2 sex ethics Flashcards
ethical sex dilemma - fletcher
WW2 spy has dilemma if she should sleep with a man to gain information
= demonstrates the enormous power of sex in our society
sex referred to in old testament examples x3
- abraham sires children with his servant Hagar and his wife Sarah
- Ruth uses sex to seduce a landowner during a famine
- Adultery strictly forbidden in the 10 commandments
sex referred to in new testament examples x3
- matthew 19:3 - “is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” - asked by the Pharisees
- john 8:1 - stoning of the adultress
- 1 corinthians - st paul worries about fornication
augustine on sex basic x4
- early sexual experience led him to believe that humans were cursed with an inability to control their passions
- sex that doesnt align with his views is a sin as you avert your attention away from god
- in the garden of eden, adam and eve would’ve been able to procreate as a matter of thought, but the punishment after the fall is that humanity needs the promise of pleasure.
- but because of concupiscence (an effect of original sin) - this can get out of hand = sex is only for procreation..
latin augustine words for sex is only for procreation
concubitus propter solam procreationem
ephisians 5:25
a husband should love his wife as much as christ loved the church and gave his life for it
genesis 2:24
that is why a man leaves his father and mother, and joins his wife to become one flesh
why do catholics see marriage as important and where is it said that it is important
john 2:1-12 - jesus’ miracle at cana where he turns water into wine.
=> confirms god’s approval of marriage as a sacrament and good institution
this is outlined in the Catechism of the Church 1613
what is marriage to catholics
indissoluble as it is a union with god, and a sacrament.
similarities between prot and cath views on marriage x3
- both view as a sacred union between man and a women whihc should contain love, commitment and fidelity.
- both see marriage as a foundation for family and children
- both see it as a lifelong commitment
differences between cath and prot views on marraige x4
- cath is a sacrament, involving god, protestants think that god oversees the oath
- cath doesnt allow divorce and remarriage, prots are more accepting in circumstances
- cath requires priestly celibacy, prot may allow clergy to marry
- cath marriage has procreative purposes, prots more accepting to childless marriage
stat on premarital sex
in 1983, 28% thouht that premarital sex was mostly wrong, by 2013, this was at 11%
stat on cohabitation
before 1983, 3/10 people cohabited before marriage
now, its 8/10
augustine quotes about his own naughty times x3
“i ran wildly in the shadowy jungle of erotic adventures”
“clouds of muddy concupiscence filled the air”
“i could not tell the difference between lust and love”
1 corinthians 7:2
let each man have his own wife, and each women her own husband
1 corinthians 6
the body is not for fornication, it is for the lord
1 corinthians 18
flee from sexual immorality! all other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.”
st paul basic belief on sex x2
- spoke out vehemently on fornication
- believed christ would return soon so logically assumed we shoudl remain celibate and wait
Tim Keller x4
- the modern quest for freedom in casual relationships has become consumer behaviour
- modern relationships do not seek love and commitment, just occasional pleasure
- stresses the importance and prosperity that comes along with marriage.
- modern ideas that love should mean freedom are counterintuitive as love should be sacrificial love, as you give up yourself for the other person
physical marriage for catholics x3
- different form civil marriage, as it is a sacred covenant that involves god. civil marriage is a legal contract without spiritual significance
- external elements eg vows, rings, priest’s blessing represent the internal transformation by which the couple become 1 flesh = their spiritual union
- catholic marriage helps overcome original sin’s wounds, fosters agape and nurtures spiritual growth
jesus forbidding divorce passage
Mark 10, jesus quotes Genesis “god made them male and female for this reason that the two shall become one flesh”
= rejects spiritual divorce
what are the three goods of marriage according to aquinas and augustine x3
- procreation
- nurture + companionship
- control of sexual urges
catechism quote on the necessity of marriage
“the vocation of marriage is written in the very nature of man and woman as they come from the hands of the creator”
1 corinthians 7:9
for it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion
types of cohabitation x3
- causal cohabitation, least formal and lack of long-term commitment
- trial marriage, intent to get married
- substitute marriage, no marriage but committed long-term relationship
two aspects of catholic sex x2
- unitive (couple is closer in their marriage
- procreative (transmission of life)
protestant book trying to modernise views on sex
Celebrate: Valuing Families in Church and Society
quote about why adultery is forbidden in catholicism
“the social consequences of adulterous relationships were seen to be too damaging to be tolerated” - Anthony Harvey in Strenuous Demands
annulment
declaration that a true marriage was never present in the beginning
leviticus 20:10
if a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbour, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death
cahill argument x3
before christianity,
- capture, purchase and consent were the ways to marry
- christianity’s stance against divorce originated in an attempt to limit mens’ ability to manipulate marriage.
= formalisation of marriage stopped men from abandoning wives.
adulteress woman quote from jesus
go now and leave your life of sin
= rejects legalism and offers a more pastoral approach
bertrand russel article on sex ethics and general and quote
Our Sexual Ethics
arguing that ideas around sex and ethics were outdated, need to be replaced by a more liberal attitude.
“sex, more than any other element of human life, is still viewed by many in an irrational way”
st pope paul VI’s Humanae Vitae
sees sex as justified under unitive and procreative circumstances.
sin of onan
genesis 38
onan is killed by god for having “spilled his seed upon the ground”
= masturbation is wrong
clement of alexandria
to have sex for any other reason than to procreate is to “do injury to nature”
russel views on divorce x1.5
russell argued for the right for individuals to seek their own happiness, and that suitability for marraige shoudl take precedence over social convention.
= marriage as an institution does not prevent abuse or guarantee happiness.
when was gay sex not a crime
1967
ancient reason for the outlawing of homosexuality x1
pederasty
- men having sex with young students
sodom and gomorrah
god tells abraham he will destroy the city and abraham pleads that if he can find 10 good men, he spare it.
but there was rife homosexual rape
ALSO OTHER THINGS THO
Leviticus 18:22
you shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination
gareth moore x2
christians are cherry-picking, they are happy to go against homosexuality in leviticus but ignore laws of beheading, garments made of two materials, etc.
= scripture is being used to prejudicially attack minorities.
1 corinthians 6:9-11
wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of god. neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men
romans 1:18-32
men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error
=condemns homosexuals, go against natural order.
peter vardy on st paul x3
notes that st paul’s rejection of homosexuals in romans 1:18-31 that homosexuals go against the natural order contradicts the general rejection in the new testament of the jewish view of impurity
= that jewish cleanliness laws were suspended by jesus’ death = means homosexuality is allowable
= cherrypicking
human vitae on procreative purposes
“every act must remain open to the transmission of life”
why do christians not like homosexuals x3
- goes against god’s plan and natural order
- pedastry
- goes against procreative purposes.
how does the catholic church recommend homosexuals take action x3 2 quotes in
they are called to chastity.
Catechism “for most of them it is a trial” to master sexual urges
plus
“homosexual persons are called to chastity, by support of prayer, and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach christian perfection”
bible passage of soddom and gomorrah
genesis 19: 23-29
leviticus 20:13
if a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. they are to be put to death
church of england’s report on god loving us all x2 quotes
Issues in Human Sexuality
“heterosexual marraiges are ideal for “the proper development of men and women” but
“God loves us all alike”
=ideal is heterosexual but god also loves homosexuals
law changed in 2023
church permits prayers to be said after a civil partnership ceremony but a priest is not forced to bless a same-sex union
report from cofe on same sex relationships
A report from the house of bishops
“matters of sexuality cannot be separated from the family, from friendship, or ultimately from community”
mill view x3
liberty = flourishing
moral offence to others is not a sufficient reason for the law to outlaw something
only when it violates the harm principle
= negative liberty (least interference of the state or anyone else to restrict individual behaviour.)
challenges to mill x3
negative liberty presumes that people are there own best judges but we kinda do need competent judges to decide what is best for society on a whole
sexual freedoms may not always make a society richer and more cohesive
profusion of different sexual lifestyles may lead to confusion distrust and unhappiness
aquinas on premarital sex x3
- violates the precept of reproduction within a marraige
- links to Human Vitae, that all sex must be open to procreation
- Aquinas in Summa Theologica: “since fornication is opposed to the natural order of human procreation it is always a mortal sin”
aquinas on extramarital sex x4
- contradicts living in an ordered society as it violates marriage vows
- catechism “adultery is a grave sin”
- proverbs 6:32 “he who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself.
- Exodus 20:14 “you shall not commit adultery”
aquinas on homosexuality x2
- homosexuality is “unnatural” as it doesn’t fulfill the precept of reproduction
- pope john paul 2 in Veritatis Splendor - homesexuality is “intrinsically disordered”
situation ethics on premarital sex x2
- acceptable is done out of love and committment
- opposes rule-based morality arguing committment and personal circumstances matter more than doctrine.
extramarital sex situation ethics x3
- situationally acceptable (eg spy example)
- sacrificial adultery in Mrs Bergemier
- the end justifies the means if love is served. but recognises it leads to betrayal, emotional harm etc
situation ethics on homosexuality x3
- acceptable as it maximises love
- rejects aquinas’ emphasis on reproduction, arguing love - not procreation - is the defining feature of ethical sexual relationships
- “whether any form of sex is good or evil depends on whether love is served” - Sit Ethics
util on premarital sex x4
- bentham argued mutual consent for pleasure cannot make any sexual acts wrong.
- cautions against negative consequences eg unwanted pregnancies, STIs
- MILL - if it fosters “higher pleasures” eg emotional connection
- SINGER - if both parties consent and no-one suffers harm, it is morally acceptable
util on extramarital sex x4
- generally negative as it causes harm and pain
- rare cases acceptable eg loveless marriage
- SINGER - adultery prioritises personal preferences over minimising harm
- MILL - it is a bodily, lower pleasure.
bestiality x3
flexible but ignores principles
- bentham’s hedonic calculus focuses solely on maximising pleasure
- BUT animals cannot consent so it is unethical
- SINGER - wants to focus on minimising pain rather than maximising pleasure.
kant on premarital sex x1.5
“sexual love makes of the loved person an object of appetite” - Lectures on Ethics
= reduces individuals to mere means of pleasure so therefore immoral
Kant on extramarital sex 1x
- marriage is a duty-bound institution; breaking vows cannot be universalised
kant on homosexuality x1
- “homosexuality demeans man below the beasts” - Lectures on Ethics
Alan soble on kant x1
kant’s rejection stems from treating others as a means to pleasure.
