Setting the stage for the next scandal

Traditional Christians often seem to be fixated on trying to suppress human sexuality. For many of them, the only acceptable sex is that which takes place between a heterosexual married couple for the purposes of producing children. Any sexual desire or activity that doesn't fit that formula is disparaged and discouraged by them. Indeed, if most of them followed their stipulations regarding "righteous" Christian dating practices, marriage and reproduction among them would probably disappear altogether! For centuries, many Christians have associated human sexuality with shame and guilt, and the fruits of that association have been a lot of unnecessary misery, frustration, heartache, and perversion! Even worse, these folks NEVER seem to learn their lesson - they keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again and expecting a different outcome (the very definition of insanity).

I read today an article by Al Jazeera titled Pope Francis warns priests against temptations of pornography. In the piece, Francis is quoted as saying: "Each of you think if you’ve had the experience or had the temptation of digital pornography. It’s a vice that so many people have, so many laymen, so many laywomen and even priests and nuns." According to the same article, he went on to say: "And I’m not just talking about criminal pornography like child abuse, where you see live cases of abuse – that’s already degeneracy – but of the more ‘normal’ pornography...The devil enters from there." So, these men can't "lust," date, have sexual intercourse, masturbate, marry, or do ANYTHING to gratify/satisfy that portion of their God-given humanity! And they honestly expect these folks to be well-adjusted, happy, and saintly? What happens when those human feelings are suppressed?

I seem to remember that the Roman Catholic Church has experienced an ongoing scandal related to pedophilia among the priesthood. Is it possible that this plague is somehow related to their attempt to actively curtail the sexuality of those men? I ask again: What happens when these very human and normal sexual behaviors and needs are denied and suppressed? What happens to a human that stops eating and drinking? What happens to a person when they are deprived of sleep? What happens when people are isolated from other humans and not allowed to communicate with others of their species? Short answer: NOTHING GOOD!

To be clear, I am NOT advocating on behalf of promiscuous or perverted sexual behavior. I am NOT promoting pornography. I AM saying that the attitudes of many Christians toward human sexuality are unhealthy and unsustainable! I AM saying that many traditional Christian attitudes toward human sexuality have NO basis in Scripture. If we really believe that God is the Creator, we must admit that human sexuality is of Divine origin! Human sexual desire is a God-given phenomenon. We must acknowledge that the human form is beautiful, desirable, and worthy of admiration. In short, this attachment of shame and guilt to our bodies and their natural functions did NOT originate in the mind of God! According to the Bible, that stuff wasn't present at the beginning. The notion of shamefulness and guilt came later - you know, after the Serpent enticed them to eat the fruit of that tree!