Dr. Cindy Meston, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, has published a research report in the August, 2007 issue of "Archives of Sexual Behavior" listing the 237 reasons why people want to have sex.
Her team studied men and women ages 17 to 54 over a five-year period and came up with the list, some of which seem to overlap. They asked UT Austin students to rank these reasons.
Not surprisingly for non-Christians, the #1 reason given by both men and women for wanting to have sex was, “I was attracted to the person.” Other reasons included, "It's fun," "I wanted release," “It seemed like the natural next step in my relationship,” and “The opportunity presented itself.”
There was a dark side to the research, however. Some people had terrible motivations for wanting to have sex. Perhaps the worst was, “I wanted to give someone a sexually transmitted disease like herpes or AIDS,” a reason which ranked #1 for women and #2 for men in the list of negative reasons for wanting to have sex. This desire to use sex as a deadly weapon is an alarming development.
Interestingly, God got a bad rap when it came to the ranking. In the original research, people said they wanted to have sex because they “Wanted to feel closer to God.” However, the Texas students ranked it as the 10th most negative reason for having sex. It was sandwiched between “I wanted to hurt/humiliate the person” and “I wanted to breakup my relationship.”
Christianity often gets a bad rap about sexuality from critics. They say that Christians are "prudish" when it comes to sex--or far worse things. While it is true that virtually no Christians believe that "anything goes," most believe that sex is a good thing and that Christian sexuality is a gift from God.
Christians realize that sexual union can be, and often is, a spiritual experience. They would agree that “Wanted to feel closer to God” is an excellent reason for desiring to have sex.
Is the Bible negative about sexuality? Of course not! It covers everything from adultery to virginity, and comes across negatively only in areas where the wise writers felt people could bring harm to themselves, their families or society by indulging in questionable behavior.
Most of the time, the Bible speaks very favorably about sex. In Genesis, men and women are encouraged to "become one." The Song of Solomon is rife with sensuality, and that is a foundation for understanding Christian sexuality. In 1 Corinthians 7, the Apostle Paul says, “It is better to marry than to burn [with passion]” and that men and women should not withhold sexual pleasure from each other, “except for times of prayer.” In the Bible, sexuality and spirituality go hand-in-hand.
Christian sexuality is different because Christian couples can bring a little bit of heaven into their sexual relationship when they realize that the experience is not just between husband and wife, but also involves the presence of God.
God brings a special unity and harmony into relationships, and that changes the dynamics of sexual experience. Christian sexuality can lead married couples closer to God.
Author Resource:-
Donald L. Hughes is the author of “Christian Sexual Dynamics,” a Bible-based eBook which deals with Christian sexuality topics that many Christians, churches and pastors are sometimes reluctant to discuss openly. http://www.ChristianSexualDynamics.com
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