Module 3 / Week 3 – SEX
Case Studies: Pornographic videos
Fourteen years of marriage are symbolic to having some form of patience and stability within a relationship.
Within a marriage there are many different elements that make up a marriage and sex is not the most important
part, but it is an essential aspect regarding the health of a marriage. In the situation of Hannah and Charles and
Charles wanting to incorporate soft pornography within their sex life that is something I don’t feel Hannah
should continue because that avenue and quickly become a slippery slope with allowing porn into their sex life.
To help spice things up in their marriage I think Hannah and Charles need to explore what bought them together
in the beginning of their marriage. Where did their physical, sexual, intellectual, and spiritual attraction stem
from? Sometime when we are just going through the motions, we become complacent and stop sowing into our
relationships. I believe if Hannah holds her ground and not continue to allow pornography to be a third wheel in
their marriage, she can suggest for them to see a sex therapist that could help them reconnect with each other,
she can suggest for them to experiment using sex toys or sex card games in which their sexual experience only
involves the 2 of them and not pornography. With Charles wanting to implement pornography in his marriage
shows he’s lost sight of the essential principles of marriage.
In Proverbs 5:15-19 it reminds God’s children to, “Drink water from your own cistern, running water from
your own well. Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? Let
them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers. May your fountain be blessed and may you rejoice in
the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer, may her breasts satisfy you always may you ever be
intoxicated with her love.”1 I believe if Charles embodied the words of this scripture a focus on the essential
parts of his marriage by nurturing his fondness of his wife and his admiration for her and the both of them learn
to turn toward each other instead of away from each other it could eliminated the boredom Charles is
experiencing. After fourteen years of marriage sometimes it good to go back to the basics so each spouse can
learn how to allow themselves to influence each other and explorer awakening their sexual expression through
sexual fantasies. One reason many couples could be bored with sex is atrophy of their imagination.2 If a couple
chooses to explore sexual fantasies, they still have to be careful and not allow themselves to fall into what could
become destructive or obsessive behavior. When couples choose to allow sinister elements drive their sexual
forces it could wound their inner spirit and those wounds often fester and become infected to the point where
they poison their entire spiritual life.2 Charles’s desire to move forward with pornography as a third wheel in
their marriage could be a strong indication that the couple needs to explorer their expression of intimacy which
can be defined as “Into – Me – u – see” so a couple is able to see into each other and remember the reasons they
fell in love to begin with.
References
1.Hengeveld, N. (1993) Bible Gateway. New Gospel Communication Network. Retrieved from:
https://www.biblegateway.com/
2.Clark, D. K., & Rakestraw, R. V. (1994). Readings in Christian ethics. Baker.
Case Study: Heavy Petting
What Jeff and Cynthia are experiencing if very common among the unmarried population of believers.
Those that are unmarried and in committed relationships grow very fond of each other physically, emotionally,
mentally, and spiritually and develop strong feelings that will move them in the direction of marriage. I don’t
find any moral issues with their choice to pleasure each other due to it becoming increasingly difficult to control
their sexual desires because for there to be a moral issue that means their actions would have to go against their
personal beliefs. If they experience no conviction in their actions, then there is no violation of their ethics or
values. Professor Karen Lebacqz expresses her stance on appropriate vulnerability which would allow for
genital sexual expression between unmarried people, even those who are not planning on marriage.1 She sees
vulnerability as an important God-given purpose for human sexuality and as the precondition for both sexual
union and procreation of children.1 Their choice to masturbate should not be looked at as an inappropriate act
for Christians simply because there is no scripture that speaks against it in the word of God. However, what can
possibly lead someone to feel this sexual expression is inappropriate are the lustful thoughts that someone may
think about in order to reach their climax. Masturbation among men and women show some surprising stats
according to author James McCary who found that 95% of men and 50% – 90% of women all masturbate.1,3
Personally, I believe the choice of masturbation doesn’t have to be viewed as a sinister act. I think masturbation
is a healthy way for a person to become familiar with themselves sexually before letting someone else into their
sexual space. According to the text masturbation can be viewed as a gift from God because it can help
unmarried believers avoid promiscuous sex.1 I also believe if Jeff and Cynthia are at the place in their
relationship that’s it’s becoming challenging to control their sexual desire then they should be reminded of 1
Corinthians 7:9 – But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn
with passion.2
References
1.Clark, D. K., & Rakestraw, R. V. (1994). Readings in Christian ethics. Baker.
2.Hengeveld, N. (1993) Bible Gateway. New Gospel Communication Network. Retrieved from:
https://www.biblegateway.com/
3.McCary, S. P., McCary, J. L., & McCary, J. L. (1984). Human sexuality. Wadsworth Publishing
Company.
Case Study: Gay marriage proposal
A homosexual lifestyle has always been something condemned within the churches. In Stan’s case the
fact he was raised in a Christian home he’s aware of the opinions of believer standing firm on homosexuality
being an abomination in God’s eyes. In our text it references Leviticus 18:22 – “You shall not lie with a male as
one lies with a female; it is an abomination.”2 The fact that Stan suppressed his feelings for so many years and
then choosing to remain celibate comes across as an indication Stan is aware his choice of homosexuality is not
pleasing to God. For the situation he is in with being attracted to Norman and Norman wanting to move forward
in marriage I would suggest for Stan to seek God and ask God to search his heart for anything that is not of Him
and to remove it including the company he keeps. I believe homosexuality is a spirit that becomes someone’s
lifestyles that means they are laying down and waking up in their sin knowingly by choice. So, Stan would have
to get to a point that he feels a sense of conviction and would have to be delivered from his sinful lifestyle of
homosexuality. I understand that Stan has had these feelings since he was young however, we have to remember
the enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy so if the enemy can get us when we are young and plant seeds that
will take root and grow throughout the years, he will do just that. In 1 Corinthians 15:33 it says, “be not
deceived: Evil companionships corrupt good morals.”2 This scripture reminds us that we will have situations in
life in which we could be swayed by immoral decisions which we have the tendency to identify after the bad
decisions have been made, it’s true that hindsight is 20/20. As a close friend of Stan’s, I would encourage him to
recommit his life to Christ and ask him if he would like to renew his confession of faith and see if he is willing
to commit to us praying daily and having open discussions about the goodness of Jesus. My prayer for Stan
would be that he understands that Jesus can change his life if he submits totally to Him. I believe sometimes we
as children of God underestimate the power of God and what He is capable of doing. Our Heavenly Father is
able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all we could ask or think according to the power that works in us
(Ephesians 3:20).”2
References
1.Clark, D. K., & Rakestraw, R. V. (1994). Readings in Christian ethics. Baker.
2.Hengeveld, N. (1993) Bible Gateway. New Gospel Communication Network. Retrieved from:
https://www.biblegateway.com/
Case Study: Lesbian Schoolteacher
I don’t believe Sarah’s personal life is any business of the principle. In the text it highlights that Sarah
does not flaunt her lifestyle in front of the children, but she wouldn’t not forsake her lover either.1 This is
symbolic of Sarah making a statement that she will always remain true to herself, but she will never
intentionally try to inflict her lifestyle upon her students. If that is Sarah’s stance on the matter in the workplace
then I don’t see the reason for bringing this up to the faculty or the parents, I find it to be irrelevant and no one’s
business. If I was a parent of a child that had a teacher that was a lesbian, I wouldn’t have a concern with it as
long as my child’s teacher was not trying to influence my child or their peers of their lifestyle. Since the
principle is said to be a devout Christian then I feel the Christian thing to do would be to pray for Sarah that
God will convict her spirit and open the door to allow God in to deliver her from her sinister lifestyle. As a
Christian we never want to put anyone in a position to condemn them or offend them. We have to be careful not
to put ourselves on a pedestal as if we don’t sin or fall short and we also have to be careful not to judge others
and their choices. In Matthew 7:1-2 it says, “Judge not, that you will not be judged. Otherwise, you will be
judged by the same standard you use to judge others. The standards you use for others will be applied to you.2 I
personally don’t believe in allowing sin to become your lifestyle, especially when it’s viewed as an abomination
in the eyes of God however, I also don’t believe that people should be mistreated because of their choices in life
particularly if those choice don’t effect anyone around them. The choices that Sarah makes, when that day
comes, she will have to answer to God in the meantime while she is here on earth, she should not be treated
differently than any other faculty because of her decision to be in a relationship with the same sex. Her choice
of a same sex relationship doesn’t impede upon her ability to teach her students so in this case Brenda should
live out the scripture of 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 which states, “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and
mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the
respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”2 If Brenda could strive to live by this
scripture and turn her concerns over to God, that could open the door for Sarah to come to her with a spirit of
respect and an open heart and mind to learn about Jesus Christ and what it means to live a life according to the
will of God.
References
1.Clark, D. K., & Rakestraw, R. V. (1994). Readings in Christian ethics. Baker.
2.Hengeveld, N. (1993) Bible Gateway. New Gospel Communication Network. Retrieved from:
https://www.biblegateway.com/
Case Study – Wagner - Chapter 2: #1
Yes, religion and science will constantly have a stance of opposition simply because there is nothing
scientific about our Heavenly Father. If cloning is given the permission to clone for the purpose of research that
will open the door for researchers to improve on the techniques, they use to clone human embryos. This practice
can lead to an epidemic of selling embryos since there is no effective way of keeping track of the embryo’s
being used vs the ones that are supposedly destroyed. This also put embryos in the position to take the cells and
clone beyond the human race such as mammals which was done in 1997 at the Roslin Institute in Scotland
where they produced the world’s first mammal clone from adult cells which did bring about a lot of concerns
and the stance of this technique being unethical and immoral.3 The science of world of cloning doesn’t seem to
bring any type of bridge between the two worlds of religion and science. The Christian faith strongly opposes
cloning and feels its not the place of science to decide when life is supposed to be born that is God’s decision
not the decision of man3. Roman Catholics were told that cloning is categorically “considered contrary to the
moral law, since it is in opposition to the dignity both of human procreation and of the conjugal union.” Any
attempts at cloning are therefore a violation of the dignity of the human embryo, which is granted the status of a
person from the point of fertilization of the oocyte.2 The Jewish carry a different view on cloning in not so much
they belief in all aspects of it but they belief that if it’s for therapeutic human cloning then they are in support of
permitting those techniques. Hindu and Muslims have strong objections on cloning and are careful when giving
any form of approval of cloning. In the text it states that the religion of Buddhism has no position on whether or
not they agree or disagree with it.3 I like the example that Courtney Campbell gave regarding the traffic light to
classify the different viewpoint. Catholics and Southern Baptist were a clear red light, but amongst the
Protestant there were some that were a mix of yellow and green lights.3 As the world of technology
advancement continues to grow I don’t see those of devout faith conceding to the world of cloning simply
because it’s viewed as taking the place of God. I understand the science behind embryos and the benefits it has
to the society we live in however, there has to be a line drawn in the sand of when things go to far. In John 1:1
we are reminded that, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He
was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made
that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the
darkness has not overcome it.”1 This scripture reminds us of who is in control and that God is truly the Alpha
and the Omega and no one comes before or after him. We are made in the image of God according to Genesis
1:27 so if a baby is cloned who truly made them and established them (Deuteronomy 4:23-25).
Reference:
1.Hengeveld, N. (1993) Bible Gateway. New Gospel Communication Network. Retrieved from:
https://www.biblegateway.com/
2.Frazzetto G. (2004). Embryos, cells and God. EMBO reports, 5(6), 553–555.
https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.embor.7400175
3.Wagner, V. (2008). Biomedical ethics. Greenhaven Press.
Case Study – Wagner - Chapter 2: #2
People that are allowed to select their offspring according to Michael J Sandel violates the right to
autonomy because by parents choosing a child’s genetic makeup in advance could be viewed as denying a child
it’s right to an open future. By selecting their offspring branches into rejecting certain genetic characteristics and
choosing certain genetic enhancements such as musical talents or athletic ability. In the end it could be crippling
a child of their own hopes and dreams versus what the parents have designed for them from a test tube of
characteristics. How could a child of this nature truly be free because they were selected to be a certain way and
steered in a certain direction that may have never been intended for them.3
In terms of genetic engineering, it could benefit the human race due to the fact that scientist change the
structure of genomes which can provide them the ability to terminate certain disease and fight chronic illness
such as cystic fibrosis, diabetes, prevent HIV infections and other disease. Genetic engineering is also used in
agriculture and help to improve economic crops and prevent insect and pest resistance.2,3 A lot of people may
find that genetic engineering carries great advantages such as extension of life, specific trait development, and
reduction of risks to local water supply. However, some of the disadvantages include less nutritional value of
the food we consume, pathogens adapt to the new genetics profiles, and unexpected side effects such as a
shorten lifespan.2,3 Looking at the pros and cons of genetic engineering it provides a lot of benefits especially to
those that are suffering from chronic conditions however, we have to remember where all power comes from
and not allow ourselves to get consumed by the power of what man says they can do. Our God is the almighty
God that provides us with everything we need. He is a God that can heal any disease, and He is the one that
determines the life span of every creature He has made.1 The main danger I see with genetic engineering is
when scientist try to remove God out of the equation. I do believe all knowledge comes from God but it’s how
the knowledge is used and in the world of science they tend take the knowledge given by God and use it for
their own edification and gain and not what God had intended.
Reference:
1.Hengeveld, N. (1993) Bible Gateway. New Gospel Communication Network. Retrieved from:
https://www.biblegateway.com/
2.Lanigan, T. M., Kopera, H. C., & Saunders, T. L. (2020). Principles of Genetic
Engineering. Genes, 11(3), 291. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes11030291
3.Wagner, V. (2008). Biomedical ethics. Greenhaven Press.
Hengeveld, N. (1993) Bible Gateway. New Gospel Communication Network. Retrieved from:
https://www.biblegateway.com/
Which form of birth control should be used, if any?
I’ve never been one to use birth control because I feel that we should never be in a position of trying to
control birth. However, I do understand everyone has different viewpoints and different reasons of using birth
control, not everyone using birth control to prevent pregnancy so I don’t necessarily find anything bad about
birth control it’s no different than the pull out method or any other egregious option. I believe that people that
choose to use birth control should not be due to the fact of them wanting to be promiscuous. Some people don’t
find an issue with using birth control to prevent pregnancy so for those that choose to use birth control the form
that should be considered to be used will be contingent upon the person and their preference. There are many
different options to prevent birth however I feel the best birth control is abstinence. I believe as children of God
we should never place ourselves in positions to try and prevent the gift that is given by our Heavenly Father.
God is the giver and taker of life so no birth control can stop God’s plan for our life. With there being no birth
control method that is 100% effective is an indication that man cannot prevent life from happening, that’s why
we still hear of people that are on birth control but still get pregnant. When God chooses to allow life into the
womb no man or devil in hell can stop it. As the human race we have so many plans for the things we want to
accomplish but there is never a need to worry about our lives and the plans we set because in Proverbs 19:21 we
are reminded, “Many are the plans in a mans heart but only the plans of the Lord will prevail.”
References:
1.Houdmann, M.S. (2021). What does the Bible say about birth control?. Compelling Truth. Retrieve
from: https://www.compellingtruth.org/Bible-birth-control.html
Should the government fund sex studies?
I do believe government funding for sex studies could be beneficial especially with the society we live
int today. This type of funding will allow the study of human sexual interest and relationship amongst
adolescent pregnancy prevention, sexuality and the behavior of the human race in regard to how we function
sexually. It will also allow research to explore sexual development, puberty, and abstinence education. The
relationship people have with sex can merely stem from their introduction to sex being negative and not being
informed about what sex is and the genesis of sex. Obviously with the government involved there’s the concern
of sex studies and program that stem from the funded are geared around how the world function and doesn’t
include the views of God. But that’s where we have to remember Genesis 50:20 – what the enemy meant for
bad, God intended it for good to accomplish what is not being done.2
References:
1.
2.
Fox, A. M., Himmelstein, G., Khalid, H., & Howell, E. A. (2019). Funding for Abstinence-Only Education and
Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention: Does State Ideology Affect Outcomes?. American journal of public
health, 109(3), 497–504. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2018.304896
Should we vaccinate against HPV?
The world we live in today is the reason for the push of HPV vaccination because sex is at the forefront
of everything we see. So, promiscuity is on the rise especially in our younger generations. With people not
understanding the responsibility that comes with being sexually active I understand taking the stance to get the
vaccine to protect oneself especially if an unforeseen situation comes up such as being raped they may feel like
they are protected against catching the virus. I personally feel if parents would start having open communication
with their children about sex and allow the topic of sex to be a normal conversation and a safe place for
adolescent to come and ask questions it could possibly prevent birthing these generations that are negligent
when it comes to sex.
I’m not against the HPV vaccine I just feel it should not be a vaccine that is administered unless parents
are having an open conversation with their children explaining the reason behind getting the vaccine and why is
so prevalent among adolescents. If we could take pride in the structure that God has created for marriage and
sex and push God’s way in the face of parents and children and not the HPV vaccine, then there could be a
different approach in getting the vaccine. When we do things decent and in order according to God’s will He
protects what He brings together to where we don’t have to bring the world into God’s union in order to feel
protected. I’m aware the HPV vaccine not only prevents STI but also cervical cancer so it know it has the
preventive measure against cancers but we can’t ignore how the HPV vaccines is being marketing to appeal to
parents of children. I believe adolescents are being targeted because promiscuity amongst the younger
generations are increasing because of the world of social media that promotes a worldly lifestyle.
References:
1. Cheng, L., Wang, Y., & Du, J. (2020). Human Papillomavirus Vaccines: An Updated Review. Vaccines, 8(3), 391.
https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines8030391
