The Role of Culture, Ethics and Religion on Sexuality

1. How has your cultural/ethnic/religious background and upbringing affected your level of comfort when dealing with sexual/ sensual situations?

Have these attitudes affected you in a positive or negative way?

Cultural, ethnic and religious related factors are believed to play a major role in the determination of the manner in which individuals deal with issues associated with sexual and sensual relations. Even though some people argue that the environment in which an individual is brought up cannot affect his or her perceptions of sexual related matters, the fact remains that the background provided to a child when growing up largely determines the stand that child will take on in regard to a variety of issues later in life (Ellingson p. 15). It is an irrefutable fact that people who are brought up in strict families tend to become stereotypes as well as conservatives as far as certain issues are concerned. It is almost totally impossible to instill flexibility on a person who was been brought up under the guidance of certain strict principles. Most of the principles human beings take on later in life are to a greater extent determined by the mode of upbringing they were provided with. It is also fascinating how a large number of people tend to incline their beliefs towards religious and cultural principles. The behaviors of a large proportion of people in society are based on the teachings of various religious organizations (Ellingson p. 24). However, there are some people who believe that acting in accordance with religious and ethnic principles is a social bondage that everyone should aim to break. These people tend to follow their own set of principles which in turn make them to be considered as social outcasts. They believe that matters related to sexuality should not in any way be determined by cultural and ethnic as well as religious principles. They point out that every person has freedom to make his or her choice as far as sexual orientation and stance are concerned. All in all it is important to note that the

background in which an individual is reared determines the kind of a person he or she will become later in life. The behaviors of men and women as far as sexual issues are concerned do not only reflect their individual tastes, but also portray the basic virtues as well as values of the community to which they belong. Even though people may differ as far as personal perceptions of various issues are concerned, their moral sense is to a large extent determined and also shaped by the basic principles of their entire culture.

Effect of cultural/ethnic/religious background and upbringing on one’s level of comfort when dealing with sexual/ sensual situations The fact that human beings are social animals implies that they have desires, fears, hopes as well as beliefs. The society in which an individual is brought up largely shapes all of the attributes associated with social beings. Behaviors and attitudes associated with sex are some of the main issues that many people do not know the kind of stand to take. Whereas some people find it easier to discuss issues related to sex others believe that sexual and sensual issues should be kept discrete. I believe that the kind of upbringing I received largely determine most of the positions I take as far as a variety of social matters are concerned.

Even though cultural, ethnic and religious beliefs have the potential to positively impact of the attitude taken on by a person as far as certain social issues are concerned, they can also negatively impact on the perception of an individual. I believe that cultural and religious teachings, in addition to their positive implications in my life, may have negatively impacted my perception of sex making me believe it is a shameful act whereas the truth is the exact opposite.

Extensive research has enabled me to realize that sex is a socially acceptable act provided all the sexual standards of society are observed. Some cultures have it that all members in society should strictly follow all the laid down rules. Christian and Muslim oriented cultures comprise

some of the cultures that urge their members to strictly follow all their teachings. These religions make it clear that observance of their teachings benefits both the individual as well as the community at large. Being brought up in a family that strictly observed Christian principles I was taught that issues to do with sexual matters should only be left to adults. I grew up knowing that children should not imagine let alone talk about sexual issues. There are other cultures however, that do not make it mandatory for members to follow their rules. These cultures give their members freedom to discuss, engage and make decisions with respect to certain social issues.

During my basic education years I found it hard to engage in discussions touching on issues to do with sexuality. I always felt uncomfortable whenever other students started talking about sexuality and its related issues regardless of whether these talks were being held under the guidance of a teacher. The strict Christian teachings I received as a child acted as a major hindrance for me to actively take part in sexual oriented discussions. Even after being asked to comment on these issues, I would only give unclear comments. Under strict cultural and religious upbringing I was taught that human beings were created male and female for a purpose.

Christian principles have it that same sex marriages should be discouraged at all costs. As a result, I took on a stance to strongly oppose gay movements; an aspect I believe was largely determined by Christian teachings against same sex marriages. I also believe that my opposition towards lesbianism and other forms of non-straight sexual orientations has its base on strict Christian and cultural teachings. Whereas I consider my opposition to non-straight sexual orientation as a positive attribute of culture and religion, there are some people all along have been criticizing my stance on these issues. However, the strict perception of moral values and societal virtues has greatly assisted me in maintaining my stance.

I also believe that the culture in which I was brought up also played a major role in shaping my stance on sexuality. For instance, it is held as a general rule that it is against culture for men or women to engage in activities that belong to the other gender. According to my background culture, boys were taught to take on characters that depicted male supremacy whereas girls were supposed to engage in activities that portrayed total femininity. As a result, I always find it hard to engage in activities that I was made to believe belong to the other gender. I was however, taught that I should never develop loose morals and make use of sex as a tool to express hostility. I have a large number of friends whom, as dictated by culture and religious principles, I had to scrutinize their behaviors and sexual orientation before accepting them.

My perception that human beings should not discuss their sexual fantasies in the open is also one of the factors that clearly depict my uneasiness pertaining to dealing with situations associated with sexual or sensual matters. My perception that parents should conceal their intimate activities not only from their children, but also from society is also one of the aspects with roots from cultural and religious teachings. It is important to note that even though human beings are born with an intrinsic capacity to choose between what is right and wrong in addition to shaping their perception on various issues, the culture in which they are brought up can act to either enhance this capacity or destroy it.

In addition to cultural, ethnic and religious teachings having the potential to disrupt the comfort of a person when dealing with sexual and sensual situations, they can also lead to development of attitudes that may affect an individual either positively or negatively (Ellingson p. 40). For instance, my negative perception of same sex marriages has largely determined my sexual orientation as a straight person. Nevertheless, strict Christian and cultural principles have

made it hard for me to air my views openly, especially when the issues at hand comprise of sexual and sensual issues.

It can therefore be concluded that cultural, ethnic and religious related factors play a major role in the determination of the manner in which an individual deals with issues associated with sexual and sensual relations. Whereas people, who are brought up under strict religious, cultural and societal teachings shy off from discussions touching on sexual issues, their counterparts who are brought up in cultures that are not strict to air their views openly on these issues.

Work Cited Ellingson, Stephen. Religion and sexuality in cross-cultural perspective, Mahwah, NJ: Routledge, 2002.