Sexuality and the Church

Hello my dears!

Emily has been posting a great series on female sexuality and the Church. As a female who was brought up in a church and attended youth groups, this has particular interest to me. My youth group focused on abstinence as the best way (but not the only possible way). Still, it makes me wonder if any of my hangups are due to these teachings? I'll admit, I was one of those 13 year olds yelling "Sex is great, in the bonds of holy matrimony!" while at youth conferences.

The whole concept of determining the 'correct' sexual attitudes based on the Bible is fascinating to me. Many of the dos and don'ts regarding sex are found in Leviticus (old Testament book full of rules, written after the exodus from Egypt). This time frame focused on growing God's people into a nation that outnumbered the stars. Many of the rules focus on the way to procreate and spread man's seed. Not fun reading.

Then there is Song of Songs. It's a love poem. More traditional scholars argue that it is a love poem between God (the man) and the Church (the lady). I believe it is simply a love poem about lovers. It's beautiful (and hot!). I do believe sex between two lovers can be holy.

I don't have time to get into a full treatise right now. If you're looking for detail, check out Emily's posts!