Epic Beard Man
Bearded Philosopher
This is actually a serious topic because according to some sex therapists some religions tend to indoctrinate this idea that being in tune with one's own sexual feelings has a negative impact on their ability to be faithful members of their specific religion. Using Christianity for example a lot of pastors at least those of the Baptist Christian sect, tend to quote the following saying of Jesus:
"But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh. on a woman to lust after her hath committed. adultery with her already in his heart." -Matthew 5:27-28
According to Psychology Today:
"therapists are now seeing a tide of young people, feeling immense shame and pain about their sexual urges, desires and behaviors, as these young people encounter the wide world of sexuality available outside the confines of these moral fantasies. The youth can use their smartphones to see all the sex they want, or they enter college, where they find that their newfound freedom is exhilarating and intimidating. One young man I saw a few years ago was an 18-year-old college student, deeply afraid that he was addicted to masturbation. He was only masturbating once a week, but because he’d grown up in a family where any sex outside monogamous marriage was sinful and condemned, his quite normal sexual behavior was experienced with deep shame and fear."
See:Overcoming Religious Sexual Shame
Most notably, these instances of shame and guilt are largely rooted in the Abrahamic traditions according to some studies. According to sex Therapist Vanessa Marin (2019), there is a level of ambiguity in doctrine when it comes to sexuality and to have clarity, one must do personal research as to what is and isn't prohibited in religious text. Unfortunately, sexual repression is an issue in these traditions which indirectly forces men and women (mostly women) into this guilt locked down by honor and obedience to spiritual commandments. The guilt and shame of not being in tune with one's own body may contribute to a lack of sexual prowess when one is married because one may not know what pleases them sexually because they have been conditioned to repress those desires for so long.
According to a Boston University article citing an American Baptist Christian pastor Jennifer Knunst, she addresses gross misinterpretations and potential contradictions many have made using the Bible this I found quite interesting:
Interviewer: Really? Where does the Bible give a green light to premarital sex?
"Perhaps the most striking example is in the story of Ruth, though there are other examples as well. According to the Book of Ruth, when the recently widowed Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi were faced with a famine in Ruth’s homeland Moab, they returned to Israel impoverished and with little hope of survival. Ruth took to gleaning in the fields to find food for herself and Naomi. The owner of the fields, a relative of Naomi named Boaz, saw Ruth and was pleased by her. When Naomi heard about it, she encouraged Ruth to adorn herself and approach Boaz at night while he was sleeping to see what would happen. Ruth took this advice, resting with him until morning after first “uncovering his feet” (in Hebrew, “feet” can be a euphemism for male genitals). The next day, Boaz goes to town to find out whether he can marry her, and, luckily, another man with a claim to Ruth agrees to release her. They do marry and together they produce Obed, the grandfather of King David.
None of this would have been possible if Ruth had not set out to seduce Boaz in a field, without the benefit of marriage."
See: The Bible’s Contradictions About Sex | BU Today | Boston University
In your view can sexual repression of religiosity lead to a poor sexual relationship with a significant other?
"But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh. on a woman to lust after her hath committed. adultery with her already in his heart." -Matthew 5:27-28
According to Psychology Today:
"therapists are now seeing a tide of young people, feeling immense shame and pain about their sexual urges, desires and behaviors, as these young people encounter the wide world of sexuality available outside the confines of these moral fantasies. The youth can use their smartphones to see all the sex they want, or they enter college, where they find that their newfound freedom is exhilarating and intimidating. One young man I saw a few years ago was an 18-year-old college student, deeply afraid that he was addicted to masturbation. He was only masturbating once a week, but because he’d grown up in a family where any sex outside monogamous marriage was sinful and condemned, his quite normal sexual behavior was experienced with deep shame and fear."
See:Overcoming Religious Sexual Shame
Most notably, these instances of shame and guilt are largely rooted in the Abrahamic traditions according to some studies. According to sex Therapist Vanessa Marin (2019), there is a level of ambiguity in doctrine when it comes to sexuality and to have clarity, one must do personal research as to what is and isn't prohibited in religious text. Unfortunately, sexual repression is an issue in these traditions which indirectly forces men and women (mostly women) into this guilt locked down by honor and obedience to spiritual commandments. The guilt and shame of not being in tune with one's own body may contribute to a lack of sexual prowess when one is married because one may not know what pleases them sexually because they have been conditioned to repress those desires for so long.
According to a Boston University article citing an American Baptist Christian pastor Jennifer Knunst, she addresses gross misinterpretations and potential contradictions many have made using the Bible this I found quite interesting:
Interviewer: Really? Where does the Bible give a green light to premarital sex?
"Perhaps the most striking example is in the story of Ruth, though there are other examples as well. According to the Book of Ruth, when the recently widowed Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi were faced with a famine in Ruth’s homeland Moab, they returned to Israel impoverished and with little hope of survival. Ruth took to gleaning in the fields to find food for herself and Naomi. The owner of the fields, a relative of Naomi named Boaz, saw Ruth and was pleased by her. When Naomi heard about it, she encouraged Ruth to adorn herself and approach Boaz at night while he was sleeping to see what would happen. Ruth took this advice, resting with him until morning after first “uncovering his feet” (in Hebrew, “feet” can be a euphemism for male genitals). The next day, Boaz goes to town to find out whether he can marry her, and, luckily, another man with a claim to Ruth agrees to release her. They do marry and together they produce Obed, the grandfather of King David.
None of this would have been possible if Ruth had not set out to seduce Boaz in a field, without the benefit of marriage."
See: The Bible’s Contradictions About Sex | BU Today | Boston University
In your view can sexual repression of religiosity lead to a poor sexual relationship with a significant other?
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