Understanding sexual practices today

Paper Presentation

Subject: Marriage and Family Counselling

Topic: Understanding sexual practices today

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Presenter: ...

Introduction:
Marriage and Family is the first institution given by God to Human beings. Sex is the highest gift from God to Human being. Sex, when practiced as God ordained, designed, and intended, is a pure, needful, and beautiful wonder of God's creation. Here in this paper we will discuss about the understanding sexual practices today.

Understanding of God and Sexual practices in the Bible:
It is our belief that sex, when practiced as God ordained, designed, and intended, is a pure, needful, and beautiful wonder of God's creation. In the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it. . . And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good (Genesis 1:27-31). Be fruitful and multiply!" "Reproduce!" was one of the first things God commanded the creatures of His glorious creation. And then again, after the great deluge, God reminded Noah and all that survived with him that they had an important job to do? Reproduce! (Genesis 8:17; 9:1).

Throughout history, God put His stamp of approval on human sexuality and reproduction. To Abraham and later to Jacob (Israel) He basically said, "I am God and I want you to reproduce!"(Genesis 35:11, 12:1, 2, 7). God has a point to make, He is above what currently is considered politically correct in many matters, and even using the human sexual act to illustrate what He wants to say if need be.

Sexual and Emotional love in Human Relationship:
The changing trend in understanding sexual love and emotional love is extremely important to understand the pattern of relationships in general, and marriage in particular. Persons long for emotional love and even look for it even outside marriage when the marriage failed to satisfy the need. Men and women are more expressive about their sexual need too, an experience that make them feel that ultimately they are wanted in the marriage. Emotional and sexual affairs are on the increase which is a sign that the man/woman not finding fulfilment in marriage. Certainly, it is not a sign that they come with immoral thought process; it is that they look for what they did not get in the Marriage.

The human loving involves quality relational environment and intimate expressions. This fundamental need is fulfilled within the context of marriage where each partner is committed to provide a mutually fulfilling sexual experience. In general, the family in India have accepted the sexual loving as one important dimension of loving and caring experience in the context of family. There are people, both in urban and rural, still holds the traditional view that the noble purpose of marriage is procreation and that sexual experience for any other purpose is not noble, but one may do it for the purpose of releasing the urges which may otherwise harm the individual and the relationship. There needs to be change in this view regarding sex in marriage.

Understanding Sexual practices to the Married Persons today:
Marriage persons need to know three things in relation to sex: the purpose, the value and the purity. The awareness of the divine purpose of sexuality is essential for a happy married life. The value of sex has to be discovered within for a happy married life. The value of sex has to be discovered within the bonds of marital relationship. It is important that the purity of sex, as a gift of God for unity, pleasure and procreation, be maintained among the couples. The focuses of the married persons need to be strengthening their sexual relationship by mutual rediscovery of each other’s liking and disliking.

Commitment for accountability to one’s spouse is the best way to keep from alluring options. Also, spiritual and emotional satisfaction, the key to healthy companionship, is greater than the physical.

Marriages life and Pornography:
Married persons addicted to pornography have lost their way in the world of sexual passion. It is the distorted view of sexuality and diverted focus. From true relationship with one’s spouse that have caused this problem.

Married persons need to know that there is a difference between real people and pictorial or celluloid ideals pornographic presentation has seemingly beautiful women with perfect physical structures and really sought- after look, motivating the person to dislike ones espouse. The need is to distinguish between what is real and what is false. The beauty portrayed by pornography is not real but false. We need to seriously reflect upon the negative consequences of pornography on family and society so that we will be able to resolve to get rid of this vicious and abusive evil.

Some few awareness on understanding sexual practices today:
As Responsible Individuals: It is not enough to be self-protective and personally free from sexual addiction. As responsible citizens and individuals we must be willing to help our peers, colleges and other fellow- individuals to come out of it and not to fall into its trap. We need to core for others’ welfare and show responsibility in feeling with issues feeling individuals sound is today.
As Parents and Families: As parents and families they have got the privileges and responsibility to varies responsible citizens who will contribute to the moral and ethics strength of the family and society. They have role to play and an opportunity to teach the new generation with practical examples of living a life of sexual purity. They must redouble their efforts to provide sound moral formation to the children and youths.

Church and Institutions: Church and institutions, as divine organs of care and order in the context of everyday interaction, are responsible to provide clear teaching of the faith and objective moral truth, including the truth about sexual morality. To provide atmosphere and opportunity for all to learn and reflect on issues, such sexual addiction facing the church and society, therefore, must be among the chief concerns of the church and institutions today. In an age of permissiveness the church needs to be a prophetic voice.

Sexual practices and Emotional Intimacy:
The word intimacy comes from Latin words, intimus meaning “inner most” and intimare meaning “to make known”. So Intimacy is the making known of that which is innermost successful married couples are those emotionally attached to each other. Pet Collins puts it; ‘....a good relationship, marital or other be includes a mixture of closeness and intimacy. But if oxygen of true emotions intimacy is lacking, the sense of closeness with, is time in time, become stale and boring. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why so many apparently ‘good marriage’. Eventually break down and finally split up. If couples are to build romantically love, they must meet each other’s most important emotional needs.

Understanding physical Intimacy: 
For Christians, marriage is the relational for which full sexual union is designed. Most married couples assumed that sexual relationship should come naturally, caring, and shared moments of laughter and respect for each other’s feeling and temperament. Sex in marriage is not just the socially approved means for releasing one’s physical sexual urge (tension) but an important means to grow in mutual love marital love is experienced as (tension) but an important means to grow in mutual love. Marital love is experienced as an intensely physical and body centred way of expressing diligent and enjoying one another. Sexual giving in intercourse implies a revealing and giving of one’s inmost self.

Understanding Spiritual Intimacy:
What does it mean a man and a woman, to share spiritual truth (mystical union) with each other? Spiritual intimacy is for moved than a couple attending church or Christian function together or praying and reading the Bible- all of which, though valuable and necessary, can be a form of ‘going through the motions’. It is sharing of part of who we are, with God, at any given time. Like any other facet of intimacy, it demands that we know our-self well enough to have something to share. As the scripture says “clothe yourselves with compassion and if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other...let the peace of Christ rule in your heart...And be thankful”(Col. 3:12, 13, 15).

 Conclusion:
From the above contents we come to know that marriages, family and sex is a unique human functions directed towards evolving persons, communities and the society at large. Sexual practices should be discussed in order to have awareness and have good relationship between husband and wife, parents and children and to the community as a whole. There should be a seminar on the awareness of sexual practices today in order to control sexual addiction.

Bibliography: 
Devanandan, P. D. The changing pattern of Family in India: Contemporary Explorations. Bangalore: CISRS, 2007
Gordon, Albert I. Intermarriage: Interfaith, Interracial, and Interethnic. Boston: Beacon Press, 1964.
Mahendra, Shivraj K. A Christian Response to Pornography. New Delhi: ISPCK, 2007.