
nothing like being in a mansion wearinmg silk pajamas half naked and screming Horror if i don’t say so myself
@QuantumStorm – Alright well I’ll have to check it out.
@apyus – I don’t understand this comment. Can you elaborate?
@roxics – Alas I can’t find my original post (I should’ve tagged it, grr) but here it was on Revelife – http://www.revelife.com/690994539/why-do-people-think-that-catholics-hate-sex/
When I ask people why they want to wait until marriage, I always ask why.
If the words “because God says I should” come out of their mouth, I can no longer take them seriously. It’s just how I am.
@QuantumStorm – Interesting post. So in other words what you’re saying is that catholics have no problem with sex so long as it includes only one partner ever?
So where does this leave premartial sex? Sounds to me like it doesn’t really exist. Because in the Christian point of view “sex is marriage.” Which means there is no such thing as premartial sex then right?
But you can’t tell me that religion doesn’t come down on sex.
You said in your post:
“Maybe they forgot that the Vatican constantly urges married Catholics to “do it” more often, because it is the truest expression of love between the spouses, and not because they want more kids and thus more followers.”
What about condom use then? Surely the Catholic church shouldn’t have a problem with condom use if sex is a true expression of love rather then just a way to make offspring. Yet the Catholic church is against condom use. But in Africa the most common people with HIV are married women between the ages of 18-30 who must give their husbands sex because, as you say
“Maybe they forgot that in the Catholic Church, sex is viewed as a requirement for the Sacrament of Matrimony.”
Yet they are not allowed to wear condoms so they become infected with HIV which turns into AIDS.
Yikes.
Way to go Catholic church. So while the Catholic church as you say doesn’t have a problem with sex between married people, it obviously has enough of a problem with sex to tell people not to wear condoms. So this is an example of religion coming down on sex in one way or another.
@roxics – “Yet they are not allowed to wear condoms so they become infected with HIV which turns into AIDS.”
Amen to that. People will say if you have a partner and you’re faithful this shouldn’t happen to you. Whatever. ( i did a post about condoms ads entitled “Durex“)
Even using a condom for a married couple is not allowed, any type of contraception isn’t. There was a post about contraception and a girl said “why would you use a condom if you’re married anyway” Whatever #2. Some people just don’t like being on medecine especial hormonal ones, but the pill is not allowed anyway. But then there is NFP, the cycle method which has been used since always but that’s not allowed either…
About virginity and property I respect whatever beliefs and choices people make but often women will do much impure things but still technically be virgins because that’s what matters in some cultures. (like I described in my comment on this post)
@roxics – its ok if you wear make-up
@apyus – You’re not making any sense man. Of course it is, but what does that have to do with any of this?
@roxics – //Interesting post. So in other words what
you’re saying is that catholics have no problem with sex so long as it
includes only one partner ever? //
I would think “until death do us part” meant something, but…
//Because in the Christian point of view “sex is marriage.”//
No, sex is a biological function. It is intended to represent the sacrament of matrimony, but that is not the same as saying “sex is marriage”. Of course, if you are speaking about a particular Christian viewpoint that’s fine but at least for us Catholics sex can exist outside of marriage – it’s just not considered moral.
//Surely the Catholic church shouldn’t have a
problem with condom use if sex is a true expression of love rather then
just a way to make offspring. Yet the Catholic church is against condom
use.//
The issue with condoms is based on the Church’s view of sexuality. They view sex as NOT ONLY a way of making offspring but ALSO a way to express love; in other words, they don’t divorce the two concepts as you have. The Church has a, er, holistic view (can’t think of a better word) of sex in which if one facet is willfully denied or removed, then it is not truly a celebration of the sacrament. Exceptions abound of course, but this is more or less the general idea (FYI: Check out “Theology of the Body” if you haven’t already)
// So this is an example of religion coming down on sex in one way or another. //
Can you show me where I denied this?
@QuantumStorm – Not saying you denied it. Just saying that’s my point in my original post.
@roxics – Ah! I understand now.
God said so. Why should I argue? Now roxics said something else. Who is better? God of course. Besides He said that to protect us and to protect His holiness. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
@gmx0 – You’re a nutcase.
2 be a fool 4 Christ is 2 be wiser than the world, the new world u r talking about. World: n. The present state of things