Czarina! An excellent topic in these times. I wish I could say I am unscathed, yet, interestingly, I consider myself to be a far better person after 15+ years of absense from "Christianity". While in my religion, my overworked conscience, also started by guilt for indulging my irresistible urges with masterbation, led to my downward spiral into out-of-control addictive behaviors. I'll spare the details of what this means except to say that 10years of counselling and $10,000 out of my pocket later and a lot of reading and soul-searching paid dividends. Then at one point, in 1996, I decided I'd thrown out the baby with the bathwater. Now, much of my art revolves (not exclusively) around the God, church and bible themes, but, with my own twist (you've got to twist that which is bent). Read more at babyloninus.tribe.net. When viewing my profile, interests and tribes, you'll notice that sex and God are both high on my list. Though I felt this way while I was a church member (Assembly of God, Seventh Day Adventist), predictably, I was in denial of celebrating my (our) sexuality. Some how, over time, the belief grew that to be closer to God = little or no sex. Celibacy is equated with purity while sex is equated with condemnation. Hmmmmm...God made me in (His/Her) likeness, and made me very sexual. What happened to be fruitful and multiply?
Count me as a middle-grounder who sees value in the bible, faith...and as one who has no agendas to "convert" anyone over to my view since my view is changing, evolving over time. Let's all talk about theology, Jesus, Budda...respectfully, imaginatively and without fear ("perfect love casts out all fear") or conceit about who is right, shall we? (funny story puts this in perspective, hell freezes over, at sexualintellectuals.tribe.net)