Sex and Religion | Page 2

within the racial organs.
In acceptance of the above profound truth all religions worshipping
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