Is Sex Necessary for Spiritual Expression?

No controversy in religious annals is more laden with raw emotion than the argument as to whether sexual activity is, or is not, a necessary ingredient to spiritual expression. Down through the ages, as this sometimes-bitter dispute has raged some of the most ruthless crimes (remember the Inquisition) have been and are still being committed by religious authorities. The patriarchal religions demonized the sexual urge along with orgasm, sexual pleasure, and the naked human body. The “pious” church leaders established their own perverted sex-negative agenda. They attempted to manipulate and control their followers by introducing the concept of “sin,” as it relates to sexual pleasure, that ultimately led to guilt. Needless to say, their actions were always said to be at the request of God himself, to demean and destroy, as if it were possible, every last vestige of the normal human sexual drive. And so, the sexual urge has been slandered and misrepresented to the point where it is still grossly misunderstood.

The concept of the sexual drive as being part of our base nature, primitive, and undignified, perhaps even less than human, something to be shunned, repudiated, and rejected as a curse on man’s spiritual aspirations is a reoccurring theme inextricably woven through virtually all the world’s religious dogma since time immemorial. Again and again, sexual indulgence has been condemned as inextricably evil, except for the purpose of procreation, where presumably it could not be avoided if our species would survive. Anti-sex religious fanatics have always extolled celibacy, the ultimate denial of the need for sexual expression between a man and a woman, as the crowning achievement of man’s ability to gain control over the sexual force.

Is it any wonder that the neuroses growing out of this renunciation of the primordial energy from which we all sprang, and from which all creation arises ---- the “spark of life” itself ---- has produced a psychotic society that has never known anything but hypocrisy, disease, violence, repression, and suffering for as long as man can remember? Sexuality has become burdened with so many judgments, fears, and negative emotions that hardly any aspect of it is spontaneous and self-evident anymore. Too often, this results in mixed messages and conflicts. The childlike aspect of sexuality, the aspect of the freely exploring innocent child has been lost, and many of us are filled with fear and tension when it comes to sexually expressing ourselves.

One thing is certain; the physical body is absolutely innocent. Your body knows sexual desire and lust because this is something that is spontaneously present within every healthy body. There is nothing wrong with that. Lust, desire, and all the physical processes that make you long for sexual union are natural, healthy, processes that can be a source of great satisfaction and enjoyment. In any event, the body cannot itself choose in what way it is going to express its sexual urges. It is you the human being who is in charge and the body defers to your leadership. May you be masterful in your decision making.