The problem with the contemporary view on sex is that it is dominated by two extremes: one view sees sexuality as reducable to a person’s genitals (many conservatives, including some Catholics unfortunately), and the other sees sexuality as basically the whole of one’s identity (the children of the sexual revolution, especially the LGBT movement).
The correct view, seems to be some sort of middle ground. The liberal (to use American political terms…which I dislike) is correct to point out that sexuality is not just my gentiles. The conservative is correct that sexuality is not the whole of one’s identity.
On one hand, sexuality is rooted in biology, but on the other, extends far beyond the physical self to the social, emotional, and intellectual self, as well as (and this is very important), other selves. But, at the same time, we are not “just” a sexual self, or even mostly a sexual self.
To the Church, Chasity (as I understand it) is the integration of the sexual self with the physical, social, intellectual, etc. aspect of the self. Due to original sin, these aspects of the self are fragmented and work against each other. For example, the intellectual self knows that fornication is wrong/ against human nature, but the sexual self, or at least the crude pleasure seeking aspect of the sexual self, works against the intellect. We call this concupiscence in Latin theology, St. Paul calls this the “will of the flesh” or the flesh for short, and the Jews call this the
yetzer-hara.
Chasity is then integrating the aspects of the self to be as one undivided self, and the self to be integrated to God (actaully, the self can only become integrated into one if it is first integrated to God, via Grace). To use the example above, the integration that Chasity looks for in the above situation is marriage, where the intellectual self is working together with the sexual self, as you are following the Natural Law, while expressing your sexuality. Before, you were expressing you sexuality at the expense of your intellect’s understanding, which leads to weakness in both your intellective and sexual aspect of yourself: to brokenness and conflict within yourself.
So basically, the Church teaches that the only way to fully integrate your sexuality with the rest of you is in practicing Chasity.
This is my understanding of the Christ’s teaching on sexuality. Now, using my system of viewing Christian sexuality, let us analyze the modern conception of sexuality*
To the modern, a person is really reducable to the social/cultural self (identity), which they call gender and orientation when applying their views to sexuality, willpower, and (sometimes) biology.** To them, willpower is the most important, which the social and physical should be subservient to. Due to the rise of modern science, which is really speaking power over nature through technology, many can now create the illusion that the desires of the will have Absolute control over our biology, which, when this is applied to gender, is called a “sex change.” The problem for many moderns is the social constructs that we call gender that “bind and enslave,” constructs that the Oppressors use to oppress. Apparently, Masculinity was constructed in order for some people to suppress others, those who are deemed feminine. Heterosexuality was constructed in order to suppress those who were deemed homosexual, and so on.
Those who “feel” that they really belong in another social category, in the modern view, should be able to translate, especially with the power of technology to reduce a person’s biology to whatever the will wants it to be. All that’s left for the will to overcome, for total “freedom” is these social constructs like gender.
As you can see, the modern view is Marxism applied to sexuality. To put it simply, the different genders are just another bunch of classes, with some trying to oppress others (like the feminist have been saying that men have done to women for centuries). The ultimate Marxist goal is to reduce all classes to one class: to reduce all genders to one gender: whatever the will desires the gender to be.
In reality, gender is not entirely a social construct, and any view that attempts to reduce everything to the will is actaully reducing the will to irrational impulses. Thus in reality those who buy into these theories act like hedonists.
This discourse is the result of meditation on a variety of modern viewpoints. If anyone finds error, I am looking for correction.
Christi pax,
Lucretius
*The modern view is ultimately incoherent and nonsensical, BTW. Of course, moderns have rejected such “restriction” as logic
**Some moderns would go so far as to reduce everything to social constructs :roll eyes:
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