Sexual ethics Flashcards
What is sexual ethics?
The discussion around what constitutes moral sexual practise
What areas of sexual activity does this topic cover?
Premarital sex, extramarital sex, homosexuality and contraception
What is premarital sex?
Sex before marriage
Arguements for premarital sex…
It should be an individuals choice since it only impacts those individuals participating
Marriage is less important in modern society, with increasing numbers of people choosing to cohabit
There can be loving, committed and stable relationships outside of marriage
It is not illegal and it is a common occurance
Religious teachings forbidding it is not relevant to the increasing number of secular individuals in modern society
Arguements against pre-marital sex…
Increases the risk and spread of STDs
Judeo-Christian and Islamic tradition condemn it for scriptural reasons but also because sex within marriage is better for a harmonious society
Better for children to be raised by married parents
Psychological and emotional problems can arise from having sex outside a truly stable and committed relationship
Risks pregnancy in environments that are not inside a stable family unit
What is adultery?
Having sex with someone who is not your married partner. It can also refer to sex that takes place after a married couple have separated. There is ethical debate about whether having sex in this situation is right or wrong. Some claim that individuals have a right to find love again after marriage has broken down, while others stress that loyalty and fidelity to your married partner should remain. Most cultures see marriage as an exclusive bond between two people, although some cultures, including certain Christian and Muslim ones, accept polygamy
Why is adultery condemned in both religious and secular ethics
As betraying the values of fidelity, trust and loyalty. It often causes distress for the couple and any children they have and often leads to separation
Why does Christianity traditionally condemn extra and pre marital sex
Considered to be contrary to the will of God and the need for continence
1 Thessalonians 4: 3-4
It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should be able to control your body in a way that is holy and honourable
Why can’t the bond of marriage be made without sex for Christians?
Because sex makes two people inseparably one flesh
From which Bible verse does the notion that marriage makes two people one flesh come from
Genesis 2: 24
Genesis 2: 24
This is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh
How are sexual relationships within marriage seen by Christians?
As something to be celebrated, especially when this results in childbirth
Why does JC not talk about sexual ethics much in the NT
Because he talks about agape instead
What is celibacy
Abstaining from all sexual relationships
What was St Paul’s attitude towards sex?
He emphasised the spiritual value of celibacy and adviced marriage as a last resort only for those who could not meet this standard
What does the RCC think about divorce
Thinks that marriage cannot be dissolved through divorce
What does the RCC think about sex outside of marriage
They think sex should take place exclusively within marriage
What do groups such as True Love Waits and Silver Ring Thing do?
They are modern evangelical groups who advocate for chastity
Give some examples of Christians who have a more relaxed attitude to sex outside of marriage
While the CoE encourages people to only have sex inside of marriage it now accepts couples in long term relationships cohabiting and having sex before marriage as a step towards marriage. Many liberal Protestant Christians accept loving couples having sex before marriage, and some accept any consensual sexual relationships
Define contraception
The deliberate use of certain methods or techniques to ensure against pregnancy
Give some examples of contraception
Condoms, the coil and the contraceptive pill
Arguements for contraception
Allows family planning and people can control when and how many kids they will have
Prevents unwanted pregnancies and means children won’t be born to parents who don’t want them
Recognises the importance of sex as a part of relationships and fulfilling emotional and psychological desires, apart from just being a means for procreation
Reduces the risk of spreading STDs
Arguements against contraception
Judeo-Christian and Islamic culture condemns contraception
Encourages promiscuity because there is less risk of pregnancy
The primary and natural purpose of sex is procreation, not pleasure
Where is the only direct mention of contraception in the Bible
Genesis 38: 9-10
Genesis 38: 9-10
9 And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. 10 And the thing which he did displeased the Lord: wherefore he slew him also.
What Bible verse does contraception contradict
Genesis 1: 28
Genesis 1: 28
God blessed them and said to them ‘Be fruitful and increase in number’
What stance does the RCC take on contraception
Condemns its use but does allow the rhythm method
What stance does the CoE take on contraception
Says that it is morally permissable and not contrary to the will of God. They argue that it is up to a couple’s own conscience to decide upon the number and frequency of children they have
When was homosexuality de criminalised in the UK
1967
What progress did same sex relationships make in 2004
They were legally able to form civil partnerships, granting them the same legal rights as married couples
What happened in March 2014 despite significant religious opposition
Homosexual couples were allowed to be married in the UK
How was the decision to allow gay marriage reacted to
The move was broadly accepted by the general public, who have become more tolerant and accepting of homosexual relationships over recent decades. Some Christian MPs voted against, considering marriage to be strictly between men and women
Arguements in favour of homosexual relationships
Individuals should be allowed to love whoever they wish and consenting adults should be able to engage in whatever sexual act they choose in private
Any discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation should be seen as in violation of that individuals human right to equality and fair treatment
Secular and biological arguements against homosexuality
Unnatural, especially because it can’t result in procreation, which is essential for the continuation for the species
Why is it perhaps odd that until recently all Christian denominations have comdemned Christianity
Because JC did not even say anything about itW
What verse does the Christian condemnation of homosexuality stem from?
Leviticus 20: 13
Leviticus 20: 13
If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does a woman, both of them has done what is detestable. They are to be put to death, their blood will be on their own heads
How does NML influence the RCC condemnation of homosexuality
Because homosexuality goes against the primary precept of reproduction
What does the Catholic Catechism say about homosexuality
Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexuality as a grave depravity, tradition has always declared that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered and contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine and affective sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved
However, it goes onto say that homosexuals should not be discriminated against and should be helped in overcoming their disorder and that they must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity
However, they also say that homosexuals should refrain from all sexual acts and can approach Christian perfection by turning to Christ
What does the CoE think about homosexuality
While they say heterosexuality is a more desirable state, they also stress that homosexuals should not in any way be discriminated against. Recognise abstinence as superior to homosexual acts but accept that there are those who are conscientiously convinced that some people think that God wants them to lead a life that involves a faithful sexually active homosexual relationship
What was Jack Dominian aside from a Catholic theologian
A qualified psychiatrist
What did Dominian say the church needed to rethink
Its approach to sexual ethics and that it must accept non traditional forms of loving relationships
What did Dominian consider sex to be
A gift from God that should be celebrated so long as it happened between two loving partners
What did he say about the natural law concept of sex being procreative
That this view was too narrow, as not only did it rule out same sex relationships, but it also ignored the importance of sex in building a loving bond between two people
What radical view did Dominian take on marriage considering he was a Catholic
That the church should permit same sex marriage
What was his theological outlook and attitude to sex influenced by
His professional career as a clinical psychiatrist, where he specialised in marriage counselling. Following Freud, he considered the sexual experience to be rooted in childhood
Give some quotes from Dominian about how our sexuality is rooted in childhood
We cannot earn or buy love from others; we can only receive it and accept on the basis that, having first been loved by parents for simply being ourselves, we continue to be loved by others on the basis
When we make love as adults we are reacting to more than a body, we are responding to a person. How we respond to that person depends on how we experienced our parents and ourselves as children. If we were neglected as children it is easy to feel that the person making love to us only wants our body and does not love us as a person
Why did Dominian think the church needed to review its attitude to sexuality
Demonstrates the close ties between love, sex and childhood, undermining the austere, procreative accounts of sexuality found in the work of the celibate Aquinas. If sex is part of love, and love a part of spirituality, then it follows that the RCC must revise its views of sexuality
In what work does Peter Vardy talk about sex
The Puzzle of Sex
What view of sex does Vardy say dominated contemporary attitudes towards sex
The transactional view
Explain Vardy’s transactional view
Vardy believes relations now only continue to exist so long as they satisfy both partners sexual and emotional needs. We live in a world of utilitarian relationships, where they only last if the amount of pleasure they bring outweighs the pain
Give a quote from Vardy where he states his belief that the transactional view has taken over
Today the link between love, sex and marriage has been broken or abandoned
What technological change does Vardy think has allowed the utilitarian transactional view to take over
Contraception
Give a quote where Vardy outlines the negative consequences of contraception
Instead of it liberating women and making them free and autonomous, it has allowed and encouraged them to acquiesce in a new form of slavery and male dominance
Why does Vardy say that the transactional view of sex is so damaging
He thinks it undermines loving relationships between men and women, which he regards as essential for personal mental health and social cohesion. He says that challenging this popular view of sex usually leads to scorn or derision. Hence Christians who hold onto the ideal of sex as a physical profession of a profound, deep and unconditional love can only watch in horror as the transactional approach leads to rape, paedophilia, masturbation outside of a context of love, internet sex and one night stands, taking us away from out true potential as human beings
Which ethical theory best captures the dominant approach to sexuality in modern Britain
Liberalism
Where does the idea of liberalism find its most powerful treatment
In the work of JS Mill
What does Mill (and many of those who implicitly follow his ideas here) think about sex
His harm principle states that any kind of sex is okay as long is takes place between consenting adults and does not harm anyone else, as this is in line with his harm principle
