PLEASURE TO SIN

Sex and the church Notes

Jewish attitude to sex- High value of sex along as it led to the birth of children
Concern for the physical survival
Reproduction was a sacred duty
Every man and woman had a duty to get married including priests and rabbis
Jews thought sex was to be enjoyed to create a good family life
Male culture
Legally male husband’s possessed their wife’s, the woman’s job was to serve them and their place was in the home
Men got the idea women were nothing but trouble from the bible when eve ate the poisoned apple
Genesis 3:16 “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;
with painful labor you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you.”
http://biblehub.com/genesis/3-16.htm
Be fruitful and multiply
Jews practiced polygamy
Homosexuality was condemned, though discussing lesbians was fine. It was only men who 'mattered'. In the Old Testament it says, "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination".
Abominations: Trimming your beard, getting a tattoo and mixing fabric with clothing

Romans deeply admired the Greeks and adopted many of their customs including their attitudes towards sex
One strand the Greek sexual tradition affirmed sexuality, they celebrated sexual pleasure and the world of the senses
The Greeks celebrated physical beauty, stressing the importance of lovely bodies, especially males
Also they celebrated the penis, it held the power of reproduction and it was a symbol of good luck
Penises warded of the evil eye
Greek society was also dominated by men, they kept their women indoors, wives had no more rights than slaves, and their sole sexual purpose was to bare children, preferably boys
Not all women were wives, "men had other needs too"
Around 340bc the Athenian states man said we have courtesans for your pleasure, prostitutes to service our daily needs and wives to bare us our legitimate children and to look after our housekeeping. (All women were there to serve men one way or another).
The Greeks encouraged relationships between a young man and an older role model, it was an important part of becoming a citizen. The older man was expected to teach the younger man how to play their part in society.
Rules: The older man must be active and the younger man was to be passive
The younger man had to be of a certain age, if he was any younger it would be a wrong form and any older they would suspiciously look like full time homosexuals.