Man is a sexual being; it is normal and natural for men and women of all ages to have sexual experiences covering a wide range of variation. However the Christian ethic (Islam equaly if not more) has for centuries foisted a distorted sexual image upon man. It states: ‘Anything pleasurable is sinful’. Sexual sensation being the most pleasurable sensation known to man at least at his present state of awareness, it naturally follows that sex should have the most stringent restraints, taboos and restrictions placed upon it by the Church. All of us, atheists included, have been born and reared in a basically religious culture and its doctrinal anti-sexual (anti-life) attitudes are rooted deeply in our basic personality, if for no other reason than the ‘osmosis’ of race consciousness. This has caused more suffering, more misery, more inhibitions, more physical illness (due to repressed natural drives) and more insanity than any other teaching in history, and is linked to the other mistruths such as Original Sin and the Last Judgement, that have similarly caused such unnecessary consternation.

Strange as it may seem, true spirituality and sexuality are always inseparably related.

It is impossible to evolve into higher consciousness without a true understanding and practice of authentic sexuality. For example, extra-sensory perception, intuition and creativity cannot function in individuals who are sexually inhibited. Unconsciously recognising this fact, churches have for ages attempted to control and regulate the sexuality of their members. What Religion failed to understand is that love, not procreation, is the purpose of sex and that the production of offspring is incidental to love. Only animals use sex solely for procreation purposes. It is exclusively humans that experience the psychoemotional pleasures and ecstasies of the sex act. By insisting procreation is the only valid purpose of the sex act, under the penalty of sin and Hell, Religion lowers man to the level of animals. This has caused untold numbers of men and women to experience guilt in their sexual contacts which were directed solely at bringing pleasure to each other, as an expression of love and intimacy. All expressions of love are essentially sexual expressions. Sexual energy is not limited to the physical act of sex alone. The energy of sex is sublimated as creative energy at any and every level you find yourself in the universe. Energy travels between positive and negative poles. Indeed, every ascent of consciousness is, in this sense, a sexual process. Sex and love are a fusion, a coming together of thought and feeling and body, the synthesis of masculine and feminine, and this is the essence of creativity. So any creative act is a sexual act - from the writing of a book to baking a cake, from designing a bridge to painting a picture, from a love affair to playing a musical instrument, from a discovery or invention to raising a beautiful family. When all creative acts are interpreted as sexual, sex is no longer expressed at the expense of someone else but may uplift and illumine all concerned. Sex, then, is not necessarily limited to ‘genitals’, despite appearances that we are living in a genitaloriented culture, but all creativity is essentially sexual expression at its highest level. It is important to realise that as a human being you are sexual, and that your sexual activity, in whatever manner you find satisfying, is normal and natural for you. Sexual denials, shame, embarrassment, inhibition and guilt concerning your own body organs and various sexual acts probably causes the majority of stress and resulting problems. Fulfilment of the sex drive and sublimation of it through creative pursuits of all kinds, accompanied by self-knowledge, may then lead to uninhibited happiness and ecstatic satisfaction.

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Taken from one of the most influenctial Psychology books of our time, 'Transforming the Mind'. If anyone wants an online copy msg me.

___________________
Courageous, untroubled, mocking and violent; that is what Wisdom wants us to be. Wisdom is a woman, and loves only a warrior.
--Friedrich Nietzsche

quote:

Originally posted by Illusion ------------- Taken from one of the most influenctial Psychology books of our time, 'Transforming the Mind'. If anyone wants an online copy msg me.

I highly doubt its one of the most influential books, but I guess it depends on who it is influencing.


I found the guys site, but I don't want on that mailing list. So I guess I'll pm ya for that download link when I get some time.

The influence exerted by new work (at that time) in a field like Psychology mainly reverberates through academic circles rather than popular press and so it's influence is mostly appreciated by those particular groups.

Here's the book
Transforming the Mind
If the link doesn't work paste this into your browser.
http://www.geocities.com/acitizenoftheworld/files/Mind.zip

This is the introduction. I think just about everyone should find it interesting.

INTRODUCTION
An evolutionary jump

You may, at some time, have had a ‘peak’ experience, an ecstatic moment or a moment of greater understanding, when your consciousness expanded - and you knew it. When this occurs, the integration between left brain (logical thinking) and right brain (intuitive feelings and emotions) is manifested in increased energy-flow
between the two sides. This is thinking and feeling in an holistic and balanced way. It is a foretaste of an evolutionary jump for humanity - and in essence, what the socalled New Age is all about - a new level of maturity in mental development, an awakening.
By learning how to arouse the whole brain, selectively and at will, the mode of consciousness may be freely altered, appropriate to the task or situation - whether a crisis, making music, relaxing, mental arithmetic, brainstorming, or contemplating nature. In this new wide-awake consciousness, the world seems to be full of possibilities - it possesses a strong sense of rediscovered meaning. This is nothing mystical, it is essentially ordinary consciousness, operating for once at its proper efficiency. “When we pull back and get, for a moment, the ‘bird’s eye’ view of life, it reveals meanings that are ungraspable by the narrow focus of our usual worm’s eye view” Colin Wilson Research tells us that one side of the brain is frequently cut off from the other, and that most of the time, very little of the potential capacity of the brain is in use. Brain studies have also shown that people who are functioning optimally have a high level of inter-hemispheric communication and that the two sides are working in synchrony, with the improved integration described above. Also overall arousal is both higher and under conscious control - this is the state of sustained and effortless concentration which consciousness researcher Len Fehmi calls the ‘Open Focus’
state. The methods described in this book are designed to help you achieve this state by a step-by-step approach. The skills that are learnt and practised give an objective understanding and control of the mind and just as important, a new understanding and empathy with others.

___________________
Courageous, untroubled, mocking and violent; that is what Wisdom wants us to be. Wisdom is a woman, and loves only a warrior.
--Friedrich Nietzsche

quote:

Originally posted by Illusion The influence exerted by new work (at that time) in a field like Psychology mainly reverberates through academic circles rather than popular press and so it's influence is mostly appreciated by those particular groups. Here's the book Transforming the Mind If the link doesn't work paste this into your browser. http://www.geocities.com/acitizenof.../files/Mind.zip

Well I only mention that becasue I am a grad student in psychology and I haven't heard of this, granted I haven't heard of everything. But I think that this text hits on the spiritual side of things, I am more on the scientific side of things.


thanks for the link though, I will give it a read then judge it .

hmmmm sounds interesting, also a german copy there?

I was just talking to my manager about sex before marriage. She is Christian, very religious. She was telling me how it's not right to have sex b4 marriage, and all that other religion crap. It made me feel a little guily... but damn... we are human! If sex makes a person feel better, I don't see why we "shouldn't" do it (as long as we are safe and not hurting anyone in the process)!!!!

Your manager is an intelligent person I believe. People tend to confuse the Christian church with the Catholic Church. Both are different because the beliefs are different (don't understand, pm me). The Bible does not distort sex, it simply gives you rules to follow and God gave us all free will, so you are free to ignore it. The Bible says (funny how people believe that is says things and I doubt really any of you have read the Christian Bible from Genesis to Revelations) that God made sex and that sex was supposed to be between a man and woman. Two become one and it's obvious that God made it for procreation. In Christian circles, sex is good just under the right circumstances, between a man and a woman who are married. I'm more likely to think that the rest of society have perverted sex to the point where most people think it is not what it should be. To the society out there, sex is a feel good thing, you do it because you want to do it and marriage means nothing. This argument will continue for a long time to come with secular vs. christian thoughts.

quote:

Originally posted by torontotrance Your manager is an intelligent person I believe. People tend to confuse the Christian church with the Catholic Church. Both are different because the beliefs are different (don't understand, pm me). The Bible does not distort sex, it simply gives you rules to follow and God gave us all free will, so you are free to ignore it. The Bible says (funny how people believe that is says things and I doubt really any of you have read the Christian Bible from Genesis to Revelations) that God made sex and that sex was supposed to be between a man and woman. Two become one and it's obvious that God made it for procreation. In Christian circles, sex is good just under the right circumstances, between a man and a woman who are married. I'm more likely to think that the rest of society have perverted sex to the point where most people think it is not what it should be. To the society out there, sex is a feel good thing, you do it because you want to do it and marriage means nothing. This argument will continue for a long time to come with secular vs. christian thoughts.

She actually gave me a copy of the bible. I've been reading things here and there, interesting stuff. God says that sex before marriage is "foolish". Society has overated sex. Teens getting pregnant, unsafe sex, diseases, cheating, etc.

I'm not religious, but I've been feeling more and more guilty about having sexual relationships, as I continue reading the bible. Am I gonna go to hell for enjoying myself and enjoying life????????

I'll be frank here, you will go to hell if you don't repent and accept Christ as your saviour. That's what the Bible says, not me but we are given free will, which means we have free choice to decide yes or no. Others will give you arguments why they think this religion is right or is not right. When it all comes down to it, you make your own decision about what you want to believe and we all find out what is right after we die, assuming that the big bang theory did not happen. Got questions pm me, I'm keeping it brief to the anti religion people around

quote:

Originally posted by sExY pErSiAn She actually gave me a copy of the bible. I've been reading things here and there, interesting stuff. God says that sex before marriage is "foolish". Society has overated sex. Teens getting pregnant, unsafe sex, diseases, cheating, etc. I'm not religious, but I've been feeling more and more guilty about having sexual relationships, as I continue reading the bible. Am I gonna go to hell for enjoying myself and enjoying life????????

repent and ye shall be saved.


If you really believe in christianity then you can ask for forgiveness and god will forgive.


at least that is what the preacher that was preaching in the middle of our campus said. He also said to start reading the new testament, from the Mathew til revelations, then pray, and you will be saved.

what about hindu or muslims will they go to hell because they will not accept our god.

humans are sexual beings, it is impossible to be asexual as a normal person. i don't think that even the most die hard religious people are asexual beings. the churches' attempt to regulate sex is a well intended jest to prevent ills that are the product of irresponsible pleasure.

sExY pErSiAn u shouldn't feel guilty cuz of your sexuality if are responsible about it, as with any pleasure moderation will serve you well.

___________________
i am a thinkerer, an oldschooler, a nurturer, a hopeless romantic with no one to romance and a VINYL WARRIOR still fighting.

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Originally posted by ralf_c sExY pErSiAn u shouldn't feel guilty cuz of your sexuality if are responsible about it, as with any pleasure moderation will serve you well.

I totally agree with u... but according to the bible... even if i am safe and not hurting anyone... I'm still going to hell.