Sexual Liberation: The Scandal of Christendom [Hardcover]

Sex sells, they say, but even today, it is considered forbidden, wrong, even sinful by many in the Western world. This book is an account of the strange ways sexual pleasure has been devalued, even demonised, in the West by the forces of Christendom and its legacy in the modern world. It tells the story of how sex came to be regarded by societies throughout the ages as perverse, sinful, and wrong, and how the motivations of a few have lasted for centuries and have coloured our view of sex and sexuality today. For good or ill, Christianity has been the principal bearer of public values in the Western world. This book traces the changes that have shaped and reshaped what is considered to be moral and immoral sexual behaviour by both Christians and non-Christians alike. This account of the perversion of sexual values begins with the intersection of the early Jesus movement and the morality of the Greco-Roman culture and empire. It goes on to point out the ways Christianity and its moral code was reshaped under the impact of Constantine's adoption of Christianity as the imperial religion, as key figures of the Middle Ages generally succeeded in promoting a religion whose chief ethic was the obliteration of sexual pleasure, and on through the ages until now. This controversial look at sex and Christianity sheds new light on our views of pornography, homosexuality, adultery, and other issues of sex and sexuality. It is part of the "Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality" series. It offers a controversial take on a topic of widespread interest. It traces modern views of sexual values back to Jesus' time and the culture in which he preached. It covers topics such as pornography, homosexuality, extra-marital affairs, etc. It offers an alternative to the views that have come to be accepted as the norm.