A2 Religious Ethics Revision

1
A2 Religious EthicsRevision

• Christian attitudes towards sexuality

2
The Female Sex

• In Biblical society, the role of women has
  provoked some controversy woman have
  traditionally been subservient to men.

3
The Female Sex

• Womans lives have largely been at the mercy of
  their menstrual cycle, and in particular their
  fertility.

4
The Female Sex

• In primitive society, women stayed at the camp to
  look after the children, while men went hunting
  for food.

5
The Female Sex

• Sexuality, and in particular pregnancy, placed
  women in a position where they were rendered
  powerless by their own biology.

6
The Female Sex

• In Judaism, this is reinforced by the Creation
  story, where God creates Eve to be Adams
• helper and mate

7
The Female Sex

• As society developed, women were able to
  establish a more matriarchal position

8
The Female Sex

• They became the power behind the throne

9
The Female Sex

• But, they were still subject to their fertility

10
The Male Sex

• Men in power found that female sexuality posed a
  threat to their position of control

11
The Male Sex

• The most powerful man would find himself subject
  to sexual urges that he could not control.

12
The Male Sex

• Examples!
• Think about Helen of Troy
• Classic Greek literature!

13
The Male Sex

• These unsurpressed urges became identified with
  the women who were believed to inspire them

14
The Male Sex

• Partly in an attempt to control these sexual
  urges, religion promoted marriage as a suitable
  context for sexual activity

15
The Male Sex

• This had two benefits

16
The Male Sex

• This fulfilled the concern that (female)
  sexuality might be out of control, and

17
The Male Sex

• It also met the biological and sociological
  requirements for child-rearing.

18
Sex today

• Current religious teaching combines a regard for
  the biology of sexuality with a consideration of
  its psychological dimensions.

19
Sex today

• The sexual act is seen as having both reproductive

and psychological potential
20
Reproductive potential

• Sexual intercourse has obvious reproductive
  potential! Within a marital relationship, sex and
  children are seen as an essential part of the
  couples life together

21
Psychological potential

• Sex also has the power to unite a couple in
  mutual love (the Church of England Marriage
  Service calls it knowing each other in love)

22

• Obviously, sex also has a very negative potential
  it can be used as an instrument of power and
  degradation.
• In certain circumstances, sex can be
  psychologically and biologically damaging.

23

• Much of Christian sexual morality is bound up in
  the teachings of
• St Paul
• St Augustine of Hippo

24

• Some Christian moralists have even argued that
  sexual desires are so damaging that total
  abstinence is preferable
• (The Desert Fathers!)

25
St Paul

• taught that sexuality was a necessary part of the
  physical world, but it should not be all consuming

26
St Paul

• argued that it was necessary for a man to be
  married in order to direct his urges in an
  appropriate way
• (A necessary evil!)

27
St Augustine

• taught that sex was once pure and innocent, but
  Adam and Eve corrupted the world through the
  Fall.

28
St Augustine

• We experience the fallout of this through
  barely controllable sexual urges

29
St Augustine

• this is the stain of original sin passed through
  sexual intercourse from generation to generation.

30
St Augustine

• To many, total abstinence is easier than perfect
  moderation.

31
Celibacy

• The state of living without sexual intercourse.

32
Celibacy

• Often part of vows made in a religious context.

33
Celibacy

• The traditional home of the celibate has been
  either the priesthood or the cloister.
• Monks, nuns and Roman Catholic Clergy

34
Celibacy

• Benedict made celibacy one of the vows taken by
  those Christians who joined his order.

35
Celibacy

• This vow is taken to devote the persons life
  completely to the Church and to God.

36
Celibacy

• Sexuality is put on hold for the benefit of
  others.

37
Celibacy

• This could be from religious conviction

For example
38

• The growing movement among American teenagers to
  take a vow of celibacy many carry cards stating
  that they will not have intercourse until they
  are married

39
But also

• Some people take on celibacy within marriage as
  the relationship deepens and moves beyond the
  physical needs.