REL 1.07 Getting It: Sex and Religion
In the minds of many (particularly Christians), religion and sex do not belong together. Religion is understood to direct the individual to the contemplation of the divine and provide a moral code; sex and sexuality is often perceived as too human and too tied to pleasure to have anything to do with the divine. But if we examine the relationship between sexuality and religion, we find that the two are inextricably intertwined. Indeed, the understanding of humans as sexed beings (that is, with differing sexual identities and as beings who engage in sex) is often grounded in religious texts, practices, and ideologies. Yet that religious grounding, while seemingly so solid, proves surprisingly flexible in practice. We will examine comparatively the ways in which religious stories, beliefs, and practices have shaped across several traditions. In addition to studying the normative ways that religions constructed sex and sexuality, we also examine how communities and individuals have re-interpreted, re-shaped, and refused the boundaries of normative religion.