Sex and Religion | Page 2

God under any of His numerous names could unite. That agreement and that realisation will be a great step forward for humanity.
Alas! the different sects, with their various and differing traditions, and changing and diverse customs, will interpret this great truth differently. One of the obstacles in the way of its realisation will be the traditions already maintained and established within the sects. Most of these date back for many centuries and many are based on false ideas and ideals initiated during times of primitive physiological ignorance.' These encourage the 'religious' person to look upon sex life as 'self-indulgence,' to glorify the ascetic rather than the married who carry on the race, and in many respects to place on a low level, if not actually to degrade, the manifestations of a normal sex life.
Each adherent of each sect will find for himself the warping of the Truth his own sect suffers from, and must fight out this battle individually for himself or herself. The truths enunciated on page 8 are warped, hindered, or even positively denied, in many quarters. I do not wish here to enter on a consideration of the various and widely diverse teachings of different sects on sex matters. In recent years there has been much change and modification, even on the part of such sects as the Roman Catholics. Parents and teachers who attempt to discuss in detail the sex teachings of the various religions with a young, enquiring and penetrating mind will find themselves confronted by some very difficult tasks.
Turning from the absolutely universal to the particular aspects of one of the great world religions, Christianity, we are faced at once by an immense difficulty in dealing with the young. Parts of both the Bible and the Prayer Book are unfit for a child's perusal. When the Holy Books of a State religion are unfit reading for that nation's young, what can one say about the officials, priesthoods and religious leaders who blunder along burking recognition of this fact? Some parts of the Bible are not read aloud in congregation, but the printed Book complete is to be found in very nearly every school and home. While it is true that 'to the pure all things are pure,' the kind of answers a child in its purity will receive, when it asks the meaning of some of the Bible texts, will be (if it has not already had the misfortune to receive it) its first lesson in lying and prevarication by its elders.
To one who takes religion seriously the present state of affairs appears appalling. Why do the leaders of the Churches not do their obvious duty, and boldly recognise the difficulties surrounding parents and young people of the present day, and put an end to the shams and pretences that are rampant? We have expurgated Shakespeare and somewhat modernised his diction, and to read the sixteenthcentury Shakespeare one has to be a student with a student's ticket for the British Museum. The Bible, which was translated about the same epoch, could also be expurgated without being tampered with otherwise. Until this is done and the current editions of the Bible cleaned up, parents and teachers who are in the frank confidence of young people are liable to have extremely awkward discussions raised by some of the texts.
The parents themselves should be responsible for the religious instruction of their children. Yet even were this universally so, and no religious instruction given in any school, the class teacher could not eliminate all consideration of the various ideas and traditions of differing sects current among the pupils.
Without taking into account the minor influences of many different religions and moralities which impinge on our more or less accepted code, it is necessary, if intelligible discussion is to be conducted with an unbiased and enquiring young mind, to realise the different, and sometimes conflicting, threads woven into the strands of our current ideas.
Much of the confused thinking and the conflict current when sex matters art considered, are due to the fact that we do not possess one settled and accepted code or belief as to what our race and nation should aim at, nor even what we consider moral. In the Bible itself very different and conflicting precepts are coexistent and may be even read out in our national church on the same day. Each receives some acceptance, and parts of each code may be more or less fervently advocated by estimable people.
First, in our Christian religion, lingers the ancient Jewish morality, which bids us 'increase and multiply and replenish the earth. 1 Fecundity is its aim, and where it has undisputed sway, polygamy and even the 'raising of seed' by a deceased husband's brother were virtuous. The morality of fecundity is still often ardently preached by those who