Sacred sex: Why has no cult or religion done this?

[Gallowglass]

No, it doesn't. That's another example of sacred fornication or sacred promiscuity.



In Greco-Roman times, if someone wanted to offer an animal sacrifice, the culture was already such that he couldn't pressure someone else to come sacrifice with him. I'm sure modern society would have the means of getting rid of those chances

We haven’t managed it yet. In high school teenagers in my area were taught that sex was for marriage, and sacred to God, and that women are saved through childbirth. We were told we were disobeying God and he would reject our prayers if we ever refused our husbands sex.

In the modern world we cannot even get universal marital rape laws in the US. For example, in Many states spousal rape is only illegal if it’s under force or threat of force. Sexual battery isn’t a crime at all in marriage there. Drugging your spouse or decieving then into sex isn’t illegal. Threatening to take the children or cut off money if they don’t put out isn’t a crime.

 

[Sir Doom]

Sometimes I don’t see what others see. What is the connection?

The creation of life.

 

[Sir Doom]

@Mythos40 I don't really see the hypocrisy. It's not my belief I was just offering the information that many religions consider sex sacred. Your OP suggests differently.


I don't believe in Adam and Eve so this is just outside meaningless opinion on the matter. They didn't have children until after the fall, though so hypothetically speaking I don't believe they knew how until after the tree. That's pretty speculative on my part, I'll have to admit but then again suggesting they communicated with God through sex just because they were said to feel no shame is kind of a stretch too.

 

[Gallowglass]

This whole thing seems silly and trivial. Humans are animals. Animals have sex. How does a hard penis get you closer to a god?

Scientifically speaking, when you orgasm, your limbic system lights up the same way it does during meditation. This, along with the way the automatic and parasympathetic nervous systems react can stimulate creativity, assertiveness, decision-making and in some people, put them temporarily into a “transcendent” state. Your body reacts like it’s had a spiritual experience.

It also does this after extreme fasting and starvation, a la St. Catherine of Siena, Thomas Aquinas, and Margaret of Cortona.

 

[Jumi]

Why has no cult or religion ever instituted sacred sex between married partners only (or at least committed monogamous partners) as the exclusive sexual means of "knowing" some deity better? Wouldn't this be taking "holy sex" to its most logical conclusion?

They exist.

 

[Milton Platt]

The creation of life.

No, I get the attempted analogy.
I just don’t,see anything sacred or religious about penises and vaginas, or sperm, eggs, or cellular division, etc. They are all just natural processes shared with the rest of the animal kingdom.

 

[Milton Platt]

Scientifically speaking, when you orgasm, your limbic system lights up the same way it does during meditation. This, along with the way the automatic and parasympathetic nervous systems react can stimulate creativity, assertiveness, decision-making and in some people, put them temporarily into a “transcendent” state. Your body reacts like it’s had a spiritual experience.

It also does this after extreme fasting and starvation, a la St. Catherine of Siena, Thomas Aquinas, and Margaret of Cortona.

Thanks for that clarification. I can understand how certain stimuli can activate specific cells in the brain. I cannot understand how that has anything to do with a god. It’s just a natural phenomenon.

 

[Sir Doom]

No, I get the attempted analogy.

Then stop saying you don't. I didn't fail to make an analogy, either. Its obviously a successful analogy. Are you kidding me with this nonsense?

I just don’t,see anything sacred or religious about penises and vaginas, or sperm, eggs, or cellular division, etc. They are all just natural processes shared with the rest of the animal kingdom.

Okay, well that is a given. You are a self-proclaimed atheist. It would be odd if you found anything at all sacred.

Why didn't you just say that? Instead you act like you can't even see the connection at all? To what end?

I don't believe in sacred anything, let alone sex. That doesn't stop me from understanding why others do, and thus doesn't stop me from participating in the thread. Why does it stop you?

 

[Jumi]

Much of so-called sacred sex is pursuing nothingness, the union of bodies is seen as useful for reaching that state. The orgasm has potential to reach some states of inner emptiness that meditators desire. Of course comparing the average orgasm to mysticism is like comparing a guy trying to do a kata versus a guy fighting for a championship belt.

As to what does that have to do with god is in the experience. I will admit that I've not tried this path to god, but on reading about it, it compares with my own experiences.

 

[Gallowglass]

Thanks for that clarification. I can understand how certain stimuli can activate specific cells in the brain. I cannot understand how that has anything to do with a god. It’s just a natural phenomenon.

And it’s a natural phenomenon that our brains interpret as spiritual and as a connection with either deity or higher power. The more your neocortex lights up during sex, the more your brain says that it is spiritual. Your brain literally says: “I have experienced God/gods/a higher power/the universe/etc.”

 

[Milton Platt]

And it’s a natural phenomenon that our brains interpret as spiritual and as a connection with either deity or higher power. The more your neocortex lights up during sex, the more your brain says that it is spiritual. Your brain literally says: “I have experienced God/gods/a higher power/the universe/etc.”

The word "spiritual" is used in so many ways it has become meaningless. I have never thought about a god during sex. Not trying to be pedantic, really, just keeping the pot boiling.

 

[Gallowglass]

The word "spiritual" is used in so many ways it has become meaningless. I have never thought about a god during sex. Not trying to be pedantic, really, just keeping the pot boiling.

And that’s fine. Not everyone’s brain lights up in the same way to the same stimuli. And it’s not necessarily thinking about god, per se, so much as feeling connected to something greater in a lot of cases.

 

[Mythos40]

Some Pagan paths do foster concepts of sacred sex. My own tradition (Greek polytheism) has the concept of hieros gamos - the sacred marriage; Wiccans have the 'Great Rite' and so on.

That still sounds like sacred promiscuity to me.

We haven’t managed it yet. In high school teenagers in my area were taught that sex was for marriage, and sacred to God, and that women are saved through childbirth. We were told we were disobeying God and he would reject our prayers if we ever refused our husbands sex.

In the modern world we cannot even get universal marital rape laws in the US. For example, in Many states spousal rape is only illegal if it’s under force or threat of force. Sexual battery isn’t a crime at all in marriage there. Drugging your spouse or decieving then into sex isn’t illegal. Threatening to take the children or cut off money if they don’t put out isn’t a crime.

I am at an utter loss of words over this deficiency in laws of consensual vs. non-consensual sex. No sex can be sacred unless it's consensual in the first place.

Still, those teenagers' teachers were hypocrites for saying that sex inside marriage is "sacred."

 

[Gallowglass]

I am at an utter loss of words over this deficiency in laws of consensual vs. non-consensual sex. No sex can be sacred unless it's consensual in the first place.

Still, those teenagers' teachers were hypocrites for saying that sex inside marriage is "sacred."

That's what they believe. There are some who believe sex does not have to be consensual to be sacred. Many believe any sex that creates a baby is sacred, even if that sex was non-consensual. Some Christians believe that raping a lesbian in an attempt to make her straight is sacred, because you're trying to cure them of their "sin."

 

[Sir Doom]

Regarding promiscuity...

I can see how someone who was willfully promiscuous (that is someone who both believes that promiscuity is a thing and describes themselves as such) might gravitate towards a religion that practices ritual sex of one form or another, but even in that clear-cut case of promiscuity the ritual sex may probably be the most meaningful sex they have all day. That is to say nothing of people who might engage in the same type of ritual without applying self-depricating labels.

Having sex for religious purposes is still purposes as far as I can tell which means it can't really count as promiscuity. Promiscuity is frivolous sex. If the person engaged in it is feeling a connection to their chosen form of divine what-have-you then it can't really be frivolous. That's regardless to the truth of their belief, as well.

This is not to say that someone could not frivolously engage in such things, but that would require that they didn't really believe in their religion which I'm not fond of saying about anyone.

 

[ChristineM]

All sex is sacred, no church or god needed.

Why has no cult or religion ever instituted sacred sex between married partners only (or at least committed monogamous partners) as the exclusive sexual means of "knowing" some deity better? Wouldn't this be taking "holy sex" to its most logical conclusion?

Because its not about knowing some deity better, that's just an excuse so celibate, voyeuristic church elders can get an eyeful. Its about being at one with your partner.

Certainly from the female perspective there is nothing closer than letting another person into your body. Some may compare that to a religious experience. Me, i think its a part of being human.

 

[Brickjectivity]

Its a social question. "How do we leave behind barbarism and still have passion and life?" Over the centuries we go too far in one direction then lurch back in the other to compensate.

Long, long ago, ancient religions instituted sacred fornication or sacred promiscuity as a means for people to "know" various deities better, right beside burning incense, pouring libations, prostration, and sacrifices.

One might say that ancient religions practiced human trafficking using religion as an excuse, and they would be correct. It was great for patrons except that it deified the worst in them and justified oppression in every aspect of life. All ancient religions? Maybe maybe not. Some yes.

Other religions reacted to this by banning the notion of fornication or sacred promiscuity, and at least one went so far as to declare that sex was a necessary evil in human lives, at best.

One might conjecture equally that some rare morally concerned people finally decided to leave the cities and protected places where dehumanizing human trafficking was taking place and do something to help the victims. They left the comfort and safety of walls for a more caring life. This revolutionized society and over time things got better. People can sometimes become roused out of our unconcientious uncaring state and become activists. Slow progress can be made. If we go to far then we should be careful not to overcompensate. I advise against returning to deified sex.

 

[Shaul]

We haven’t managed it yet. In high school teenagers in my area were taught that sex was for marriage, and sacred to God, and that women are saved through childbirth. We were told we were disobeying God and he would reject our prayers if we ever refused our husbands sex.

In the modern world we cannot even get universal marital rape laws in the US. For example, in Many states spousal rape is only illegal if it’s under force or threat of force. Sexual battery isn’t a crime at all in marriage there. Drugging your spouse or decieving then into sex isn’t illegal. Threatening to take the children or cut off money if they don’t put out isn’t a crime.

Specifics, please. Which state allows someone to drug their spouse into sex?

 

[Gallowglass]

Specifics, please. Which state allows someone to drug their spouse into sex?

Ohio, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Connecticut, South Carolina.

All of them require physical force to be present, and some even explicitly say drugged or narcotic cases only count as rape when not the spouse.

South Carolina’s marital rape law is the worst:

A) Sexual battery, as defined in Section 16-3-651(h), when accomplished through use of aggravated force, defined as the use or the threat of use of a weapon or the use or threat of use of physical force or physical violence of a high and aggravated nature, by one spouse against the other spouse if they are living together, constitutes the felony of spousal sexual battery and, upon conviction, a person must be imprisoned not more than ten years.

 

[Shaul]

Ohio, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Connecticut, South Carolina.

All of them require physical force to be present, and some even explicitly say drugged or narcotic cases only count as rape when not the spouse.

South Carolina’s marital rape law is the worst:

A) Sexual battery, as defined in Section 16-3-651(h), when accomplished through use of aggravated force, defined as the use or the threat of use of a weapon or the use or threat of use of physical force or physical violence of a high and aggravated nature, by one spouse against the other spouse if they are living together, constitutes the felony of spousal sexual battery and, upon conviction, a person must be imprisoned not more than ten years.

I presume you are referring to section 16-3-358. That is the section that deals with spouses. The South Carolina statute states that a spouse can be convicted of raping a spouse. It says is that it will be a third degree felony instead of a first or second degree (with an exception allowing for spouses that are living apart could be charged with first or second degree). There is nothing in this statute that allows a spouse to drug the other into sex. So, you didn’t really provide an example of a state that disallows a spouse being guilty or felony rape nor one that allows one spouse to drug the other into sex.