What Is Sexual Atheism, and Why Is It Wrong?

[Mike Cl]

I'll be honest- when I first read that I thought it was "sexual athleticism". 

That would include Jimmy Swaggert then--and the catholic priests, of course.

[Aletheia]

Sexual atheism is having sex with someone who claims to be a God and you don't believe them.

[stromboli]

Sexual atheism is having sex with someone who claims to be a God and you don't believe them.

Good definition as any. Sort of make up a phrase and define it your way, imo.

[SGOS]

sexual atheism

I admit, my first reaction was to actually expend a small amount of intellectual energy trying to understand what this meant.  Then I watched part of the video, and threw in the towel when I started getting the feeling that it wasn't necessary to understand what it meant.  But it's still under my skin.  How about sexual theism?  What would that be?  People engaging is sexual acts of a religious nature.  OK now I'm getting somewhere.  Using that as a starting point, sexual atheism would be people engaging in sexual acts that are not of a religious nature.

But that's exactly what most people do.  How many people engage in sexual acts of a religious nature?  I'm sure there are a few, and I'm sure most people would think such sexual behavior was weird.  Like really weird.  Would it include people having intercourse while asking God to smite their boss?  I dunno.  Who knows?

[Termin]

sexual atheism

I admit, my first reaction was to actually expend a small amount of intellectual energy trying to understand what this meant.  Then I watched part of the video, and threw in the towel when I started getting the feeling that it wasn't necessary to understand what it meant.  But it's still under my skin.  How about sexual theism?  What would that be?  People engaging is sexual acts of a religious nature.  OK now I'm getting somewhere.  Using that as a starting point, sexual atheism would be people engaging in sexual acts that are not of a religious nature.

But that's exactly what most people do.  How many people engage in sexual acts of a religious nature?  I'm sure there are a few, and I'm sure most people would think such sexual behavior was weird.  Like really weird.  Would it include people having intercourse while asking God to smite their boss?  I dunno.  Who knows?

Sexual theism would be the process of having sex, only while married , on bedsheets made of one fabric , whilst wearing special underwear and having at least one member of the clergy present to instruct the couple on the proper procedure to make it as quick, precise, and lacking any sort of lustful feeling.

  After the deed is done, both will have to pray for forgiveness, the man will have to wash himself in clean stream outside of town, and the woman will have to keep herself covered and maintain a strict level of modesty throughout the pregnancy.

[Savior2006]

I was thinking the same thing.  AKA Cherry Picking. AKA metaphorical not literal.  AKA typical theist.

I've had a lot of friends in college like that. Yeah they believe in God, but they don't let that get in the way of them living their lives, occasionally getting drunk and having sex.

[Atheon]

I must be a sexual theist because I say "Oh god oh god" when I'm getting it good.

[Munch]

I must be a sexual theist because I say "Oh god oh god" when I'm getting it good.

I just think of it that I'm thinking of Thor when its happening. He's a god after all.



oh yeah god of thunder indeed >:)

[Ace101]

Sexual asceticism is wrong, and results in lower testosterone in men - and too much sexual repression may very well lead to dysfunction and paraphilias (it likely had a role in the Catholic priests molesting little boys).

I think Christians' negative fixation with sex is just part of the authoritarian nature of religious fundamentalism in general - it has a lot of parallels with totalitarian regimes (such as commie China, where prostitution and pornography are banned as well).

I believe denying people of sensual pleasures is just a standard authoritarian practice - the idea is that people who are more pleasure deprived are easier to manipulate and control - ex. if a Christian fundamentalist is allowed to enjoy sex, booze, music, dancing, etc - he'd be much more likely to realize just how much more fun it is than "worshiping God" every day.

The idea is to eliminate any and all competing "pleasures" so the only remaining pleasure is to serve the state, the church, the cult leader, etc

[Savior2006]

I believe denying people of sensual pleasures is just a standard authoritarian practice - the idea is that people who are more pleasure deprived are easier to manipulate and control - ex. if a Christian fundamentalist is allowed to enjoy sex, booze, music, dancing, etc - he'd be much more likely to realize just how much more fun it is than "worshiping God" every day.

The idea is to eliminate any and all competing "pleasures" so the only remaining pleasure is to serve the state, the church, the cult leader, etc

In a nut.......shell.=D

[Baruch]

To give a contrast ... in Hasidic Judaism, hetero sex is encouraged.  Specifically, doing the deed is best done on the Sabbath, because it doesn't count as work but as re-creation ... literally.  It isn't talked about, but in belief there are two gods, G-d and G-ddess ... who make out on the Sabbath ... hieros gamos.  So on the general magical principle of "as it is above, so it is below" ... the fundamental act of creation is reinforced by G-d's followers.  Tantric Judaism.

There are two sources of Christian ascetism.  To not fornicate like Romans (who were sex & war maniacs following Venus/Aphrodite ... who is married to Mars/Ares).  And by borrowing from Buddhism/Hinduism.  Members of the Sangha (Buddhist monks and nuns) are under strict self discipline, including no sex at all, since this distracts from meditation, the miracle of Nirvana.  Yogis (who aren't Tantric) are saving up thru asceticism ... so that they will have the necessary spiritual power to perform the miracle of Moksha. 

So unless you are from India, and trying to achieve spiritual perfection ... there is no need to be ascetic.  Similarly ... though I have nothing against pagans, and the secret name of Roma is Amor, I do think being a maniac is a clinical condition that may require intervention.  As far as self discipline goes, I think a little goes a long way ... and the alternative is for the authorities to exert community discipline ... and nobody likes that.  But I would characterize most diatribes against sex as ignorant.

[Munch]

Maybe when such Christians imagine atheist sex, they imagine its more like this:

(nsfw)
[spoiler][/spoiler]

Cause the atheist sodomite devils that we are.

[trdsf]

I have always found the Christian (and other religions) fascination with sex telling.  It's a power thing -- Orwell stated it most clearly in 'Nineteen Eight Four', thusly:

Unlike Winston, she had grasped the inner meaning of the Party's sexual puritanism.  It was not merely that the sex instinct created a world of its own which was outside the Party's control and which therefore had to be destroyed if possible.  What was more important was that sexual privation induced hysteria, which was desirable because it could be transformed into war fever and leader worship.  The way she put it was:

"When you make love you're using up energy; and afterwards you feel happy and don't give a damn for anything.  They can't bear you to feel like that.  They want you to be bursting with energy all the time.  All this marching up and down and cheering and waving flags is just sex gone sour.  If you're happy inside yourself, why should you get excited about Big Brother and the Three Year Plans and the Two Minutes Hate and all the rest of their bloody rot?"

That was very true, he thought.  There was a direct, intimate connection between chastity and political orthodoxy.  For how could the fear, the hatred, and the lunatic credulity which the Party needed in its member  be kept at the right pitch except by bottling some powerful instinct and using it as a driving force?  The sex impulse was dangerous to the Party, and the Party had turned it to account.

And the thing is, if you substitute 'religion' (or the name of any of several particular religions) for 'the Party' and 'god' for 'Big Brother' and so on, it is still perfectly valid.

And the reason that they get so exercised about it is for the exact same reasons: it means that we are not under their control, and control is the name of the game.  This is certainly why some denominations are so violently opposed to equal marriage rights: they have spent so long declaring that the only purpose of sex is procreation, and homosexual relations are not about procreation.

One wonders why, if they're so adamant that marriage is about procreation, these same churches wouldn't hesitate to marry a straight couple where one or both partners were sterile due to a medical condition, or an older widow and widower who were past reproduction age.

Oh, yes, silly me.  Because they're rampaging hypocrites.