Still working to recover. Please don't edit quite yet.
Christian perspectives on human sexuality
Throughout history, the Christian Church (and its varied denominations) has held evolving views on various issues regarding human sexuality. The church has held positions on sexual orientation, reproductive issues, and the act of intercourse itself. Traditionally, the Christian church has condemned homosexuality, fornication (sex outside of marriage), divorce, adultery, and acts they deemed sodomy (amongst heterosexual as well as homosexual individuals). Most denominations of the church also condemned polygamy.
Today, many mainline churches have begun to revaulate some, though not all, of these traditional views.
Contents
Sexual Intercourse[edit]
Traditionally, most denominations of Christianity have held that sexual intercourse is a gift from God and part of the covenant of marriage. According to this belief, individuals should abstain from sexual intercourse until marriage and practice monogamy once they are married.
Today, some branches of Christianity (such as Liberated Christians) have adopted more permissive views about intercourse. Most mainline Protestant churches, however, still believe in both abstinence and monogamy, although it is not an issue about which the are highly vocal. In contrast, many conservative evangelical and bible churches have very visible campaigns encouraging teen abstinence and “sexual purity†(see True Love Waits).
Marriage and Divorce[edit]
- See also: Religion and divorce#Christianity
Traditionally, most branches of the church forbid both homosexual marriage and polygamy. Today, some churches have begun to explore the possibility of moderating their policies on homosexual marriage. Polygamy, however, remains forbidden, and the Mormon church, which allowed polygamy in its early years, has condemed the practice for over a century.
King Henry the 8th of England broke away from the Catholic Church in order to remarry. While members of the Roman Catholic Church may obtain a civil divorce, religiously, a sacramental marriage cannot be ended. It is sometimes possible however, to obtain an annulment if it can be determined that the marriage was not actually sacramental in the first place. Catholics who have received annulements thus have never been sacramentally married, and are free therefore to enter marriage.
Christianity and Homosexuality[edit]
Traditionally, all denominations of the Christian church have held beliefs that condemned homosexual acts. Same-sex marriage was forbidden, and openly gay individuals were not allowed to become clergy. In recent years, some mainline churches have begun to adopt more progressive attitudes regarding the place of homosexual individuals in the church. Perhaps the most notable of these developments was the election, amid much controversy, by the Episcopal Church in the United States of a gay bishop.[1]
The Catholic Church and most conservative evangelical congragations have maintained traditional prohibitions on homesexual behavior.
Christianity and Reproductive Issues[edit]
- See also: religious views on birth control
See also[edit]
- General:
- Christianity and homosexuality:
- Christianity and Hetrosexality:
References[edit]
| This article contains content from Wikipedia. Current versions of the GNU FDL article Christian Perspectives on Human Sexuality on WP may contain information useful to the improvement of this article | WP |
