Sexuality

This is part of a journal entry series for a class. Topics are addressed along with our image of God-- how the topic affects our image of God, how our image of God affects our life.

Four subjects you should never talk about: religion, politics, money and sex. In fact, do not even speak about sex in anything above a whisper, and avoid saying it whenever possible. Whether implicitly stated or not, this reflected a cultural/societal attitude. We learned more about ‘our changing bodies’ and sex from school films, peers (rarely respectfully), and astute observation than we did from parents or the church. Was God even aware that sex existed? Is it just something I am not supposed to do or even think about?

Having grown up on a Dairy Farm, I was aware of sexual dynamics a bull, a cow, heat, crazed looks, the act, pregnancy, and voila~ baby calf (which a male calf was usually castrated). It all seemed pretty scientific, and honestly, a little painful. God, does sex make us crazed, obsessed, and maybe, a little stupid? Does it lead to pain? Our consciousness certainly makes us different than animals.

Sexuality came to the forefront in my university years: I was in the theater! In High School, the closest contact I had with homosexuality was reading Walt Whitman. Here I was confronted with homosexual men and women. My freshman year I was at a theater party, a guy and girl literally had me cornered, back to the wall, and started asking if I liked girls or guys. Almost hyper-ventilating, I was quick on my reply, “Guys, I like guys.” Ah…. God, care to explain this? Gay, lesbian, bi—what? Heck, their people, whatever, just not my thing.

I still do not know entirely what to make of homosexuality. However, I dislike the hateful way the Church treats individuals within that lifestyle. Is it a lifestyle? Are people born homosexual, or is it a combination of both? Does God create people that way? Or maybe it is like a disability, a genetic flaw. I have difficulty equating it simply to a ‘disability,’ mostly because of the value society assigns to the disabled. Straight, gay, disabled, or not – why are we so likely to devalue one in valuing the other? I do not think God desires to create people homosexual anymore than He desires for them to be disabled, but this does not negate their value as humans.

Other questions arise out of various church traditions: Are women temptresses? Are men out of control? Is God tempting us to be out of control? Why does sexuality put us at such odds with one another? Is sex what needs to happen not necessarily because you love someone, but because you need to be loved?

I do not think God meant it to be used as an exercise of power between the sexes. Yet in the degradation of each gender, I feel violated, because it fails to recognize the value we each have as created male and female in the image of God. Nor are can I accept that men and women are simply sex-crazed beings out of control. However, sex beyond God’s context (marriage/love) has brought physical, emotional, and psychological pain into people’s lives.

The Bible makes it clear that God created sex/sexuality as a good thing. Adam and Eve are told to be fruitful and multiply, but combating a sterile, duty perspective, Song of Songs also provides an image of a love-struck, passionate sexual relationship. Some people argue that Eve out of her sexuality tempted Adam, and Adam, in the weakness of his sexuality, fell for it, but I think that interpretation (besides inaccurate) slights God, and fails to recognize our desire as humanity to make ourselves like God.

I do not believe Yahweh-God is a sexual being (especially as we compare Him to the Greco-Roman Gods), but He created sex as a wedding gift not only for procreation, but also for pleasure. There is a growing church trend to address sex and sexuality from a Biblical perspective. Sex is prevalent in our society, because God created us as sexual beings. Yahweh is not afraid of us talking about sex.

It is through my relationship with Christ that I have been able to come to a much healthier understanding of sexuality as God has created it. In understanding sexuality within God’s context, the subject can be broached with purity and not a sense of speaking a dirty language.