Sex and religion: A time for re-examination of attention and taboos

Senator David Vitter, once involved in a sex scandal

Carol Forsloff - Sex is in the news, as it gets front pages and is particularly titillating when it involves men in power doing things against the public trust.  As terrorists roam French streets, the whole world's attention has been on the problems related to Muslims.  And the discussion then turns to religion and often on sex as well.

Sex, because it is associated with power, becomes a central topic for several reasons. One is because sex sells, as newspapers have known for years. Secondly the fall from grace by the powerful also sells, as it allows people to suddenly feel morally superior, sometimes because they may be and sometimes because it just makes them feel that way. Third is because some institutions continue to struggle over sex, what it is, what's right, what's not, and who can have it when and how. So the news focuses on the sexual matters of politicians, religious figures and personal matters involving adultery and abortion.


And when sex and a politician are involved, then the news is a major focus on any particular event, activity or issue involved.  David Vitter, Senator from Louisiana, was involved with a Madam and brothel.  Despite evidence, along with his denial, he remains a popular and powerful Senator.  The Madam, Deborah Jean Palfrey, however, was reported to have committed suicide rather than go to jail for prostitution and running a brothel.

 
The Catholic Church has been involved in a scandal involving sex with children for a number of years. This is a different thing, of course, than adultery or homosexuality, but these issues concern abuse of power, of hypocrisy, of a group for whom sexual abstinence is part of the code that reveals how its violation raises questions about the code itself.

 
Churches are as divided on the matter of sex as on politics. Some religious groups worry about homosexuals being allowed to marry and demonstrating their affection openly. Churches are divided on the issue of celibacy as well and whether adultery can even be allowed. In the meantime the public gets its needs satisfied, those needs that allow people to feel apart from such terrible things as sex outside marriage and two people of the same sex having sex at all. 

Virtually all would agree that sex with children is abhorrent, and rightfully so; therefore it is an unrelated matter. But the issue about sex is not and how it is treated in communication about it can make a difference. The level of anger expressed and the sordid details given can raise the level of dialogue to shrill.

Sex scandals and violence often enlist response in some ways the reaction of a mob. This is particularly true when the violence can come from anywhere.  The stories about terrorism, shootings, bombings and war remain front page.  That occurs because of that need to know, as folks need to be vigilant when it comes to aberrations or potential terrorist attacks.  But often the rest of the news gets short shrift in favor of stories about sex, the escapades of celebrities, and issues related to men in power taking advantage, or seeming to take advantage, of powerless women.

Responsible communication and dialogue and leaving final judgment to the facts themselves as they become revealed are critical in this instance. The Church has been said to hide its dirty laundry, but the downfall of an entire institution should not be brought about by the errors shown today, as disappointing, and actually disgusting, as they certainly appear to be. Still many people rush to judgment about the entire Church, as if the institution itself had given the green light to the problem, as opposed to certain bishops and certain priests and even this particular Pope simply refusing to believe or even purposely hiding the behavior.

And even as Catholics practice birth control, divorce and premarital sex, this divide only seems to widen.  Therefore when the hierarchy of the church is seen in its scandals, the laity may smugly observe the downfall of the mighty smugly from their armchairs stuffed with their own sins and imaginings.

Indeed while Pope Francis being applauded for talking about being nice to gays, the official position of the Church remains firmly against gay marriage.

In the meantime mature dialogue about sexual matters and its taboo subjects in religion such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality and celibacy are reasonable matters for discussion and healthy for the religious body and the overall world community to examine.