CGM3701 ASSIGNMENT 1 49998684

Table of Contents
Introduction 3
Casual sex 3
Casual sex statistics 4
What God intended sex for 5
Negative consequences of casual sex 6
Soul ties 7
Our battle as Christians 7
Conclusion 8
List of references 9
Declaration 9

Introduction

“Sexual intercourse is an activity that people engage in and is on much the same level as any other human activity such as going for a run or for brushing teeth. Do you agree with this statement or disagree with it? Discuss.”
An ever-changing world and outlook on society is greatly responsible for the attitude that has been adopted towards sexual intercourse. Gender and sexuality has evolved along with technologies like motor vehicles, birth control and the Internet, economic shifts and social equality. Society has truly swung their views from one extreme to another. From the Puritan viewpoint of sexual intercourse as a necessary evil for procreation, we have easily converted to the popular “Playboy” view of sexual intercourse as a necessary thing for union, pleasure and sexual release. Sexual intercourse no longer solely takes place in the marriage bed; it has become the norm for every person, whether you are in a stable relationship, or whether you have what is called a “one night stand.”
I fully agree with the above statement. Sex has become a necessity as much as breathing is needed for survival, as much as one needs to eat or sleep.
In this essay I will be discussing the various viewpoints on how I define this “everyday, human activity –sex,” as well as the negative effects that one is scared with as a result of unruly, sexual behaviour. I will then also be looking at the biblical viewpoint toward sexual intercourse and what God truly intended by creating this beautiful, natural act of life.
Casual sex

According to an online dictionary casual sex can be defined as “sexual relations not involving a love relationship, especially brief encounters or an encounter on one occasion.” Casual sex is sex for physical pleasure only, without any emotional connection, a “no strings attached” kind of encounter. Many times it is a once off encounter. It includes any kind of sexual act with anyone, heterosexual or homosexual. In its rawest form it involves an encounter with a total stranger—no names, no history, no tomorrow. It coldly seeks to suppress the development of any type of relationship. Casual sex has become the norm for our society today, a popular cultural change that has infiltrated the lives of emerging adults throughout the Western world. Many people are no longer engaging in long-lasting, meaningful relationships, which could potentially lead to marriage. Instead people are going around trying to see if they can escalate the number of sexual partners they have.
Thousands of years ago, a woman would be stoned to death if she were sexually immoral, but in our modern society it has become quite acceptable to have many sexual partners. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 the Bible speaks of what will happen to the sexually immoral, “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”
Casual sex has been glamorised in movies and on television, infact, media everywhere. Every second billboard one looks at has some sort of sexual connotation. The underlying philosophy for all this hype is that marriage is out; casual sex is harmless fun; everyone is doing it; you are missing out—so as Nike would say: Just do it!
Casual sex statistics

If one had to go look into many statistics and research projects that have been done in order to obtain numbers for sexual activities, it will become quite clear that we are living in a world ruled by sex.
According to The National Health Statistics Reports (Published March 2011) it was found that 8.3% of women and 21.4% of men have had 15 or more sexual partners. While the number of sex partners increased with age, by the age of 24 more than 14% of men and 7 % of women have had 15 or more sex partners.
According to the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction 18-29 year olds have sex an average of 112 times per year and 30-39 year olds an average of 86 times per year.
According to a Durex survey done in 2007, a third of the people who took part reported that they have had sex with a person without knowing their partner's sexual history. These people were taking a risk and not inquiring about sexually transmitted diseases.
This same survey also found that 45% of the people who took part have had a “one night stand” in the past year. They meet these people at clubs, at the gas stations or anywhere else someone sparks their attention. Having a one night stand is not as rare as people think.

What God intended sex for

Human sexuality was designed by a great Creator, God, to bestow lifelong benefits to mankind. To reap these benefits, sexual intercourse must remain within the boundaries of marriage. Abstinence until marriage is the only workable “safe-sex” practice.
God created human beings to have intimacy. From the beginning of creation God said in Genesis 2:18, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”As amazing as this may seem, even though Adam had a close and intimate relationship with God, God knew that Adam needed other types of intimacy; the kind of intimacy that could only be offered by another human being of the opposite sex. So therefore God created Eve. In Genesis 2:21-24 we read about the way God created Eve, “So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh she shall be called ‘woman, ‘for she was taken out of man.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.”
This shows us that God clearly intended for us to have a partner in life, that we were not meant to be alone.
Sexual intercourse was created by God for pleasure between a husband and a wife. God has given us as Christians a cherished gift to share with our spouse, to bring us into a closer and more intimate relationship with them. Marriage under God is a relationship that God blesses and sex is a natural part of it. The sexual union is intended to help people express spiritual intimacy, emotional bonding, passionate excitement, personal fulfilment, and genuine nurturing.
Throughout the scriptures we are able to see the reason for sex and why it is only intended for married couples. In Proverb’s one can see that it is for pleasure between two people that are in a committed and covenant marriage. Proverbs 5:18 says, “Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice with your wife of your youth”, and for procreation as stated in Genesis 1:28, “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply.” One can also see clearly that it is only meant for married couples as shown in 1 Cor. 7:2; “But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband.”
We have the ability to have relationships with others and with God since we are created in God’s image. Our sexuality is one of two dimensions with the first being ones sexual functioning and secondly being our relationship as a married couple. After God had created Adam and Eve He brought them together as a married couple and told them they were to become one flesh.
The oneness of intimate fellowship between a man and a woman is expressed in Genesis 2:24 by the phrase "one flesh:" "Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh." The phrase "one flesh, refers to the total union of body, soul, and spirit between marital partners. This total union can be experienced especially through sexual intercourse when the act is the expression of genuine love, respect, and commitment.
Within the pages of the Bible, God placed vital instructions on the proper uses of sex. Just after the creation of Eve and while at the first marriage ceremony, God taught them to “be one flesh.” The newly created couple were to use sex to bind them together for life.
In his book,” The Missing Dimension in Sex” Herbert W. Armstrong wrote: “God designed sex to produce pure, righteous, clean, holy and rich blessings! He made it to be the loving bond which not only would inspire a properly mated couple to marry but which would preserve that marriage in love. Sex should be the energizing magnet to draw constantly closer and closer together with increasing love a husband and wife.”
Negative consequences of casual sex

Engaging in sexual intercourse in a casual means can lead to many negative outcomes, such as emotional and psychological injury, sexual violence, sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancy.
Casual sex can lead to sex addiction. Sex addicts become dependent on casual sex and end up structuring their lives around sex devoid of emotions. Casual sex or one-night stands may leave you with sub-conscious guilt, which can eventually lead to depression. People indulging in casual sex have a tendency to take risks. They end up having unprotected encounters with strangers, and are thus at a risk of contracting Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
The consequences that can arise from having sex can be very literally life and death. Having multiple sexual partners increases the risks of sexually transmitted diseases some of which can be deadly. The possibility of the woman getting pregnant is always real, no matter how much protection the couple uses. The enormous responsibility of raising a child should not be treated lightly, and many women today are killing their babies to get out of the responsibility. For these reasons premarital sex is morally unacceptable.

Soul ties

The Bible speaks of what is today known as soul ties. In the Bible, it doesn't use the word soul tie, but it speaks of them when it talks about souls being knit together, becoming one flesh. A soul tie can serve many functions, but in its simplest form, it ties two souls together in the spiritual realm. Soul ties between married couples draw them together like magnets, while soul ties between fornicators can draw a beaten and abused woman to the man whom in the natural realm she would hate and run from, but instead she runs to him even though he doesn’t love her. In the demonic world, unholy soul ties can serve as bridges between two people to pass demonic garbage through. Other soul ties can do things such as allow one person to manipulate and control another person, and the other person is unaware to what is going on or knows what is going on, but for no real reason, allows it to continue.
Godly soul ties are formed when a couple are married and the Godly soul tie between a husband and the wife that God intended him to have is unbreakable by man. However, when a person has ungodly, sexual relations with another person, an ungodly soul tie is then this soul tie fragments the soul, and is destructive. People who have many past relationships find it very difficult to 'bond' or be joined to anybody, because their soul is fragmented.
Our battle as Christians

As Christians we are not at all immune to sexual temptation. We too can easily fall into the trap of sexual immorality and we too can turn sexual intercourse into an activity that is engaged in such as brushing teeth or going for a jog. People have fallen short of their morals and values and have easily fallen under the traps of peer pressure. Therefore we need to ensure that we cling to our faith and focus on the word of God and his promises that he makes.
“Hold onto instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.”
—Proverbs 4:13
“I have made a covenant with my eyes, how then could I gaze at a virgin?”
—Job 31:1
“Do not set foot on the path of the wicked, or walk in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not travel on it, turn from it and go on your way.”
—Proverbs 4:14-15
“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”
—Proverbs 4:23
“Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord; and the Lord is for the body… Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? May it never be!… Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body… For you have been bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.”
—I Corinthians 6:13-20
Conclusion

As Christians we need to recover and maintain the Biblical balance between the relational and procreational functions of sex. Sexual intercourse is a relational act of perfect sharing that engenders a sense of oneness while offering the possibility of bringing a new life into this world. We need to recognize that sex is a divine gift that can be legitimately enjoyed within marriage. Like all other divine gifts, sex is to be partaken of with thankfulness and moderation and not become an immoral, casual activity that takes place as often as you brush your teeth or go for a jog.

List of references

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/casual+sex http://drjengunter.wordpress.com/2011/12/03/how-many-sex-partners-do-people-really-have/ http://www.galtime.com/story/22153757/how-many-times-a-week-do-people-have-sex#axzz2akYsYgal http://voices.yahoo.com/do-know-sex-statistics-509205.html http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+2%3A18&version=NIV http://christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-f007.html Study Guide- Chapter 2,4 and 5
Declaration

“I declare that this assignment is my own work and that all sources quoted have been acknowledge by appropriate references”
Melissa Robson 02-08-13