Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Common Interests When did sex become wrong?

Just a simple question. When did sex become evil, wrong, secretive, terrible, etc etc etc. Why is everyone intent on shielding young people from it? Why does the church make it sacred and evil if committed (yea like a crime) before marriage?

You don't have to explain to me the risks of bringing young ones into the world.... but part of the reason that there is such a problem with teenage pregnancy is because it is a hush hush subject. People are more willing to talk about drugs... but SEX.... no way. Im not saying we should be giving 3rd graders porn but they are taught how evil it is before they get to an age to understand it.

Lets try to make sure this doesn't get locked. I want real opinions.

Fair enough... what about outside the bible... general society?

It is much more than just the physical act. Sex within a marriage is intended to be the ultimate expression of love. The emotional side of sex is the one that is seldom taught. If someone doesn't understand that even if you are lucky enough to avoid the physical hazards the emotional scars can be longer lasting. Sex within a marriage is intended to be the safe place for that to happen,

Never forget it was God that created sex and the context in which is to be used. In that context it is neither evil or secretive.

Yet it is frequently considered such even within marriage. It has been considered and is considered still by some to be solely for procreation and that it is sinful to have sex for pleasure.

Needless to say I don't agree with this, but many of our restrictive taboos are the result of being heavily settled by Puritains.

Well said but I think there are some contributing factors that make it secretive and therefore "sneaky".
The Catholic church doesn't allow birth control other than abstention. Sex is for procreation not recreation.
Some sects of the Muslim faith don't allow their women to drive for fear that the increased mobility will expose them to more men and thus lead to promiscuity.
We do some funny things in the name of religion.

I couldn't even begin to address any other society than the US on this topic (and can barely do that justice), so here's my VERY limited understanding of things:

Sex for pleasure and not procreation almost always got a bad rap, starting with the Puritans during the 17th century it seems. It was an almost shameful activity or "urge" and one that certainly was never overly discussed or addressed, except to demonize it and warn of the "sinful" nature of it.

Much of this attitude has to do with Christian biblical teachings that strech over the centuries, so if you're looking for a source, go little no than the Bible as it was the "de facto" cornerstone of education in conjunction with the Catholic church for most of Western civilized society. Sex as a topic to be "educated" on, to the best of my knowledge, didn't even enter the minds of Western Judeo-Christian based culture until good 'ol Sigmund Freud starting rambling about it in the mid 19th century. Note that other societies had literature and art based on sex milennia before Western culture really even took it's first steps towards addressing the educational aspect of it.

Thank organized Christian religion for screwing up one of fulfilling and exciting activities that couples can take part in and turning it into a topic of non-discussion for centuries. Many churches today are addressing this blatant failure on their part, but "too little, too late" is where they mostly are at. I think the Christian religion plays a VERY important part and role in US society (like it or not), but this failure certainly stands out as a rather large one, given the HUGE role that sex plays in the course of a human life...

It constantly kills me that the topic of sex was historically demonized in Christian religion, since one of the books of the Bible is SOLELY dedicated to the concept in an abstract fashion. It's called the "Song of Solomon" and it's a beautiful read in it's simplicity and colorful descriptiveness. True, it talks of love and physical yearning in a very "proper" and pure fashion, but it addresses it nonetheless and touches on the sexual gravity that lovers share. It's certainly not the Kamasutra (the Hindu book of marriage, love and sexual pleasure), but the visuals the language brings forth leave little misunderstanding on what topic is being touched.

There's a balance and the Puritans were on the extreme side of it, just as the Roman orgy cults were on the other extreme side. I'll give you two guesses on who had more religious, political and social impact on US thought, but you should only need one at this point...

Hi, and what a load. You think in THIS society sex is seen as wrong and evil? This culture that made Madonna and Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson into household names? This culture, where saggy-arsed pants and super-lowrise jeans showing off thong straps are hot fashion? Anyone remember the seven erogenous zones scene from Friends, probably ten years ago? For every "repressive" reference to sex, there's probably a dozen "permissive" references in popular media, but we tend to tune out everything except what we don't want to hear. I'll just say that I see/hear a whole lot more Axe body spray and Durex condom commercials than I do abstinence PSAs.