Universal religious sexual taboos... How stupid can one be?

[McBell]

After some meditation, I think that the only clear taboo that all religions seem to agree on is the fact that you must have sexual taboos. However, they fail to ever agree really on what these taboos are... Thus, they seem completely arbitrary. It seems as though the only purpose is create an arbitrary condition of what defines one as a socially-acceptable adult within a specific relative tribe. What are your thoughts?

Are the sexual taboos from religion or is religion revealing the taboos at the time?
Seems to me it is the latter...

How stupid can one be?

I have stopped using that particular phrase when it dawned on me far to many people were accepting it as a challenge.

 

[rusra02]

There is comedy here... Really, no two faiths who "believe in God" have the same set of sexual proscriptions... If anything, this is the most defining trait between any two major religions. If they are all following God, then obviously the rules must be the same. Wait, they aren't... So, what gives? Everyone assumes their own set of permissible sexuality is spoken for as the correct way. Rarely, does anyone actually follow the rules to a tee however... Most of the "rules" of sexual engagements in a religion are so complicated that most people can't actually 100% follow... They likely will fail accidentally several times...

I think it is important to differentiate between the one true religion and the myriads of false religions. Prominent in many of these is sex worship, something the true God condemns. (Deuteronomy 12:2,3, Leviticus 18:1-24)

 

[rusra02]

Actually, different cultures have different forms of what we would consider marriage, and they have worked for those cultures, and they don't believe in your god either. And what we think of when we think of marriage today does not match what they thought of as marriage during "Biblical times." Some scholars have even proposed that our contemporary ideas of love is a Western concept that hasn't been around for very long, and they have studied it from this position.

"Worked for those cultures" is vague. Did it bring happiness and security to all involved, or suffering and degradation?

 

[Shadow Wolf]

"Worked for those cultures" is vague. Did it bring happiness and security to all involved, or suffering and degradation?

It's actually not that vague. Those cultures thrived and carried on their existences. What equates to their version of marriage often didn't bring suffering or degradation, but often served to strengthen familial and community bonds.

 

[McBell]

I think it is important to differentiate between the one true religion and the myriads of false religions. Prominent in many of these is sex worship, something the true God condemns. (Deuteronomy 12:2,3, Leviticus 18:1-24)

Then it would be a really good idea to prove which of the millions of religions is the "one true religion".
Until you can do that, all you are doing is pointing out the differences between them.

So, which of the milllions of religions is the "one true religion"
AND
what is your proof?

 

[Kelly of the Phoenix]

Well she must by definition have been old enough to be a mother, so I don't have a problem really with that as the culture of the times. (Plus she was a virgin selected by God, supposedly by some.) My comment was about Mohammed and the prepubescent girl mentioned in the post I was replying to.

Given that Jesus is a magic baby and the pregnancy is magic, she didn't HAVE to be of childbearing age, right? God was able to force old menopausal women to get pregnant, after all.

 

[Etritonakin]

In reference to the religious whose religion is based on the old and/or new testaments, there is a difference between taboos and specific instruction attributed to God in scripture.

There are several aspects of scriptural instruction concerning sex.

There is obedience to God before all else -in and of itself,
health/quarantine concerns,
consideration of "natural use" vs. pleasure-seeking alone,
maintaining minimally-problematic types of relationships,
maintaining a stable society,
creating an optimal situation for child-rearing, etc.

Taboos concerning specific acts are not necessarily based on such.

Unfortunately, religions have been known to cause people to feel ashamed of sexuality itself -which can lead to guilt over something which is perfectly natural and good -to more sexual immorality and inappropriate sexuality, even to certain unnecessary and illogical taboos, etc. -rather than teaching that sexuality is a wonderful thing to enjoy in healthy context.

 

[Skwim]

What I find interesting is that Islamic texts (depending on a sect's interpretation), and Zoroastrianism texts specifically condemn masturbation whereas the Hindu Kama Sutra specifically okays it, and Jewish and Christian scriptures don't mention the word at all---although Catholicism and many protestant denominations do have very specific beliefs about the practice.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Zoroastrianism texts specifically condemn masturbation

Geez, Zoroastrianism even makes it an unpardonable sin. Wtf.

 

[Skwim]

Geez, Zoroastrianism even makes it an unpardonable sin. Wtf.

Yeah, it's one reason I steered clear of the religion.

 

[-Peacemaker-]

Ask the black population, in which some 70 percent of their children are born out of wedlock, how well disregarding sexual morals is working out

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Ask the black population, in which some 70 percent of their children are born out of wedlock, how well disregarding sexual morals is working out

Try first-time mothers, in general, back in the 90s. Marriage, regardless of ethnicity, is becoming less of a trend, and this is continuing with Millennials.

 

[rusra02]

Then it would be a really good idea to prove which of the millions of religions is the "one true religion".
Until you can do that, all you are doing is pointing out the differences between them.

So, which of the milllions of religions is the "one true religion"
AND
what is your proof?

The one true religion worships the one true God, Jehovah, in the manner he commands. (John 4:23,24). The proof that Jehovah is the only true God is found in his written Word, the Bible, and his mighty acts in the past and today, IMO.

 

[rusra02]

It's actually not that vague. Those cultures thrived and carried on their existences. What equates to their version of marriage often didn't bring suffering or degradation, but often served to strengthen familial and community bonds.

For example?

 

[Shadow Wolf]

For example?

For example? Pretty much every non-contemporary Western culture. They get married for different reasons, practice different forms of polygamy, have different customs and rights, and it's ok to marry different people. In our own culture it was even acceptable to pair with a first cousin until rather quite recently. Pairing can be tight and rigid, such as a legally binding contract, it may be loose and fluid, such as giving gifts at the appropriate times or simply choosing another mate at the next ritual. Some men have many wives, some women have many husbands. There really isn't even typical reason for marriage, other than sexual attractions, wealth, power, and inheritance, and it's widely agreed by sociologists, and verified by history, that this thing we call love and doing it as a reason for marriage is a Western and more contemporary idea. And it's often viewed as being significant enough to involve religion - but to varying degrees and significance.

 

[rusra02]

For example? Pretty much every non-contemporary Western culture. They get married for different reasons, practice different forms of polygamy, have different customs and rights, and it's ok to marry different people. In our own culture it was even acceptable to pair with a first cousin until rather quite recently. Pairing can be tight and rigid, such as a legally binding contract, it may be loose and fluid, such as giving gifts at the appropriate times or simply choosing another mate at the next ritual. Some men have many wives, some women have many husbands. There really isn't even typical reason for marriage, other than sexual attractions, wealth, power, and inheritance, and it's widely agreed by sociologists, and verified by history, that this thing we call love and doing it as a reason for marriage is a Western and more contemporary idea. And it's often viewed as being significant enough to involve religion - but to varying degrees and significance.

Polygamy is fraught with problems, with jealousy and rivalry common among such arrangements. I think the fact that such arrangements exist does not make them good. Men in Latin American countries often have mistresses, while their families are neglected or even abused. My personal knowledge of some such families indicates to me these families are unhappy and suffer greatly.

 

[leibowde84]

I think our Creator knows best what will make us happy. The true God's laws regarding sex within marriage has stood the test of time, IMO, while those ignoring God's standards have caused harm to themselves and others.

Can you support this claim?

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Polygamy is fraught with problems, with jealousy and rivalry common among such arrangements.

These "problems" you speak of are often not found in these cultures.

 

[McBell]

The one true religion worships the one true God, Jehovah, in the manner he commands. (John 4:23,24). The proof that Jehovah is the only true God is found in his written Word, the Bible, and his mighty acts in the past and today, IMO.

Circular reasoning is not proof.
It is ratification.

 

[Skwim]

I think our Creator knows best what will make us happy. The true God's laws regarding sex within marriage has stood the test of time, IMO, while those ignoring God's standards have caused harm to themselves and others.

You mean like Leviticus 18:22

22 “Men, you must not have sexual relations with another man as with a woman. That is a terrible sin!
​

Seems homosexuality has pretty much shown that gods law has been tested, and found wanting.