1.  Ethics and Religion

2. Ethics:  A system of moral principles, a way of deciding what is right and wrong.  Hedonism - belief that the goal of human life is pursuit of pleasure, avoidance of pain and fulfillment of physical needs and desires.  Asceticism - an approach to life emphasizing discipline and impulse control.

3.  Legalism - following a moral law or set of principles.  Situationism - based on human experience, and in matters of sexual morality, tends to focus on relationships rather than rules.  Few ethical systems are purely hedonistic or ascetic or entirely legalistic or situationist - most lie between these extremes.

4.  Classical Greek philosophy - violent passion must be avoided to achieve wisdom and cultivate virtue.  Pederasty - a sexual relationship between an older man and a younger one.

5.  Judaism - sex seen as a deep and intimate part of a relationship between two people.  Hebrew scriptures see sexual behavior as an aspect of national and religious loyalty.  Fertility cult  A form of nature-based religion  Fertility of the soil is encouraged through various forms of ritual magic  Often includes ritual sexual intercourse

6. Christianity:  The goal of life is to become purely spiritual by transcending the physical and material side of life.  Serious Christians revolted against the corrupt and worldly church of the Roman Empire and began to practice forms of self-denial that included celibacy.  It is difficult, however, to derive a sexual ethic from the Gospels alone.  Puritanism - emphasized the doctrine of “original sin” and the “total depravity” of fallen humanity.

7. Humanism:  A philosophical system which:  Denies a divine origin for morality.  Holds that ethical judgments must be made on the basis of human experience and human reason. Islam:  Classical Islam values sexuality very positively:  Muhammad saw intercourse in marriage as the highest good in human life.  Sex outside marriage is viewed as a sin.  Islamic law encourages contraception.

8. Hinduism:  The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana is a masterpiece of erotic hedonism. Buddhism:  Therevada - Includes strict nonindulgence of desires that bring joy.  Mahayana - Ethics are more active and directed toward love of others.  Tantric Buddhism - Teaches that sexual desire can be overcome while engaging in intercourse.

9. Sex outside marriage:  Fornication - Sex before marriage.  Adultery (extramarital sex) - Sex by persons married to others.  Has always been regarded as a grave matter in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Contraception:  Roman Catholics and Orthodox Jews oppose any “artificial” means of contraception.  Other Jews and most Protestants favor responsible family planning by married couples.

10. Abortion:  One of the most convulsive debates of our time.  Absolute - Pregnancy is solely the concern of a woman.  Modified - Suggests there may be many situations in which abortion is the least bad choice.  Therapeutic abortion - termination of pregnancy when life or mental health of the woman is threatened or in cases of trauma, such as incest or rape.

11. Homosexuality:  Rejectionism - Opposes any sexual acts between persons of the same gender.  Modified rejection or qualified acceptance - Regards homosexual orientation as morally neutral but rejects homosexual acts.

12. AIDS:  Has raised a host of complex and difficult ethical issues for individuals, religious communities, and society as a whole.  Religious responses range from declaring AIDS to be God’s punishment on sinners to actively organizing to minister to persons with AIDS.

13. Cloning:  Somatic cell nuclear transfer -  Involves substituting the genetic material from an adult’s cell for the nucleus in an egg.  Therapeutic cloning - Creating tissues or cells that are genetically identical to those of a patient, to treat a disease.