What are your views on sexuality as it relates to religion and spirituality?

Answer 1

Sexuality is the fountain from which all religions should flow. Sex is one of the few universal human behaviors which allows us to loose ourselves in moments of pure bliss. Teaching that sexuality is dirty or ungodly is to insult our creators who in their wisdom created the sexes. I do not trust religions which teaches otherwise.

Answer 2

in this dimension alone can we experience physical pain and pleasure. sexuality and religion are just two aspects of this life that each must discover for themselves. It isn't a matter of what people say to you, it's a matter of what you believe and how you feel about each. Many believe that sex should be saved for after marriage... but what about those that have that belief that have suffered rape or molestation? What happens to their belief? If God were so set in the ways of sin, why would there be rape and molestation in the world? So you must take both issues as seperate issues. There are those that feel stronger about religon than they do about sexuality, and vice versa.... so it is to each person a choice that must be made by them and no other. If the corrupt walk the earth and take away from some what is said by many to be sacred where is the choice? Many people who feel strongly about no sex before marriage are also opposed to abortion... once again it is a matter of choice. It is an issue that each individual must face upon personal reflection. There are situations in life that may press a person towards one thing as opposed to the other, but that has much to do with upbringing and what area of the world you're in. There are religions out there where sexuality is a main factor in the religion itself. Christianity is the most widely practiced religion (I live in the US) but there are many others that follow different paths where the line between the two issues means different things, or is non-exisitant.

let me close this long rambling of my thoughts on the matter by re-stating the start... on no other plain can physical beings experience physical pain and pleasure. It is all a simple choice that each must make for themselves.

forgive me if there is much repitition and errors, I'm exhausted and quite bored and that's not a good combination!

Answer 3

The views of religion and sex, in my opinion, are severely misconstrued. Having sex before marriage doesn't make you a bad person, and waiting until after marriage doesn't necessarily make you a good person either. It's a question of your own morals and personal beliefs. To me, sex is an expression of love and passion, which is very like religion, but unlike religion, sex is not a way of life, it is simply a part of life.
Religion is something to believe in, so like anything else you believe in, you can see it anyway you want to, you can believe what you want, and nothing anyone says or does should ever change that.

Answer 4

When you're having sex it's the closest thing to removing your own "ego-border" ie. the sense of the individual existing separate and removed from everything else. Sex connects two individuals at an overtly intricate level, to the point that the sense of self can to a certain sense be dissolved.

Religion/spirituality in many ways in the same - people who "feel" God, Brahman, Nirvana, etc. report a sense of losing oneself in something larger than they thought possible. This similarity is what drove Freud to think that the "religious" personality is merely one stuck at the oral stage of fixation, where the line between sex, self-hood, and the world is still fairly open and insecure.

Answer 5

I believe sex is a gift from God to be shared between 1 man and 1 woman in the context of marriage for both pleasure and procreation. Any other use of sexuality is outside the realm God intended it and is disordered. Those who are unmarried are called to be living a chaste life. If not, they are committing fornication and it is a sin. There is a document written by Pope John Paul II, before his death, entitled "Theology of the Body" and it is an excellent source of Catholic teaching regarding sexuality.

Answer 6

Technically speaking, God was created by man. By that, I mean that when you think of God, you think of a religious interpretation of God, whether intentional or not, whether consciously or not, the implications of religion would be there. Therefore, most people equate spirituality, or the connection to God through religion, through the practices of society that are socially acceptable ways and means of worshiping God, of being connected through God. Being spiritually enlightened is a relative term- the manor and relationships I deem as being enlightened, being close to God and in general being enlightened may not be yours. That speaking, no, in my opinion, one needs only to determine that their personal relationship with God is healthy, alive, meaningful and helpful- I don’t believe one needs to be religious per say. Because I personally feel that way, I do not pray to “God,” I pray to the Universe- that which is so expansive and ever flowing, that which is so great and unknown, that which is indefinable even in terms such as ‘everlasting’ or ‘eternal’ and that which I can not full comprehend as a human. I place no man made assumptions on what God is or isn’t, and no religious affiliations to that which I pray, nor do I place any historical context on that which I pray either. I know little of Buddha, and Christ, while he existed on earth as a Jew, I can not begin to assume what religion he was or wasn’t. The question gets even more complex when you think about Christ as claiming to be the son of God- what religion does one have as the son of God? Does one pray to your father, or to God? An interesting puzzle of complexities, paradoxes and further questions, for sure. Thanks for the though provoking question.....

Answer 7

It is a gift created by God. However like all good things he gives us, if it is misused it can result in suffering. The Bible says that it is sacred and only for those who are married. Loyalty to your mate is a must. Also, the bible says it is wrong for marraige mates to withhold or deprive each other of it. If we do not follow these guidelines, the ones who suffer are ourselves. For example, premarital sex can result in lower self esteem, heartbreak, depression, STD's, unwanted pregnancies, etc.

Answer 8

I believe God created us as sexual beings, and created us with the capacity to love. Sexuality is a gift and a blessing and what a great thing to be able to experience physical pleasure.

Answer 9

Sexuality is a beautiful God-created facet of life, to be shared between a married man and woman. Within these boundaries, it is blessed and fullfilling; outside them, it is dangerous and absolutely wrong.

Answer 10

Sexuality is one of the most beautiful things in the world. It makes me sick to think of how Christians and Muslims supress sexual urges, particularly in adolescents.