This week's lessons were on sexual intimacy. This is a topic that a lot of people are afraid to talk about. On https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/ it says, “Heavenly Father created the plan of salvation so that we can experience life, return to His presence, and have joy. Central to this plan are the spiritual, emotional, and physical unity developed in marriage and family life. He gave us the capacity for physical intimacy so that we could strengthen and grow our eternal families. He intends for sex to be a beautiful, powerful, and joyful part of our lives—not something evil or corrupt. Sex enables a husband and a wife to have children, express love, and strengthen their spiritual, emotional, and physical bonds. Sexual intimacy is an important part of marriage, and when it is used in the way that God has commanded, it brings great blessings and joy. While many in the world portray sex as casual or crude, the gospel teaches that sexuality is a powerful gift from Heavenly Father and that it should be used within the bounds He has set, with wisdom and reverence.”
The world has painted sexual intimacy to be almost a casual and easy thing. Many people are uninformed and misinformed. Laura M. Brotherson said in her article Raising the Bar on Intimate Relationships that, “Many husbands and wives struggle to understand what healthy sexuality really is.” In her article she listed several characteristics of healthy and unhealthy sexuality.
She said healthy sexuality is, “informed and educated in positive ways on the differences and specific inhibitors and intricacies of male/female sexual wiring; healthy thoughts and beliefs; healthy communication about sex.”
For unhealthy sexuality she said it is, “uninformed and uneducated or negatively taught regarding male/female sexual differences; unrealistic expectations or sexual expectations based on personal experiences/perspectives or other distorted, inaccurate, stereotypical media sources; negative/distorted/inhibited thoughts and beliefs about sex; unhealthy or no communication.”
One thing that I really liked from my class was talking about how men and women are so different when it comes to sexual intimacy. Women want to feel safe, close, and warm with someone before they can have a sexual connection. On the other hand, men think that having a sexual connection creates the feeling of safe, close, and warm. Another thing is that a males sex drive peaks at age 18, while a women's sex drive peaks at 35. Men also are aroused and climax faster than women. As you can imagine all of these create a lot of challenges. The key is understanding yourself and your partner.
1 Corinthians 7 says, “2 let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. 4 The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.”
The world has painted sexual intimacy to be almost a casual and easy thing. Many people are uninformed and misinformed. Laura M. Brotherson said in her article Raising the Bar on Intimate Relationships that, “Many husbands and wives struggle to understand what healthy sexuality really is.” In her article she listed several characteristics of healthy and unhealthy sexuality.
She said healthy sexuality is, “informed and educated in positive ways on the differences and specific inhibitors and intricacies of male/female sexual wiring; healthy thoughts and beliefs; healthy communication about sex.”
For unhealthy sexuality she said it is, “uninformed and uneducated or negatively taught regarding male/female sexual differences; unrealistic expectations or sexual expectations based on personal experiences/perspectives or other distorted, inaccurate, stereotypical media sources; negative/distorted/inhibited thoughts and beliefs about sex; unhealthy or no communication.”
One thing that I really liked from my class was talking about how men and women are so different when it comes to sexual intimacy. Women want to feel safe, close, and warm with someone before they can have a sexual connection. On the other hand, men think that having a sexual connection creates the feeling of safe, close, and warm. Another thing is that a males sex drive peaks at age 18, while a women's sex drive peaks at 35. Men also are aroused and climax faster than women. As you can imagine all of these create a lot of challenges. The key is understanding yourself and your partner.
1 Corinthians 7 says, “2 let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. 4 The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.”
The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has said, “Sexual intimacy affects both our spirits and our physical bodies. When both physical and spiritual union take place in a marriage, the souls of both individuals can experience great joy. However, when physical union takes place outside the spiritual union of marriage, it can have damaging effects on the soul.”
There are also several opportunities and blessings that can come from sexual intimacy: selflessness, communication, togetherness, and understanding.
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