5. Sexuality Under Christian Views

Sexuality is a topic as old as the earth to talk about.

It is true because from the very beginning, God designed and created sexual instincts so that mankind can survive. It was written in Genesis: “Male and female he created mankind. God blessed them and God said to them: Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen 1:27-28).

God also said: “The LORD God said: It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suited to him. … He took out one of his ribs … The LORD God then built the rib that he had taken from the man into a woman and he brought her to the man.

The man said: “This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; This one shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of man this one has been taken.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body” (Gen 2:18, 21-24).

“The man gave his wife the name “Eve,” because she was the mother of all the living” (Gen 3:20).

Therefore, the husband and the wife are essentially related to each other, and maintain and develop the human species together. They are two but only one bone and flesh.

In the New Testament, Mathew Gospel, they are “no longer two, but one flesh” (Mt 19:6).

Although sexuality is not new, it still is a topic persistently clinging to us to the end of the world, because without exaggeration it is the unlimited source of creation, of rich forever-changing love, and the sublimation of mind.

Countless magnificent epics, masterpiece poetry and prose, melodious love songs, sorrowful romantic movies, all have a hint of sexual instinct.

If sexuality is the gift God gave the mankind, as Pope Francis repeated in his Apostolic Exhortation “Amoris Laetitia” (No. 150): “Sexuality is a marvellous gift to his creatures”, it must be respected, honored, and its value openly expressed.

However, seemingly for quite a few people, sexuality is a taboo topic, being contempted, hidden like something evil. Why this mess?

1. SEXUALITY AND SCIENCE
2. Sexuality is a natural instinct:

The human body is a very complicated biological apparatus, structured by nature, with specialized components, to preserve the species and pass it on to the next generation. Sexuality is the natural innate orientation no ordinary people can get rid of.

Beside the reproductive function, sexual behaviors help the couple to express their intimate feelings of attachment, love, sympathy, support, and co-responsibility for educating children and helping each other in the familial joy and happiness. Sexuality brings pleasure, mental and physical strength, and helps people feel happy and optimistic in their life.

• Sexual orientation:

Normally, like mammals in nature, the Creator created two clearly different genders, male and female, or men and women in the mankind, in order for procreation. This is called heterosexuality.

Science discovered in the stage of fetus that sexual gender is formed by combining X and Y chromosomes to create suitable body parts for the child: the pair XX is for a girl and XY for a boy. In the process of fetus development, hormones play a very important role in shaping sexual genders. In addition, a person’s personality is also influenced by the social environment.

Thus although the vast majority of people are heterosexual as nature intended, some other sexual orientations, called LGBT communities, result from genetics, hormones, or specific social circumstances:

• L for lesbian
• G for gay
• B for bisexual
• T for transgender
• Sexuality and psychoanalysis

Many people think unconsciousness is the biggest discovery of the mankind in the 19^th century.

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) was the father of modern psychoanalysis. He was the first to point out the importance of the unconscious in psychological activities.

Modern psychoanalysis is alleged that human mental activities can be divided into 3 levels: conscious, subconscious and unconscious.

Among them the unconscious is very important and occupies the biggest share, because it is the force that controls all human mental activities. It is the set of genetic instincts, personal and collective memories, over which we have no control. However, it controls most of our activities.

The subconscious is the middle level: half conscious and half unconscious. It consists of hidden things that can be brought back to the conscious level. It is like a screening net between the blind unconscious instincts and the conscious.

Consciousness is only the surface, accounting for a small part of psychological life. It is thought, will and freedom … that determine human behavior. For a long time we have only been interested in this part, but we do not think that it is very much influenced by the unknown deep layer of the unconscious.

According to modern psychoanalysis, the conflict between the conscious and the unconscious creates hidden memories, repression that can disturb psychological life, and give rise to mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, insanity…

The solution to psychological balance is to release the repressed emotion and bring it to the conscious area.

Freud also claimed that sexuality is actually more deeply rooted in the sexual energy he calls Libido. Libido is not only limited to specific genital organs, but also opens up to other organs, driving people to satisfy physiological pleasures.

Therefore, there are many behaviors that are consciously decided on, but under the compulsion of the unconscious, which we do not know and realize.

1. SEXUALITY IN THE BIBLE
2. The Old Testament:
3. Understanding the Bible from a historical perspective:

It should be reminded that biblical text is God’s words spoken to the contemporaries, in the contemporary language and culture, in order to instruct the mankind into the right path.

Bible readings must be understood according to the mentality of the times. Although the truth is unchanging, the context may be judged according to the progression of times and the situations.

Therefore, the historical progress is Old Testament, New Testament and the Church with delegated authority.

For example, today almost everyone accepts equal roles for men and women, but not in the previous societies.

Women only had the right to vote in Great Britain, Germany in 1918, in the United States in 1920, France in 1944, Italy in 1946, in Saudi Arabia in 2015, and in many other places women still do not have the right to vote, needless to mention joining the government.

Feminism is not natural, but there must be many movements to fight and change social concepts. Social institutions gradually became perfect in historical timeline. That is obvious.

The concept of sexuality also evolved with the times. Therefore, we see very clearly that sexual activities may be free or strictly limited depending on social circumstances or times.

The Old Testament was written to the Jews hundreds or thousands of years BC. Peoples’ mentality at that time was certainly different from that at New Testament times and our times of 2,000 years CE.

That said, it does not mean that the nature of sin changes with time. The Ten Commandments of God, passed down from the time of Moses, more than 3,000 years ago, are still valid and will remain valid forever.

• Sexuality in the Old Testament:

Viewpoints on sexuality sex seemed very liberal in the Old Testament books. Many times we feel something very shocking and confusing, embarrassing and wild, even in respectable characters like Abraham.

The Bible says there was a famine causing Abraham to flee to Egypt. Seeing that his wife Sara was beautiful, afraid of being harmed, Abraham told his wife: “Look, I know you are a beautiful woman. When the Egyptians see you, they will say: “That is his wife!”, and they will kill me and let you live. So please say that you are my sister, so that people will treat me well for your sake” (Gen 12:11-13).

And indeed, the king of Egypt saw beautiful Sarah, slept with her, and gave Abraham many cattle and laborers. The Lord punished the king of Egypt and after that, the king returned Sarah to Abraham and sent him away.

Lot’s story is even more disgusting: after God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of their overwhelming sin, Lot went up the mountain to stay in a cave with his two daughters. The two girls discussed serving wine to their father so that they could have sex with him, hoping for an heir: “The older sister gave birth to a son and named him Moab; that is the ancestor of the Moabites today. The younger sister also gave birth to a son and named him Ben Ammi; this is the ancestor of the Ammonites today” (Gen 19:37-38).

King David’s sex life was much worse. Admiring the beauty of Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife, while she bathed, David took over her sexually and plotted to transfer Uriah, her husband, to the battlefield, to kill him using the enemy’s hand, in order to take over his loyal servant’s wife, and David was satisfied with that deplorable conspiracy.

“When the Uriah’s wife heard that her husband had died, she mourned her lord. But once the mourning was over, David sent for her and brought her into his house. She became his wife and bore him a son.

But in the sight of the LORD what David had done was evil” (2 S 11:26-27).

David regretted his actions. Then David said to prophet Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” Nathan answered David: “For his part, the LORD has removed your sin. You shall not die, but since you have utterly spurned the LORD by this deed, the child born to you will surely die” (2 S 12:13-14).

Polygamy, violence, sexual abuse, adultery, rape, contempt for women’s dignity, prostitution, incest, are not uncommon in the Old Testament books.

In a half-civilized tribal society, with under-developed culture, nomadic life, fighting and killing for survival, land appropriation, victories for the strongest, honor of male strength, struggles against harsh nature, hunger … nothing was difficult to understand about such a wild sex life.

The Song of Songs was excellent ancient poetry of the human literary treasure, appeared around the 4-5^th century BC, referred to the sexual passion of a couple in love. Biblical commentators view it as an inspired book, expressing God’s love for His people. Today, many families still do not want their minor children to read it.

But one thing was unchanged: the law was very clear about forbidding adultery, “You shall not commit adultery” (Ex 20:14).

The hand of God always defends the righteous, always stands on the side of the honest and punishes wrong doers, but also is always patient, tolerant and kind to the repentant.

The Old Testament law was strictly enforced: “Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot” (Dt 19:21).

This is understandable, because if the law is too soft, the society will not be able to survive and resist cruel enemies. If you lose, you will be destroyed.

The law against adultery is stated: “If a man is discovered lying with a married woman, both shall die” (Dt 22:22).

Harsh discipline shows us a society where rule is based on fear and punishment to stabilize and maintain order.

It is different in the New Testament. Man no longer lives in fear, slavery, but in freedom, grace and love…

• The New Testament:

Jesus said: “I have not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it” (Mt 5:17), the time has come, according to God’s plan of salvation. The New Testament fulfilled what the Old Testament had not done yet. One could say that, Jesus’s words “It is finished” (Jn 19:30) while dying on the cross, expressed this meaning of his mission.

God’s revelation to mankind was complete in Jesus. And the death on the cross is the culmination of the plan of salvation, showing His love for man, the creature He created and was very “pleased” with, and “God sees that everything he has made is very good” (Gen 1:31).

So is sexuality. Surely we will recognize its true meaning in the gospel taught by the Lord.

1. Sexuality and human dignity:

Jesus “normalized” and considered the relationship between men and women to be a natural one. The Jewish society is also somewhat similar to our old Confucian feudal society with the concept of “male and female distance”, with respect for men and contempt for women.

Jesus rested next to a well and talked with a Samaritan woman, while the disciples went into the city to buy food.

On their return, “They were amazed to see him talking to a woman” (Jn 4:27).

Social stratification was everywhere, especially among the Jews: the priests and the Pharisees were seated first, and the lowest classes were listed as sinners like tax collectors, and especially prostitutes who were despised and avoided in socialization: “You shall not offer a prostitute’s fee or a dog’s pay as any kind of votive offering in the house of the LORD, your God; both these things are an abomination to the LORD, your God” (Dt 23:19).

Or in the book of Proverbs: “Whoever consorts with harlots squanders his wealth” (Pr 29:3).

Jesus did not mind that.

And one day “Jesus went to a Pharisee’s house and ate at the table. Suddenly a woman, who was a sinner in the city, learned that he was dining at the Pharisee’s house, and brought an alabaster jar containing fragrant oil. She stood behind him at his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment. Seeing this, the Pharisee thought to himself, “If this man were indeed a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him that she is a sinner!” (Lk 7:36-39).

Jesus freed the minds of the wise in upper classes of society, the scribes and the Pharisees, so that they should respect people of these so-called lower classes: “Tax collectors and prostitutes will enter the kingdom of God before you” (Mt 21:31).

Or the story of an adulterous woman:

 “The scribes and Pharisees brought before Jesus a woman caught in adultery. They put her in the middle and said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the book of the law, Moses commanded us to stone those women. What do you think?” They said this in order to test him, to have evidence against him. But Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground with his finger. Because they kept asking, he looked up and said to them: “Whoever among you is without sin, let him throw the first stone. Then he stooped again and wrote on the ground. Hearing this, they all left, one after the other, starting with the elderly, leaving only Jesus, and the woman standing in the middle. He looked up and said: “Hey sister, where are they? No one condemns you?” The woman replied, “Sir, there is no one.” Jesus said, “Neither do I, I do not condemn you! Now go, and from now on sin no more” (John 8:3-11).

Jesus guided those in the old strict law-abiding society, which was insensitive to the frailty of man, toward a humane society full of humanity, sympathy, and forgiveness: “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her” (Jn 8:7)

And also to put man at the center: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mk 2:28).

It is true that Jesus bring the rule of law applied to childish, immature people toward the human rule of a society of understanding, love, tolerance and compassion, which are characteristics of the Church of Christ?

“Let each one have his own wife or husband” (1 Co 7: 2) and “Let husband and wife not deny each other … lest Satan take advantage of them because of their inability to continence” (1 Co 7:5).

• Responsible sexuality, human dignity and gender equality:

Sexuality is not possession, but first of all a responsibility: “The husband should fulfill his duty toward his wife, and likewise the wife toward her husband” (1 Co 7:3).

Human dignity: “Avoid immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the immoral person sins against his own body” (1 Co 6:18). “For you have been purchased at a price.” (1 Co 6:20).

And equality: “A wife does not have authority over her own body, but rather her husband, and similarly a husband does not have authority over his own body, but rather his wife” (1 Co 7:4).

Adultery and fornication come from within, from thoughts, not from outward appearance:

“Everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Mt 5:27).

Thus it is clear: According to the New Testament sexuality is not a one-sided appropriation, not to satisfy instinctual desires, but expresses a genuine marriage, in the spirit of respect for each other’s bodies, in a personal relationship of voluntary and equal love.

Men and women are born with differences to complement each other to survive and develop. There must have been a balance so that humans could exist since the beginning of the world and are still developing. The gender inequality we spot here and there is only the surface. Phenomena of brute force and violence seem to be women oppression, but few people realize that “willows are weak yet they bind other wood”. Reality proves that the dominant power of men has been neutralized.

God created the mankind male and female. Men belong to yang, showing strength, hardiness, hard work, persistence, reasonable judgment, extroversion … Women, on the contrary, are meek, emotional, introversion … and belong to yin.

In a society that requires strength to cope with adversity such as a nomadic life, farm labor, and war, the role of men is emphasized. In the Old Testament, the New Testament to this day, in fact, women are still assistants to men.

Saint Paul still did not accept women without their veils; women should dress to look like women. Similarly, in many eastern churches today, women still take their reserved seats.

In the Church today, the main role in pastoral and liturgy is still reserved for men. In developed countries, the role of women is highly valued and has become law. But since the founding of the country, not one of the 46 US presidents has been female. However, no one denies the dignity of women and has respect for men and contempt for women. Perhaps the opposite is true.

At some point, society will not consider the role of strength as the top necessity, but rather intelligence and ingenuity.

Women will be freed from housework, childbirth, and go out to work more. I think things will be different, and the problem is only the limitation of historical ages, not the inequal status between men and women.

1. CHURCH TEACHINGS

Before ascending to heaven, Jesus founded His Church.

1. The Church of real authority:

The role of the Church is to continue the mission of Jesus: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Mt 28:19).

The Church has real authority entrusted by Jesus: “You are Peter, meaning “rock”, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the powers of death will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven …” (Mt 16:18-19).

A Church with true authority: “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Mt 16:19).

Man’s destiny must be determined by man. God helps but He does not replace him. Man’s will and freedom are respected by God, so it’s no wonder in history that we see a lot of errors in the Church administered by humans.

The Church does not invent new truths, but only “teach them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Mt 28:20).

We believe that Jesus is always present with the Church as He said: “I will not leave you orphans” (Jn 14:18). “And behold, I will be with you always, to the end of the age” (Mt 28:19-20).

In addition, the Church is moved and guided by the Holy Spirit: ” The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name — he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you” (Jn 14:26).

• Church teachings on sexuality:

As mentioned above, the Church has the role entrusted by the Lord himself, to evangelize and “teach them the things that I have commanded you” (Mt 28:20).

Not to mention the sacraments instituted by God, through which the Church communicates God’s grace to the faithful. The Church also has the task of preserving, interpreting and spreading the revealed truths of God, and accompanying the faithful through the course of human history.

The times are constantly evolving and changing, so the Church must also update and renew herself to be useful through the times.

The Church does not create new truths, but interprets God’s revealed truth, to suit the peculiarities of each time. She is a consultant and companion with real power and authority, as we have analyzed above. In simple words: The Church only issues guidelines for implementing God’s law into concrete life.

To summarize, the Church’s position on sexuality has several key points:

• Monogamous marriage.
• Marriage is only legal in heterosexual marriage.
• Sexuality is considered justifiable in marriage.

One thing must be acknowledged: the good thing about the concept of “philosophy is the handmaid of theology”, is that moral and doctrinal issues are deeply explained and analyzed by the intellect to avoid errors and superstitions. But on the other hand, it is greatly influenced by the prevailing philosophical trends.

We see quite clearly the influence of Plato’s philosophy on the thought of Saint Augustine (354-430), a great saint and doctor of the Church. This philosophy considers the body to be the prison of the spirit. Only the spirit is the sublime; whatever of the body is vile and must be suppressed. Sex is not respected, but on the contrary despised.

Another saint and doctor, whose philosophical thought greatly influenced theological interpretation, was Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274). St. Thomas was influenced by Aristotelian philosophical thought, considering body and soul as a unity. Accordingly, sexuality is a function of the physical body whose purpose is to maintain the species. Sexuality is just for procreation.

Both of these philosophies have long dominated the Christian theology, with enormous strict influence on social morality.

Thus, there arose in Western culture the movements of protest, which we call “sexual revolution”. Typical was the Hippie movement in the 1960s-1970s of the last century: advocating freedom of love, natural sexuality, free sexual expression, no reason for prohibition or repression.

Underestimating the moral value, responsibility, and spiritual beauty of self-discipline, this trend went too far, becoming depraved and decadent. Rates of divorce, abortion, and suicide are high. Family values ​​have since faded and corrupted.

The sexual revolution seemingly removed the restraint, but in fact led to deadlocks and emptiness. Fortunately, thanks to the emergence and raging of the incurable AIDS virus, in the 1980s, those mistakes were partly good warnings and clearly realized, and extreme ideas of the “revolution” were curbed.

• Church of fraternal charity and love:

The first communities were the Church of brotherhood and love.

Acts of the Apostles states that “All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their property and possessions and divide them among all according to each one’s need … They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart, … and enjoying favor with all the people” (Acts 2:44-47), just as the Lord commanded: “All shall know that you are my disciples, in this respect, you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

We have so many words about love, but we impose too many complex rules, judgments and allegations on each other. That is certainly not true.

Of course an organization must have rules. But above all, the Church is not as closely structured earthly organizations that serve the interests of the system but sacrifice its individual members.

Saint Paul wrote: “For whoever loves others has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8).

The Church of Jesus serves but does not rule, saves but does not eliminate, liberates but does not condemn. The Lord said: “The Sabbath was made for man” (Mk 2:27), to serve man, teach the human heart by the law of love, and only the law of love is the highest, as Saint Paul said: “Brother, do not owe one another anything, but love one another” (Romans 13:8).

The Church suffers from clericalism. I think, as long as we still subjectively make all binding laws, and then set up a court to judge those violations, we cannot eradicate clericalism at its root.

Today, children come home to feel the atmosphere of love, tolerance, care and forgiveness. The harsher the home is, the more they get away from it.

God is not like that. In the parable of the prodigal son, He is like a kind father, not bothering about his son’s confession, but embracing him. Questioning, comparing, and condemning are the attitudes of his brother…

• Church of counseling and reconciliation:

Sexuality, as we all know, is a very complex issue everyone has to deal with. It is very intense and personal, private and secret, and not easy to express. It has a heavy impact on everyone’s life, sometimes leaving psychological trauma, causing severe consequences.

First of all, according to psychoanalysis, it needs a reliable counselor and a relief mechanism to bring back psychological balance.

For Christians, the priest represents God in the sacrament of reconciliation, fully capable and empowered to take on that role.

Come and confide your secret problems to the priest and get God’s merciful pardon to ease all your heartaches: “I will support and strengthen you … and your hearts will have peace” (Mt 11:28-29).

The Church holds revealed truth to refer to and to illuminate the right truthful things.

But as analyzed: psychological behavior is extremely complex. The human soul is a private, enclosed garden that is not easy to explore and especially, as far as we know, it works largely by an unconscious mechanism that is also very obscure to the subject.

Therefore, in some cases, the individual must deal with problems in his or her honest conscience.

Regarding the role of conscience, the Second Vatican Council, in Constitution “Joy and Hope” article 16, says:

“In the depths of his conscience, man detects a law which he does not impose upon himself, but which holds him to obedience. Always summoning him to love good and avoid evil, the voice of conscience when necessary speaks to his heart: do this, shun that.

For man has in his heart a law written by God; to obey it is the very dignity of man; according to it he will be judged.

Conscience is the most secret core and sanctuary of a man. There he is alone with God, Whose voice echoes in his depths.”

In fact, the objective voice of conscience is often distorted due to poor perception or many other subjective factors. Advice and adjustment is needed, and the person should not decide by himself.

CONCLUSION:

Gone are the overly stoic thoughts: views that sexuality is nothing good, should be hidden, and not mentioned. On the contrary sexuality is God’s gift to man, a very precious thing.

Gone is the clericalist spirit, through which God’s representatives are harsh jurists, cold judges, who know only the law itself, and punish sinners.

On the contrary, they are good companions, with the gentle face of Christ, sympathize with the fragile and imperfect condition of man, and always enforce the law of love to bring God’s mercy to the penitent.

Come to God’s Church, like a home to return and warm up, when “orphaned and cold on the street” (poem by Huy Can), find the peace that the world does not have: “I give you my peace. I give you peace not in the worldly way. Do not be troubled, nor be afraid” (John 14:27).

The Lord said to his beloved disciples: “I am the vine, and you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit” (John 15:5). The Church is the body of Christ, and anyone who leaves the Church will be like a branch that leaves the tree and withers away.

Sexuality is beautiful and lovely, but at the same time as intense as a flood current that washes away everything. Experience has shown that, if there is no dam and no dyke to store water and adjust the course, flood water will overflow and cause untold damage.

The herd mentality, especially in our society: look around, everyone is the same, without a good reason to justify their wrongdoing. Keep your good Christian identity, to be at ease with a clear conscience: no torment and no guilt that anyone, whether good or bad, Christian or non-Christian, has be engraved in the hearts by God.

We live in the world, but we do not belong to the world: “You do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world” (Jn 15:19).

Our lives may be drifting in the course of history, governed by social laws and times, but we have God’s living word as directive guideline. We will no longer be thirsty because we have found a cool spring, like the Samaritan woman who met Jesus at Jacob’s well and asked him for living water:

“If you knew the gift of God, and who is speaking to you…” (Jn 4:10), then…

Chastity is not the elimination of sexuality or sexual desires, but the opposite. It is also not “romantic” to let go sexual waves: dissolute, unprincipled like a wild horse.

It is abstinence and self-control, and our great blessing will be to see the face of God, as the Lord said in the Eight Beatitudes on the mountain: “Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God” (Mt 5:8).