Human Sexuality
A Divine Fire Within…
What does it mean to be a sexual
being?
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gift given by God (male of female)
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is God a sexual being? Does God have a body?
What does it mean for a male or female to be
made in the image of God?
character (personality)—core, self-worth, selfimage, self-esteem
relationship (self, others, God)—choice.
sacred act—sexual intercourse, “physical act”,
reproduction.
Where does this gift of sexuality
come from?
• God
• God is both relational and social in and of
Himself.
• The love of the Trinity is so strong that it has to
create.
• Thus, love and sex should always be connected.
Quote from the Song of Songs:
• “The Song, in other words, makes a connection
between conjugal love and sex—a very important and
very biblical connection to make. There are some who
would eliminate sex when they speak of love,
supposing that they are making it more holy. Others,
when they think of sex, never think of love. The Song
proclaims an integrated wholeness that is at the center
of Christian teaching on committed, wedded love for a
world that seems to specialize in loveless sex.”
What is love?
Genuine love vs. infatuation.
• 1 Cor. 13. Love is patient. It is a verb not a feeling.
• Yielding—putting dreams on hold for the sake of the
other
• Forgiving—goes beyond justice and fairness
• “I will give my all to you and to you alone for all my
life.”
• If you can’t say this then you shouldn’t be having sex
with that person because it is unfair to them and
yourself.
Marriage
Marriage
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Two purposes:
Procreative and unitive
Contraception—lack of openness to life
We will talk about this further in class.
Potential Marital Conflicts:
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Goals
Communication
Children (philosophies on raising kids)
Finances
Sexual activity
Some Quotes to Ponder:
• “We will be happy in this life, depending upon whether
or not we have a healthy sexuality… One of the
fundamental tasks of spirituality, therefore, is to help us
to understand and channel our sexuality correctly
(193).” “Sex is the energy inside of us that works
incessantly against our being alone… Indeed, some
theologians see in sexual encounter a foretaste of the
eternal life of heaven and many of the classical mystics
use the image of sexual encounter to describe our
ultimate union with God and creation (The Holy
Longing, Rolheiser, 195).”
More…
• Sex is “an aching loneliness, an irrational longing, a
madness from the gods (as the Greeks put it). But this
madness is also a great energy; in fact, it is the greatest
energy of all inside us. It is the engine that drives
everything else, body and spirit (194).”
• Untwisting the lies to reveal the truth. Men are called to
sacrifice their bodies just as Christ did. Pornography
and lustful thoughts are fakes, cheap, imitations,
because they don’t require real sacrifice and
commitment as Christ gave for the Church.
• We will discuss PORN and its effects later on…
• “I believe it is in harnessing sexual passion that
will allow culture to flourish again. There is so
much energy and creativity that could be
released (April 8, 2003).”
• “If you reject aesthetic satisfactions, you will fall
into sensual satisfaction.” (C.S. Lewis, p.450)
• Mr. Snyman’s story
Sex:
Virtues and Vices
• Virtues:
• Chastity—is the virtue that helps us control our
sexual desires and use them appropriately
according to our situation in life.
• Abstinence—is the positive choice not to
engage in sexual intercourse outside of
marriage.
• See table on The Choice of When to have Sex
Song of Songs
Investigation
Vices:
Offenses Against the Sixth and
Ninth Commandment
• Masturbation—the deliberate stimulation of the genitals to
obtain solitary sexual pleasure
• Fornication—is sexual intercourse engaged in by unmarried
people. (p.237, discussion on boundaries)
• Pornography—movies, magazines, and websites whose motive is
to depict human sex acts in a way that causes sexual arousal.
• Prostitution—involves engaging in intercourse or other sexual
activities for money or some other advantage.
• Rape—forcing another to have sex.
• Homosexual activity—sexual activity between members of the
same sex. (diff. b/w orientation and action)
Homosexuality:
Nature/nurture debate
• Social scientists have proposed many theories to
explain sexual orientation, but none have been
conclusive. The following have been recognized
as the major causes for a homosexual
orientation:
• genetics
• prenatal hormonal factors
• postnatal hormonal factors
• psychological factors
An Important Note:
• Not all males display fully male characteristics.
Neither do all females display fully female
characteristics. Thus, sexual expression must be
understood as a continuum between male and
female.
So what does the Church say?
• “The word should not be taken to mean a psychological
or even a moral disorder, since the letter makes clear
that the homosexual condition is not a sin. Within the
framework of the pope’s theology, however,
homosexuality is the result of sin. God simply could
not, would not, and did not create homosexuals as
such. The homosexual condition is a result of the first
sin, an aspect or form of the concupiscence that is the
condition of us all (96).”
Separation of sexual orientation and
sexual intent:
• In view of this the Church states that
homosexual orientation is not a sin, but that the
intent or activity absolutely is.
• The Church also teaches against any
discrimination of persons with a homosexual
orientation.
• The Church’s failures
• Jesus’ call to the woman caught in adultery (John
8)