The Church and Sex

Sex is something that a lot of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints treat as being taboo. It is a topic that a lot of parents feel very uncomfortable sharing with their children. When parents do not feel comfortable sharing it with them, they sometimes just do not talk to their children about it at all, and their children have to learn about it from someone else, usually someone less reliable.

In my Developmental Psychology class we had a section of class devoted to teens and sex, and how and when to broach the topic of sex. My teacher had a some good words of advice that she mentioned. She told us that you cannot expect the church to teach your kids about sex, and you cannot expect that your children will learn what you want them to know about sex in school. They could be told that some things are okay that really are not okay, and it is important that you be the one to tell them these things before they make mistakes without meaning to. She also mentioned how it is important that we do not treat sex as being something bad, or horrible. We should tell our children that sex is a good thing, but only in the right context. “Teachings of the Presidents of the Church” affirms this by saying:

“The divine impulse within every true man and woman that impels companionship with the opposite sex is intended by our Maker as a holy impulse for a holy purpose, not to be satisfied as a mere biological urge or as a lust of the flesh in promiscuous associations, but to be reserved as an expression of true love in holy wedlock.” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church, 2000, p. 112; emphasis added.)

If we treat sex like it is a bad thing, they may not feel comfortable asking us questions about it, or may get the wrong attitude about sex. They may  go to sources that are not reliable, or appropriate to learn about sex. They could go to their friends and get incorrect ideas and information, or could go on the internet and see images and details that are not appropriate. Looking up things about sex can lead to pornography, and pornography addictions.

Pornography is a big problem in our world today. What is bad is that so many people think of it as such a normal thing, and even make jokes about it. It is almost impossible now a days to find a guy that has not looked at porn after his teens. Women look at porn as well, but it isn’t common as it is with men. It is important to keep our children safe from it by teaching them the dangers of pornography and how it can affect our lives and spirits.