Religious View of Human Sexuality

There is an amazing diversity of beliefs about human sexuality among Christians, Jews, Muslims, the followers of other faith groups, and those who are not affiliated with any organized religion. Many faith groups seem obsessed with sex and gender matters.

On matters related to human sexuality, Americans tend to be polarized between social and religious conservatives and liberals/progressives.

Beliefs about human sexuality differ widely and are generally influenced greatly by an individual's religious affiliation:

• Followers of the liberal wings of all religions generally hold beliefs which are largely based on scientific studies.
• Secularists -- Agnostics, Atheists, Free Thinkers, Humanists, NOTAs (None of the Above; unaffiliated with a religon) etc. -- hold beliefs similar to liberals.
• Followers of the conservative wings of all religions generally base their beliefs about sexuality upon their interpretation of passages from their holy books.

Conservatives from all religions tend to agree that only opposite-gender sexual behavior is moral, and then only between a man and a woman who are married to each other.

Religious liberals are also largely in agreement among themselves, and tend to value sexual behavior as acceptable if it is consensual, at a low risk for pregnancy or sexually transmitted infection (STI) transmission, if the persons are sufficiently mature, and perhaps if it occurs within a committed relationship.

Almost all groups disapprove of sexual behavior that is non-consensual, manipulative, forced, or unsafe. However, there were some profoundly misogynistic religious traditions that required women to submit to being raped by their husband.


Source: http://www.religionfacts.com/