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Old 08-07-2009, 02:40 PM   #15
joelnwil
Major Inhabitant
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Silver Spring MD
Posts: 128
Many men have a visceral anti-gay reaction to man sex. One of the reasons may be that they know in their hearts that they could enjoy at least being on the receiving end of some man sex. But that is taboo, so it bothers them.

Back many years ago, when I was at Yale Divinity School, one of my friends was totally opposed to oral sex. He said that he would kick a woman out of bed if she tried something like that on him. Clearly, he had some problems. Oddly enough, his name was Claude Peters, but I will let that one go.

The thing is that the conservative, particularly Catholic, teachings on sex are just flat ignored by the overwhelming majority. The number of couples who are virgins when they get married for the first time is statistically insignificant. Masturbation, accouding to the Pope, is "a seriously disordered act." Yet it is a universal practice. Just about the only thing that some people pay attention to is the prohibition on homosexuality. But it is part and parcel of archaic nonsense on sex and sexuality that goes back to a patriarchial society. Such ideas are simply not rational.

Fortunately, some churches, such as the Episcopal Church in America, have taken a decent stance, and it has cost some members. But that church is doing well, really. The local parish to which I go has a Lesbian priest as the rector. Everybody seems to get along OK.

The proper thing that the church should do is to deal with the new ideas about sexuality by developing a moral theology on the topic. In an age of sexual freedom, what are the proper standards for behavior? I don't mean a set of fixed rules, but just because we have freedom it does not follow that any behavior is OK.

For example, be realistic. I told my daughter that the first person she had sex with was probably not going to be the only one, and that it was likely that she have several romances before she found the one she wanted to be with permanantly. Right now she is on guy #3 (well, that I know of), and it looks like this is going to last.

I was at an Episcopal Church in Houston in the 1980's, and about 1/3 of the congregation was gay. Surely the rector knew, but he acted, and preached as if everybody was straight. Not actually much of a help to the gay guys.
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