How should people behave in matters sexual?
As convent school girls, and former convent school girls, we have to think about these things quite a lot.
Are we to take the Bible seriously when it comes to rules about sex or rules in general?
God's Commandments, according to the Old Testament, include ( Ebon Musings: The Big Ten) :
The firstborn offspring of every cow and sheep is to be sacrificed to God.
The blood of a sacrifice shall not be offered together with yeast, nor shall the sacrifice of the Passover feast be left until the next morning.
Do not boil a baby goat in its mother's milk.
Not much help there?
In Judges 11:29-40 ( ritual human sacrifice ), we read:
Jephthah made a vow to the LORD. He said, "If you give me victory over the Ammonites, I will give to the LORD the first thing coming out of my house to greet me when I return in triumph. I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering."
When Jephthah returned home to Mizpah, his daughter, his only child, ran out to meet him, playing on a tambourine and dancing for joy.
Jephthah said: "What a tragedy that you came out to greet me. For I have made a vow to the LORD and cannot take it back."
Jephthah kept his vow, and she died.
In Judges 21, God reportedly "orders the murder of all the people of Jabesh-gilead, except for the virgin girls who were taken to be forcibly raped and married. When they wanted more virgins, God told them to hide alongside the road and when they saw a girl they liked, kidnap her and forcibly rape her and make her your wife!" ( Evil Bible Home Page )
"The God of the Bible also allows slavery, including selling your own daughter as a sex slave (Exodus 21:1-11), child abuse (Judges 11:29-40 and Isaiah 13:16), and bashing babies against rocks (Hosea 13:16 & Psalms 137:9)." ( Evil Bible Home Page )
God/Jehovah slaughtered all the babies of Egypt in "Exodus" and ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in "Joshua" including women, children. (Top Ten List)
We conclude that some of the stuff in the Bible should be ignored.
SO, how should people behave in matters sexual?
In the days of Moses, the politicians and priests wanted the tribe to triumph; they wanted people to marry and have lots of children; they did not want people to simply hug and stroke each other; they wanted babies and more babies.
Times change.
SO, our advice is:
SO, our advice is:
1. In most circumstances it is good to give someone a hug or even to hold their hand; this is good for your health, so long as the beloved does not have a cold, and so long as the beloved is not someone else's carefully guarded property. Love everyone; and don't forget to hug the old, the ugly and the handicapped.
2. Stroking someone can be harmless and fun in most circumstances; but best avoid stroking someone else's girlfriend or boyfriend or wife or whatever if their is a risk of jealousy being created.
3. Married couples may indulge in deep intimacy, if they so wish, but in an over-crowded world, it is best if families only produce one or two children at most.
4. Outside marriage, penetration is usually best avoided, especially if there is a risk of spreading disease or producing unwanted babies.
5. Always try to be moderate and compassionate in your behaviour.
.
"Among bonobo apes, which are reputed to be jolly and sociable creatures, sex takes place between males and males, between females and females, between males and females, and between adults and children. Bonobos, according to recent research, may be closer to us than chimps; bonobos share 98% of our genetic profile. Among female couples, genito-genital rubbing takes place. Male bonobos stand back to back, one male rubbing his scrotum against the buttocks of another. Sexual activity among bonobos is casual and relaxed and seems to be the bonobos' way of avoiding conflict....
"For the Buddhists, all visual attraction is the reaction of the lower self. Fleshly charm does not last and is in a sense unreal. In other words, you don't need a girl/boyfriend; and the girl/boyfriend's sexiness is a bit of an illusion. However, according to the Buddhists, avoiding sex, while continuing to think foul thoughts, is not good. Better to obtain physical outlet, while thinking wholesome thoughts."
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