Sexuality & Sexual Relationships

Judaism & Christianity

  1. Traditionally both Christianity and Judaism teach that the only correct context for sexual activity is within marriage

  2. Sex outside of marriage is seen as a sin. This means cohabitation (living together unmarried) isn’t approved of. These ideas are backed up by sacred texts and teachings:

    • The Catechism of the Catholic Church says “Sexuality is ordered to the conjugal love of man and woman”. ‘Conjugal’ means ‘within marriage’. It also says that sex is ‘unitive’ and ‘procreative’ - to bring married couples together as one and for having children

    • In Judaism, Maimonides’ list of mitzvot says sexual relationships shouldn’t happen without a ketubah and kiddushin.

  3. Christians and Jews are urged to keep sex within marriage for positive reasons as well - marriage is believed to make sex more special. Both religions stress the importance of enjoying sex. The Song of Songs in the Bible and ketuvim contains poems celebrating sexual desire and relationships

    • “Let him kiss me with kisses of his mouth - for your love is more delightful than wine” (Song of Songs 1:2)

    • “I belong to my beloved, and his desire is for me. Come my beloved, let us go to the countryside, let us spend the night in the villages” (Song of Songs 7:10-11)

  4. Strict members of both faiths think the principle of only having sex within marriage still applies. More liberal members might see this as outdated, although they still tend to see marriage as the ideal.

Others in Society Have Different Views

  • Promiscuity (having multiple sexual partners) is often seen as wrong in both Judaism and Christianity. But many British people think it’s acceptable, especially now contraception is widely available - though a large number of sexual partners is seen more negatively.

  • Atheists and humanists tend to accept sex outside of marriage. Humanists accept it as long as it causes no harm to anyone Generally, sex outside of marriage is considered normal in British society.

Homosexuality

  1. Many people in British society consider both heterosexuality and homosexuality to be natural and normal

  2. The Christian and Jewish scriptures seem to say that homosexual sex is wrong - though the relevant bits are interpreted differently by some. They only condemn sex between men, not between women, which is hardly mentioned. (Though it’s often frowned upon because male homosexuality is)

    • The story of Sodom (Genesis 19:3-25) is used by Christianity and Judaism to argue against homosexuality. The city’s destroyed after the men in Sodom demand sex with two male angels God sent, which some people use to show that homosexuality is wrong. The angels say God sent them to destroy the city because of sin, so others say he was going to destroy it anyway and it wasn’t because the men wanted sex with them.

  3. The texts don’t condemn people who have homosexual feelings but don’t act upon them. This means some people who are homosexual and religious opt for celibacy.

  4. Some argue that as the scriptures were written in a different cultural context from ours, we can’t apply their standards today. Generally, the religions condemn homophobia and they’re becoming more accepting of homosexuality, ur it isn’t seen as ideal and many see homosexual sex as a sin.

Different Opinions Within Religions

  • The Anglican Church is split on the topic. There are some openly gay clergy in the Church of England, but conservative members don’t approve of homosexuality. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10 suggests it’s a sin).

  • The Catechism of the Catholic Church says “Under no circumstances can [homosexual acts] be approved”. It urges homosexual people to stay celibate but says they shouldn’t face any discrimination.

  • Reformed Jews usually accept homosexuality. Homosexual people can become Reformed rabbis. Orthodox Jews tend to be against it - homosexual sex is forbidden in (Leviticus 18:22), which calls it ‘detestable’