Chastity in Today's Society
In today’s society chastity has become less of a standard in most cases. The topic of sexual morality is a rising conflict with people of all ages. Sexual morality is mandatory in becoming a strong Christian.
Many look at sexual morality as an unimportant virtue. “Modern people are always saying Sex is nothing to be ashamed of.”(Lewis 98) Lust is the main purpose of the disobeying of this moral outlook. It is a desire everyone is born with and is very difficult to ignore, especially in the adolescent years. “Perversions of the sex instinct are numerous, hard to cure, and frightful.”(Lewis 97) This gives many the thought of is it is a natural instinct its O.K. All temptations should not be given into, such as this one. Lust is the key; it is much easier to give in to Lust than to turn away from it. Life gives us many temptations and it is our job to be strong and determine to prevail over temptation.
Abstinence is an attainable goal for everyone and is a quality many strive to find in a spouse. “Chastity is the most unpopular of the Christian virtues.”(Lewis 95) The purpose of sex is procreation. To give life is a gift we are blessed with and it is a sin to take advantage of that gift. We have a purpose as humans and that purpose is to reproduce. Sexual bliss is not the goal for our lives, a world were everyone is out to achieve sexual bliss would be a world of chaos. Everyone only looking to benefit themselves is not a quality of human nature. Letting lust drive your life will push you away from a Godly life and into a life of unfulfillment.
Sexual morality, while attainable by ones self the goal is much easier reached through the help of God. “We learn, on the one hand, that we cannot trust ourselves even in our best moments, and, on the other, that we need not despair even in our worst, for our failures are forgiven.”(Lewis 102) In Gods eyes, our strive for purity, is one in which he sees our desires but will help us through if we ask for his helping hand. If God desires for us to have chastity, then who can his wishes not be the right ones?
The association between monogamy, fidelity, and marriage has been the concern of religion over the years. It is said that Saint Augustine, who lived from A.D. 354 to 430, spread the Christian idea that adultery is a moral transgression for both men and women. Even the Ten Commandments forbid adultery. This attitude toward adultery, Fisher says, has long influenced the Western view of monogamy (84). In other words, religion has tried to moralize monogamy by injecting the belief that adultery is sinful and monogamy is permanent. Therefore, monogamy in a biological sense, contrary to the religious sense, does not necessarily connote sexual faithfulness of the partners, nor is it necessarily long term.
"That is why God gave them up to disgraceful sexual appetites, for both their females changed the natural use of themselves into one contrary nature and likewise even the males left the natural use of the female and became violently inflamed in their lust toward one another, males with males, working what is obscene and receiving in themselves the full recompense, which was due for their error." (Romans 1:26-27)
Upon reading first Corinthians 6:18-20, “Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body” (
Lea, Henry Charles. History of Sacerdotal Celibacy in the Christian Church. London: Williams & Norgate, 1907. Web.
In fact, it was his orders to Adam and Eve to “Be fruitful and multiply,” (Genesis 1:28). In this same book of Christian teachings we also see in the book of Songs of Solomon, many poems and singings celebrating sex and the union it creates. According to Christianity, sex is not something to be demonized. Sex is not a sinful act. In fact, God created sex for man to enjoy.
In the debate over homosexuality, Christian ethicists have many authorities to draw from. From the mixture of biblical sources, traditional authorities, empirical and descriptive accounts, and cultural norms, Cahill chooses general biblical themes and modern culture as the primary authorities for her ethic. This departure from traditional Roman Catholic teaching implies some flaw in the connection between the Holy Spirit, the church, and common believers. Cahill’s decision is her method of fixing this disconnect and reuniting Christ’s message with all believers.
While alleged sex addictions have existed for many years, they have only recently been accepted as valid excuses for sexual deviancy. Attitudes toward sex addiction in the past offer a stark contrast to how it is viewed today, as the constantly medicalizing society insists on putting everything under the technical microscope. Sex addiction is commonly associated with a person’s inability to control his sexual behavior, implying an abnormally high sex drive and obsession with sex which have negative effects on his personal life (MedicineNet 2007, 1). Rather than breaking down the science behind the disorder, a customary practice in today’s medicalized society, older attitudes towards sex addiction placed it under the same light as alcoholism, where a lack of control and unwillin...
Cohabitation is when a couple chooses to live together without marriage, becoming sexually active and turning away from God. The Catholic Church loves those who are engaged but strongly watch over them if they are cohabitating. Sex outside of marriage is morally wrong and sinful. Sadly, today cohabiting is the norm, (SC 1) unlike before where it was strongly disapproved and those who did cohabit with others were discourages but now the world does not care anymore. Many people choose to cohabit because they may feel naïve and may not understand what they are feeling or the temptation is too strong to fight. Also, many couples mistake this choice for freedom, thinking they are freer if they cohabit. That is where the virtue of chastity is needed because chastity is the virtue that helps have self-control over pleasures and wants. A chaste person is not driven by urges or passions but can control themselves for the gift of their true selves to their real spouse. God made sex as a way to express our love physically with our spouse after marriage and for procreation, but sex is abused when people use it for nothing more than for physical pleasure. (SC 1)Couples should not live together without marriage, because they will undermine the benefits of marriage and doing so will have them in spiritual danger, they will create psychological stress, and it jeopardizes family relationships.
...ndard that puts sex within the fidelity and security of marriage is the most responsible code that has ever been developed. You are justified in following it without apology as the best standard for protecting human, moral, and religious values that has been devised.
Education for family life and indeed for responsible life in society requires formation in chastity and self-discipline. By contrast, pornography and wanton violence can blind individuals to the divine image in the human person, can weaken marriage and family life, and can do serious harm to individuals and to society itself.
The famous bishop of Hippo, St. Augustine, is claimed as a cornerstone of Christian theology by both Catholics and Protestants. Many of his views are regarded by Christians as authoritative interpretations of the Bible because they have withstood heated debate throughout the centuries. Christians ought to ask, however, whether such allegiance is justifiable in all cases. Augustine's idea of sex after matrimony, for example, is very narrow, restricting actions and emotions married Christians today consider part of the beauty of intercourse. A logical assertion then, is that Augustine's view of sexuality, as delineated in many writings, is a response to his life of sensuality prior to salvation; therefore, his idea about the intent for sex within marriage stems more from his former sin than from Biblical perspective.
Sexuality is a necessary means of survival. In order for a population to continue the species relies on sexual reproduction to produce offspring to continue to thrive. There is a natural, internal instinct for sex just like an instinct to seek out food and shelter. They are all drives that we experience in order to keep going. “In most species, females are unwilling to engage in sex except during estrus, a period when the female is ovulating, sex hormone levels are high, and the animal is said to be in heat.” (Garrett, pg. 200) This means that most species of animals only engage in sex when the possibility of reproduction is present. People, however, are interesting because we have a more developed sexual drive. Sexuality for humans is more than just a means of reproduction and continuing our species. Sexuality has become evolved because people experience a much deeper, and social connection through sex with another person. This is not known to be true for many animal species, which is why human sexuality is such a complex
The issues of sexual ethics in relation to morality and perversion have been addressed in depth by each of the gentleman at this table. Sexual activity as described by Solomon and Nagle is comprised of a moral standard and ‘naturalness’ aspect. So, in claiming an act is perverted we must first examine it through a moral framework and understand how this interacts with the ‘naturalness’ of a particular act. Solomon makes the distinction as follows “Perversion is an insidious concept…To describe an activity as perverse is not yet a full blown moral condemnation, for it need not entail that one ought not to indulge in such activities.” Along with the examination of the nature of an act, there must be clear justification as to why sexual acts deserve special separate ethical principles. The question arises: does an act simply due to its sexual nature deserve a separate form of moral inquisition than other acts that occur in nature? In this essay I shall argue that perversion and immorality are not mutually exclusive. By this I mean that a sexual act that is, by my definition, immoral must also be perverted. It is also my contention that if an act is perverted we must also define it as immoral. This second part of the argument is contrary to what many of you have claimed. At the outset of this paper I would also like to state my support of Thomas Nagel’s argument holding that the connection between sex and reproduction has no bearing on sexual perversion. (Nagel 105)
Like many people in our time, Christians are studying and discussing issues related to human sexuality over many years. What is God’s view of sexuality? How are the pressures from a broader culture and the development of technology affecting God’s role in regards to human sexuality in tomorrow 's society?
There is constantly cessation why women and men cohabitate, nurture, desire, and endure. Many shrug the similarities and differences to the side due to the complex nature that is involved in understanding the progression. Since the beginning of time, according to the bible, man was placed as the dominant sex, fending for the families well being. The woman has tended to the important jobs around the homestead as situations arose. Often in society, one will find himself in a battle depending on the views of the receiving recipients. Following is a dialogue explaining a safe and metro sexual view as a general whole.