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|
 | Each column does not represent a homogeneous denomination or religion. In reality, there are many denominations or traditions within each category. They may range from conservative to mainline and liberal. |
| In some denominations, like the Roman Catholic church, there is a major gap between the teachings of the clergy and of the membership. It is the formal teachings of the church which are included in the table below. |
| Some denominations allow exceptions. For example, the Roman Catholic church in the U.S. has a few married priests who transferred from the Episcopal Church. |
| It is impossible to put a single rating on some items. The term "abortion" might be considered by some as referring to only first trimester abortion (when 90% of pregnancy terminations occur); others might consider the term as including 1st, 2nd or 3rd trimester abortions. The term "homosexual sex acts" might occur within a committed gay or lesbian relationship, or might refer to casual, consensual sexual activities. |
| no single rating will reflect the beliefs of all believers within a faith group. |
| some faith groups ordain only celibate homosexuals; others ordain homosexuals who are celibate or in a committed relationship |
In the list below:
- means "condemned"
- means "morally unacceptable in most cases"
- means "neutral" or "no clear position"
- means "morally acceptable in most cases"
- means "blessed"
| Factor | Baptist | Methodist | Mormon | Roman Catholic | Buddhist | Islam | Judaism |
| Teen Sex | 1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
| Premarital Sex | 1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
4 |
| Extramarital Sex | 1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
| Divorce | 2 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
| Masturbation | 3 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
| Abortion | 1 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
| Birth Control | 3 |
5 |
2 |
1 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
| Married Clergy | 5 |
5 |
5 |
1 |
3 |
5 |
5 |
| Female Clergy | 2 |
5 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
5 |
| Homosexual Orientation | 2 |
4 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
1 |
4 |
| Homosexual Sex Acts | 1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
| Homosexual Marriage * | 1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
2 |
| Homosexual Ordination | 2 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
5 |
1 |
2 |
* or union ceremony.
Unfortunately, the full range of religions in North America was not represented. The Chronicle selected three very conservative and one mainline Christian denomination. Liberal Christian groups were ignored. In order to give a wider range of faith groups, we have added two columns for:
| Unitarian Universalist Association: a very liberal faith group drawing on Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Humanist, Jewish, Muslim and Neopagan spiritual sources. |
| Wicca: probably the largest of the Neopagan religions in North America. |
Ratings for these two religions were estimated by three members of the OCRT who belong to these faith groups. (The OCRT is the multi-faith agency that sponsors this web site.)
| Factor | Unitarian Universalist | Wicca |
| Teen Sex | 3 |
3 |
| Premarital Sex | 4 |
4 |
| Extramarital Sex | 2 |
2 |
| Divorce | 4 |
4 |
| Masturbation | 5 |
5 |
| Abortion | 4 |
4 |
| Birth Control | 5 |
5 |
| Married Clergy | 5 |
5 |
| Female Clergy | 5 |
5 |
| Homosexual Orientation | 5 |
5 |
| Homosexual Sex Acts | 4 |
3 |
| Homosexual Marriage * | 5 |
5 |
| Homosexual Ordination | 5 |
5** |
** Wiccans use the term "initiation" rather than "ordination."
This essay continues below
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Summary of beliefs:
| With the exception of masturbation, each of the factors received a 1 rating ("condemned") by at least one faith group. |
| With two exceptions (teen and extra-marital sex) each of the factors received at least a 4 rating ("morally acceptable in most cases") by at least one faith group. |
| The only factor over which most faith groups agreed was their near universal condemnation of extra-marital sex. |
| With such massive differences of opinion, conflicts between faith groups over sexual matters will probably continue long into the future. |
Openness to discussion:
The Beliefnet web site contains a interesting essay by Lauren F. Winner about the openness with which Evangelical Christian churches discuss sexual matters. It is followed by a series of readers' postings. The specific topic was premarital sexual activity between two single, heterosexual individuals, apparently within a committed relationship. The author was referred to by her girlfriend Sarah as an "evangelical whore," because she did not remain celibate until marriage like Sarah did. Ms. Winner's boyfriend is not recorded as having been criticized. She writes: "...the church tells all of us to be celibate outside of marriage, and then turns a blind eye to those thousands of unmarried evangelicals who ignore this injunction. We Christians spill plenty of ink moralizing about sex, but we seem unwilling to talk about it in any honest or theologically engaged way." She discusses the book "Singles at the crossroads" by Al Hsu, which describes the consensus of conservative Christian faith groups that: "Sexual expression is not essential for life. While we acknowledge that sex is a good gift designed by God, we must also affirm that it is intended for only appropriate circumstances." -- i.e. between a heterosexual, married couple. 3 He recommends that couples attempt "to pursue holiness and purity," using whatever method "works for us." ("Purity" is a term within the conservative Christian community which means "celibacy." A person becomes impure if she/he engages in sex before marriage.)
Ms. Winner concludes: "...what I am or am not doing in bed affects my relationship with God as much as what I do in church does, and it's the job of my sister in Christ to hold me accountable. The problems isn't that Sarah made my sex life her business. It's that her evangelical vocabulary left her with nothing to say but 'whore.' "
The postings were all supportive of Ms. Winner.
| "kinnereth" is the author of two books on singleness and sexuality which were published by evangelical presses in 1988 and 1991. He believes that the unwillingness of evangelical churches to have any meaningful conversation about pre-marital sex has not improved in the decade since. He refers to two surveys taken by Southern Baptist Convention and Presbyterian Church (USA). They shows that two out of three of their single members are not celibate. | ||||||||||||
| Gino Peregrini commented: " 'Whore' has a very specific meaning, and it does not refer to two people loving each other physically." | ||||||||||||
| BruceR (the author of this essay) commented that Paul's
criticism of premarital sex occurred in the 1st century CE
when society was very much different from today. In those days
premarital sex had to be outlawed:
None of these apply today. Perhaps Paul would modify his Epistle today to allow "safer" pre-marital sex under some conditions. Attempting to remain celibate for over 15 years may not be practical for many individuals. Premarital sex should be discussed in the churches. Attempts should be made to determine whether Paul's writings are absolute truths for all cultures and all eras. Perhaps with so many changes in culture and medical science, Paul's writings are relative truths -- only valid for 1st century Palestine and no longer applicable today. Perhaps the original justifications for a ban on pre-marital sex have evaporated. |
References:
- Jef Poskanzer's web site: "Jef's Page" is at: http://www.acme.com/jef/religion_sex/
- "Morality & Ethics: Sex and the single evangelical: the church lady vs. the 'evangelical whore,' " Beliefnet web site, at: http://www.beliefnet.com
- Albert Y Hsu, "Singles at the crossroads: A fresh perspective on Christian singleness," Intervarsity Press, (1997). Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
Copyright © 1997 and 1999 to 2001 incl., by
Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2001-MAY-3
Author: B.A. Robinson with data from Jef Poskanzer
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