The Separation of Church & Body

Sex.
Sex. Sex.
Sex. Sex. Sex.
...and a kiss.
While you're at it, throw in a hug.

Why is it that many Christian churches have so much disdain or embarrassment about the body and, well, sex?  This has been the case for many many years and I believe it has done great harm to a whole lot of people who have been sitting in the pews.

Perhaps this disdain for the body explains the foaming at the mouth vehemence that some Christians have towards homosexuality, because talking about homosexuality means talking about sexuality, period.

It is what we believe that matters, they exhort.
It is what is in our heart that matters, they preach.

Watch out for the body.

The Church's disdain for the human body and our physical needs is bad enough, but when paired by the fact that so many of us didn't receive the physical touch or attention that we needed from one parent or both while children, well that's a double whammy.

We are physical beings, and we express things with our bodies that can not be expressed in words. A hug, a caress, a simple gentle glance can speak volumes.

And perhaps at our deepest level, we are sexual beings. So many rules have been put up to ensure that we don't go all perverse. Again, we can't trust our bodies. So therefore 1) we have to be married before we share our sexual selves with someone else, 2) only one sex should be dominant and be able to ask for it (guess which one?) and 3) it should all be kept hush hush.

When it comes to the body, when it comes to sex, the Church needs to open up the windows and let the wind blow through. Expression rather than repression. We would do well to realize this for ourselves as well.