Sexual Ethics

In this paper, as a final year student at the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Pretoria, in fulfillment of the requirements for a Bachelor of Divinity Theology qualification, I aim to explore the history of Sexuality and Marriage as well as the concerns surrounding sexual and marital constructs as sociological issues, which 21st century Theology is often faced with: whether the Biblical ethics regarding premarital sexuality in its relation to marriage are still relevant for the 21st century...

This was a research paper for a course entitled Feminist and Multicultural Theologies. I unpack what gender complementarianism is, examine its history, and compare it to how Scripture and earlier Christian Tradition understood gender. This allows me to establish that gender complementarianism is a recent innovation in secular and Christian thinking about gender, and that it can be described as a "trajectory" from Scripture and Tradition on gender, influenced by social, ideological, and intellectual developments in secular societies. I then pursue a critique of gender complementarianism, arguing that it is an "unsatisfactory trajectory" because it has troubling implications for orthodox theology, is not borne out by empirical experience and observation, and has harmful effects on human beings and societies and on ethical development.

Art and Pornography presents a series of essays
which investigate the artistic status and aesthetic
dimension of pornographic pictures, films, and
literature, and explores the distinction, if there is
any, between pornography and erotic art. Is there
any overlap between art and pornography, or are
the two mutually exclusive? If they are, why is
that? If they are not, how might we characterize
pornographic art or artistic pornography, and how
might pornographic art be distinguished, if at all,
from erotic art? Can there be aesthetic experience of
pornography? What are some of the psychological,
social, and political consequences of the creation and
appreciation of erotic art or artistic pornography?
Leading scholars from around the world address these
questions, and more, and bring together different
aesthetic perspectives and approaches to this widely
consumed, increasingly visible, yet aesthetically
underexplored cultural domain. The book, the first
of its kind in philosophical aesthetics, will contribute
to a more accurate and subtle understanding of the
many representations that incorporate explicit sexual
imagery and themes, in both high art and demotic
culture, in Western and non-Western contexts. It is
sure to stir debate, and healthy controversy.

This essay analyzes the origin of sexuality and its relationship with the institution. The issue is addressed from the perspective of psychoanalysis (Freud, Lacan), anthropology (Claude Lévi-Strauss) and philosophy (Foucault, Butler, Zupančič, Žižek). From the analysis of sexual difference as “real/impossible” a perspective comes to light: sex it is not a symbolic construct and not even an extra-symbolic reference, but what marks the irreducible (contradiction) limit of the symbolic order.

Four decades ago Linda Mercadante began the discussion about homosexuality in JETS with a book review. Her review closed with the hope that the ensuing discussion would be characterized by more compassion, more study and re-examination rather than the hardening of long-held beliefs. This study surveys the published record of discussion in JETS about homosexuality and evaluates it first quantitatively and then qualitatively against the criteria set forth by Mercadante. Evidence is presented to substantiate that the discussion has indeed included more compassion, more study and re-examination. The most abundant form of evidence is more study and re-examination, with occasional corrective reflection but virtually no articles are sequenced in a point-counterpoint format which is an important element of many other discussions in JETS. This study strives to redress this deficiency in the discussion by responding to several recent articles published in JETS, with an irenic spirit that encourages constructive dialogue and corrective reflection in the historic tradition of the ETS.

У доповіді проаналізовано феномен селфі як наслідок поступового збільшення соціальної дистанції між людьми, відповідного перенесення реального життя у віртуальний простір і вибуху так званого «кліпового мислення», коли лайки та світлини заміняють глибші форми комунікації, притаманні старим формам епістолярного жанру. Описано також емпіричне дослідження певних особливостей самоставлення та нарцисизму студентської молоді, які проявляються через наявність або відсутність селфі-активності. Виявлено, що серед українського студентства селфіманія не отримала загрозливих розмірів, як це засвідчують зарубіжні дослідження, хоча і має певні негативні наслідки для особистісного стану. З’ясовано, що в цілому певна адаптивна селфі-активність студентів (до 10 світлин на тиждень) з викладенням їх у соціальних мережах не є шкідливою, навпаки, сприяє зниженню соціальної ізольованості, особливо в умовах переважання віртуальних контактів в часи вимушеного карантину. Проаналізовано позитивні аспекти селфі-активності (можливість самореалізації, покращення матеріального становища, один із засобів досягнути соціального успіху, популярності; можливість для самовираження, пізнання себе, підвищення самооцінки; розвиток творчого потенціалу; спілкування без меж, спосіб познайомитися з іншими) та негативні (селфі-адикція, заохочення духовної ліні, плекання поверховості, удавана само-реалізація, подоба  осмисленості, оманливе благополуччя, розвиток селфізму, відмова від реального спілкування, зниження самооцінки, фальшиве «Я», залежність від «лайків», психотравматичні епізоди, Інтернет-булінг, секстинг, харасмент). Феномен селфі в сучасних умовах усе більше пов’язаний із особистісним та сексуальним благополуччям. Зазвичай сексуальне благополуччя природно розглядати в
контексті парних стосунків чи взаємодій. Однак у віртуальному середовищі «парна взаємодія» відбувається з кожним, хто розглядає представлене на всезагальний огляд зображення в соцмережах з метою отримання позитивної реакції.
Ключові слова: селфі-активність; самопрезентація; самоставлення; психологічне благополуччя;
сексуальне благополуччя.

On July 21, 2021, journalists from Catholic Substack "The Pillar" published what they considered an expose of a priest who used the gay dating app Grindr. The controversy surrounding the story suggests the need for a Catholic ethic of privacy. I outline the beginning of one, starting with philosophical and legal reflections on privacy before turning to a theological defense for the right to privacy. Privacy is necessary for protecting goods related to the public, domestic and individual sphere, namely: reputation, family intimacy, and conscience. I then propose injustice as the major criterion for breaching the prima facie right to privacy and conclude with that grace and mercy ought to be normative elements of a Catholic ethic of privacy.

This paper presents a Platonist and Indo-hellenistic ascetic and renunciant view of sexual desire and sexuality and the necessity of celibacy on the spiritual path and concludes that for the many who won't be celibate contemplative ascetics/philosophers lawful and legitimate sexual activity is confined solely to heterosexual intercourse in the context of an indissoluble monogamous marriage.  Thus, it advocates the traditional sexual morality totally in opposition to the modern, naturalist, post-sexual revolution world.  This traditional sexual morality is exactly what the divine Plato advocates for the many in the Laws.

Social media has emerged as a powerful mechanism for the circulation of counter-hegemonic and feminist discourses of sexual violence (Michael Salter, 2013). There is now a burgeoning scholarship on the utility of social media for survivors and social movements against gendered violence (Fileborn, 2016; Keller, Mendes, & Ringrose, 2018; Loney-Howes, 2018). However, social media does not merely facilitate political communication. Through its architecture and embedded incentives, it produces sociality and shapes political discourses and practices in specific ways (Milan, 2015). Using the example of #MeToo, this chapter explores how social media directs online justice-seeking in a manner conducive to its underlying commercial interests, generating contradictions and moments of rupture in social movements. Adapting Dean’s (2005) conceptualization of “communicative capitalism”, the chapter examines three allegations of sexual misconduct that departed in significant ways from #MeToo’s prior focus on seeking justice for victims and survivors of sexual violence and harassment. The analysis suggests that market imperatives had a significant role to play in undermining and contradicting #MeToo’s promotion of ethical sexuality, and argues that online social movements should develop a more strategic orientation towards social media and networked technology.

I'm including in this bibliography monographs and edited volumes explicitly engaged with (predominantly) Christian religion and theology (with some nods to biblical studies and pastoral care) since about 2000 (with a couple important exceptions). It is not meant to be comprehensive, but rather takes in a limited vista. This list engages significant queer spaces, voices and queer theologies in such a way that opens to even more. Go for those lines of flight. Bibliographies should be queerly mysterious and performative too, no? Think of this list as an invitation to a conversation rather than the final word. Some voices will take queer liberationist lenses. Others more traditionalist. Also, consider: to be folded into these conversations are a number of important modern/contemporary queer theorists who impact on theology though wouldn't be considered theologians:

In this study, I aimed to subject to philosophical analysis the scientific data from biological science researches that are conducted into the phenomenon of homosexuality in order to give philosophical interpretation to it thereby establishing the normative values of the scientific findings. From the study, I observed that much of the scientific data on homosexuality established the phenomenon as ingrained in the human biological construct. I argued that although homoeroticism is biological construct of the homosexual, parenting plays significant role in the sexual identity ultimately developed by an individual. I have presented three conceptual frameworks to show how this happens. I determined that homoeroticism and homosexuality are not exactly the same thing; homoeroticism is a biological construct, while homosexuality is a social construct. I also determine that sexual orientation (which results from eros) is not necessarily the same thing as sexual identity (such as homosexuality or heterosexuality, which results from socialization processes). I argued that sexuality is a synthesis of dialectical interactions between the factors internal within and external to the homosexual " s body; but that the external is conditioned by the internal. I adopted the paradigm of existentialism as the philosophical framework for the analysis. In conclusion, I argued that if the homosexual " s sexual orientation is native biological construct of his/her body, then the homosexual has no control over his/her sexual orientation. The philosophical implication of that finding is that homoeroticism is facticity; and as facticity the homosexual cannot escape from being homosexual. Despite this, I used the Two-Way Test (TWT) to show that homosexuality is immoral act; although the homosexual is not an immoral person. However, I have demonstrated that the failed moral status of homosexuality is not enough ground to criminalize homosexuality.

The teachings about homosexuality in various religions differ, so they cannot specify therapeutic goals regarding sexual orientation. The psychological consensus-opinion emerges as a valid alternative-if it is recognized as spiritual. Grounding spirituality in a self-transcending dimension of the mind: the human spirit, and not in appeal to religious belief or metaphysical entities (e.g., God), the author argues that psychology routinely and legitimately treats spiritual matters, namely, the meanings and values by which individuals and societies structure their living. Three considerations support this claim. If this claim is correct, ongoing personal integration is tantamount to spiritual growth, and integration of one's homosexuality sets the ideal but not always attainable psychologicalspiritual goal of therapy and personal growth.

Naturally every parent would want to have the best of everything and of
anything for their child. They resort to the most unconventional ways to give their
child the best of life could offer. A sick child for instance for a parent would
require or demand so much of their resources and attention be it time, finances or
even their whole lives to be given up especially for extreme and chronic cases of
illness like cancer. Some parents where technology is available would even resort
to “producing” a new genetically enhanced and compatible child or modified to
suit the needs of the sick child. These children are often called “savior” siblings or
designer babies.
But these bring about ethical, moral and even legal issues regarding the
procedures used in “creating” savior siblings and even with the idea of creating a
child to save another child.
The paper will be divided into three major parts: (a) describing savior
siblings, (b) arguing for and against it (c) analyzing the movie. Describing savior
siblings will include defining who savior siblings are and how they are “created.”
The part on arguing for and against “savior siblings” will look into the benefits
and consequences but also of morality or ethical considerations raised by it. And
lastly the moral analysis of the movie will include a synopsis or summary of the
movie.

Analyzed features of modern youth attitudes about sexuality, their psychological roots. Considered the basic factors of sexual attitudes. Marked changes that have occurred in relation to sexuality.
Keywords: sexuality, attitude, stereotypes, sex, gender.

Проанализированы особенности установок современной молодежи  относительно сексуальности, их психологические истоки. Рассмотрены основные факторы формирования сексуальных установок. Отмечены изменения, которые произошли в отношении к сексуальности.
Ключевые слова: сексуальность, установка, стереотип, пол, гендер.

Проаналізовано особливості установок сучасної молоді стосовно сексуальності, їхні психологічні витоки. Розглянуто основні чинники формування сексуальних установок. Відзначено зміни, що відбулись у ставленні до сексуальності.
Ключові слова: сексуальність, установка, стереотип, стать, ґендер.

Is there anything wrong with using your smart phone to find consensual sex as quickly and conveniently as possible? This paper sets the question in the wider context of the philosophy of technology and  explores the moral reservations it would be plausible to have.

There is a link between, on the one hand, subtle or blatant attempts to alter Orthodox Christian moral teaching on homosexuality and, on the other, a secularist mindset that positions all human good within the limits of earthly life. A traditional Christian sexual ethic, by contrast, takes for granted that this life is marked by the cross, by suffering and self-denial, and that fullness of love can only be found in what the Nicene Creed calls "the life of the age to come." True fulfillment in this life of pilgrimage is only glimpsed when the goal of arriving at the eternal Home of the Kingdom of God is kept in view.

Reviews past attitudes toward the relationship between sexuality and spirituality. Notes some sources of the negative attitude prevalent in Western civilization. Relates authors' own understanding of sexuality as a complex phenomenon that pervades every aspect of the human. Concludes that sexual integration and spiritual integration are correlative dimensions of personal integration.

Historically, the Christian church was united in firm opposition to both homosexuality and contraception. Today most evangelical Christians continue to oppose the former but have embraced the latter. This paper argues that there is a clear tension between these views, especially when it comes to the evangelical use of natural law-type reasoning. The conclusion of this paper is that Christians who view homosexual activity as immoral must also view artificial contraception in the same light. They are wrong for the same reason: they both misuse the sexual organs by directing sexual activity away from procreative unity.

Therapy can be confusing: two people converse in a private room, one in distress, the other described as a helpful expert. At least one of the two is likely to express thoughts and feelings usually kept secret. In other circumstances, the exchange of such intimacies may herald a more physical relationship. For therapists, however, the professional relationship explicitly precludes such contact. The BACP Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy,1 for example, requires that practitioners must not abuse their client’s trust in order to gain sexual, emotional, financial, or any other kind of personal advantage. Sexual relations with clients are prohibited, along with sexualised behaviour.

While psychotherapists and counsellors generally acknowledge that sexual attraction is a common and often ordinary human response to another, they also recognise that acting on such feelings in therapy will quickly become problematic. The early psychoanalytic community had to confront and respond to such instances as Jung’s relationship with Sabina Spielrein.2 Rosie Alexander’s3 description of the times she sat on her therapist’s knee and felt his erection, elicits a mixture of emotions in the reader, not least shock, and the narrative is saturated with a sense of betrayal.

There have been several types of research investigating boundary breaches and sexual boundary violations.4 In spite of these, however, there is little certainty about how common sexual boundary violations are, as the sources of information about them (confession, client reporting, complaints to organisations, and knowledge of colleagues’ conduct) are all vulnerable to error. Further studies have attempted to identify characteristics of transgressing therapists and the factors that contribute to such events (see Moggi et al5 for an example), and to understand the effects on clients who have experienced therapist-client sex.6 If sexual feelings are ubiquitous and sexual attraction a real possibility in the context of the therapy relationship, how are these managed in therapy? Complaints about sexual boundary violations form a small proportion of complaints about therapists and health professionals.4, 7, 8 Is it the prospect of opprobrium from colleagues or the threat of sanctions from regulatory agencies that contains the relationship within professional boundaries? Do reported violations represent only a small proportion of actual sexual boundary violations? .......

The purpose of this essay is to explore, and clarify, some key features in Aquinas’ account of the virtue of temperance, with an eye to answering some common objections raised against a positive evaluation of temperance. In particular, I consider three features of Aquinas’ understanding of temperance: First, the role of the rational mean in temperance; second, the role of rightly ordered passions in temperance; and third, the ‘despotic’ control of reason over the passions in temperance. Along the way I consider three common objections to Aquinas’ account of temperance: the objection that temperance can be misused for evil, the objection that temperance devalues effort, and the objection that temperance devalues strong passions and thereby implicitly devalues the goodness of sexuality. In responding to these objections on behalf of Aquinas, I take the opportunity to clarify and slightly extend Aquinas’ account of temperance.

This study focuses on the issue of fornication in 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8, primarily regarding the identity of the "vessel," and not defrauding one's brother. The full article can be read on Patheos onine.
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/inchrist/2020/10/fornication-in-1-thessalonians-41-8-single-christians-and-boundaries-part-2/

One of the more vexing issues facing pastors today is the question of premarital sexual ethics. Simply put, we pastors are not quite certain how to counsel singles and teens regarding appropriate sexual boundaries. Of course, we clearly teach that sexual intercourse should be reserved for marriage. But beyond this, there is no consensus among evangelical clergy about where the boundaries should be drawn. If the pastoral community is unclear on this issue, it is little wonder that singles are likewise unclear. Given the present lack of consensus within the pastoral community, this essay will explore the New Testament’s sexual ethic with a view to constructing an objective, Christocentric sexual ethic for all premarital relationships. The essay concludes that fidelity to the trajectory and ethic of Scripture necessitates reserving any and all sexual activity for the marriage relationship. Or to state it again, the New Testament conveys—both theologically and exegetically—that all premarital relationships are to be completely non-sexual. Or one more time: premarital “making out” is a sin.

Aim: To identify therapists’ views on sexual boundaries and the strategies they employ to manage them in therapeutic practice. Method: In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with a sample of 13 accredited, experienced practitioners of psychotherapy or counselling. A grounded theory approach, informed by principles from Free Association Narrative methodology, was employed, in which team members used debriefing sessions for extending depth of understanding of the interviews. Findings: There is consensus about boundaries at the extremes, but variability about fantasy, flirtation and touch. A core process was generated from accounts of successful management of sexual attraction. We identified four problematic ways of reacting to boundary pressure, each with potential to harm clients and therapy. Discussion: A participant-observer stance was conceptualised as essential for managing threats to boundaries, consistent with the empathic stance. Minor boundary crossings were viewed by interviewees as both potential precursors of more serious transgressions, and as opportunities for understanding the client's difficulties. Implications for practice: These span training, accrediting organisations, supervision and therapy practice.

Today we are living in a world where one finds so many possibilities, wealth in abundance and freedom. Each society is struggling to become self-directing, where people can decide and act without much dependence on others. It is true that the self-direction of the society gives many positive fruits in the life of the individual, but on the other hand each individual has to be more attentive to avoid losing his moral standard, to avoid misuse of his energy for the self-attainment of his own needs alone.
Sexuality is an important energy in the life of the person; it contributes much to the development of his personality and to the society. At the same time if it is not properly directed and integrated in a person’s life it becomes a destructive force in his life and can cause so much depression, so many struggles and sufferings in one’s personal, societal and familial life. Every priest is called out of and formed in society, he is also formed for the society in view of forming the people according to the project of God at the time of creation. Every gift God has given to the human being he gave not to be used as an instinct, instigating the human being to do as he wishes, but for being and becoming, in his vocation, according to the creative project of God. Hence, all the gifts of God are good and human beings need the grace of God always in view of using the gift of freedom to develop these gifts and form them for their development and that of society. The priest as a sexual celibate person stands and lives for the ideal of the Kingdom mediating God and man; this needs an integration of all his potential powers and faculties according to the contemporary life situations making him a relevant and necessary person in the society. So, as a celibate priest lives in the society his integration of sexual powers according to the celibate ideal of Jesus should offer a counter cultural response to several structures of sexual sin and perverted ideas and opinions of the modern time. Here the role of each celibate priest is very relevant in the society and this motivated me to do a research on this contemporary subject.
Integration of sexuality and the celibate ideal according to the priestly project of life is pertinent for a celibate priest in doing his ministry fruitfully, especially in the present context of the new evangelization and faith formation of the world. Pope Paul VI says, “modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he listens to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.” (Pope Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi,1975, no. 43)

There is a need to broaden the analysis of abuse within the Catholic Church to include any excessive use or application of power, authority, and influence that would detriment, damage and demoralize its members. In this light, the paper offers to go deeper in the understanding of abuse as rooted in ecclesiastical elitism which is a more serious problem than clericalism. Elitism within the Church is concrete in the various forms of privilege and distinctions, rooted in traditionally held theologies, culturally reinforced beliefs, and repeated practices of fame and honour. Because of these, abuse is perpetuated, thus making possible the lack of transparency in terms of financial management and disregard for the rights of people working within the various ministries of the Church. Realistically, power and authority are part of any human system. Precisely why there is a need for the Church to balance its hierarchical authority, power, and influence with accountability in the various structures and aspects of its governance and pastoral activities. The experience of the Philippine Church is the case and context of this study.