In a world where sexuality often takes center stage, the church offers a balanced and profound perspective on the subject.

Sacred Duality: The Church’s Balanced View on Sexuality

In a world where sexuality often takes center stage, the church offers a balanced and profound perspective on the subject. At the core of its teaching is the idea that physical sexual attraction is not sinful in itself, but becomes problematic when it loses connection with true love and spiritual responsibility. The church asserts that sex can serve as an expression of the highest gift of love, mirroring the divine image of creation; however, when it is detached from this sacred bond, there is a risk of it turning into a means of fulfilling lust.

The main dilemma lies in the fact that natural desire, inherent in sexuality, coexists peacefully with the potential for destructive consequences if it is pursued outside the context of genuine mutual understanding and love. Viewing sex as a complex unity of love and basic passions highlights the tragic duality of human nature. According to these views, when all deviates from spiritual foundations and true reciprocity, sexual desire falls under strict laws, making it an object of condemnation.

In conclusion, by viewing sexuality through the lens of an energy borrowed from love and the inevitability of passion, it can be argued that the church’s primary concern is not to condemn the nature of sexual attraction per se, but to preserve its authentic context. Love and responsibility remain key elements, without which sexual relations can devolve into manifestations of basic, instinctive urges devoid of higher meaning. This approach serves as a reminder of the importance of spiritual integrity in modern life, where harmony between body and soul is essential for truly understanding oneself.

What is the reason that the church regards sex as sinful, turning natural desire into something shameful?

The church does not condemn the physical or natural aspect of sexual desire per se; rather, it condemns the loss of its true context—when sexual relations become detached from genuine love and transform into a means of satisfying lust. Thus, when considering sex, the church sees a dual nature: on one hand, sex has the potential to be an expression of the highest gift of love, reflecting creation in God's image; on the other, it can easily turn into a manifestation of base, animalistic passion and lust.

As explained in one source, “Let us take the word ‘sex’. We are all mistaken about this word. Usually, it directs our thoughts to specific organs and the pleasure derived from them. In its proper sense, the word ‘sex’ is connected with genetics, conception... Neither pleasure nor carnal desires in themselves are sinful. Therefore, sin occurs when everything is taken out of context and misused” (source: link txt).

Another source further explains the fundamental problem: “And the peculiarity of sex is that, being organically connected with one of the highest divine gifts given to man—the gift of love—it thus becomes the focal point of the tragic ambiguity inherent in fallen human nature. The two poles and drivers of sex—love and lust—have hopelessly merged, making it impossible to separate one from the other. Hence the truly antinomic nature of the Church’s approach to sex... And since sex is the concentrated expression of that ‘lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life’ which shapes and defines worldly existence, it is subject to the law, not to grace” (source: link txt).

Thus, the church views sex as a potentially sinful phenomenon primarily because, when removed from true love and spiritual wholeness, it risks becoming a means of satisfying carnal desires—a sign of fallen human nature. If sexual desire exceeds the ideal of mutual love and responsibility, it falls under the strict law, making it an object of condemnation in the eyes of the Church.