God is not a prude: Here's the science behind religion's fear of sex

"Moreover, Jesus was keenly aware of the natural world: the reaping of grain, the sheep in the fold, the sparrows’ flight in the marketplace, the wind listing where it will. The images in many of his parables are drawn from the sensual pleasures of everyday life.  Surely we can conclude from the evidence that Jesus was very much in touch with the erotic dimension — that is, the life force within him. To believe that he could be this responsive to his immediate environment and be unaware of himself as a sexual being is highly unlikely. Chances are that this very sensual man was moved to sexual desire easily and frequently.

Typically, Christians are afraid of Jesus’s humanity, preferring to see him as a Divine stick figure without the usual human flesh and frailty. Why does this image persist? Perhaps it is because we know all too well the failures and inconsistencies of the flesh. We know we are animals, we know the ways in which our physical needs and desires upset our equilibrium. Could Jesus really have awakened with an erection, or desired a sensuous woman in the marketplace? Blasphemy! To conceive of Jesus struggling in the same way we do is unthinkable.

Maybe these images seem blasphemous to us because we don’t want a God clothed in flesh. We cannot accept incarnation — we need a God “up there,” perfect in beauty and form. We deny Jesus’s humanity because we cannot stand his likeness to us. In Jesus, God is saying to us, “Accept your own sacredness and beauty! This is what it can mean to be human!” But we turn away, afraid.



The Jesus I know is robust — a carpenter, capable of doing heavy work. He is a fleshly man, filled with thankfulness for the beauty of the natural world, and one who enjoys good food and drink. He is a man of great tenderness, not ashamed of his tears. He does not hide his feelings, and goes straight to the heart in a few words. The Jesus I know enjoys his body and is aware of the wonders of its shape and movement, likes to feel the sun on his limbs, takes pleasure in resting after a long day’s journey. He likes the feel of splashing water on his skin when he washes.



And he is a sexual man, one who enjoys being a man, including having a penis, though it is sometimes troublesome for him, demanding attention when he wants to be otherwise occupied. But he accepts that as simply part of what is, like being thirsty or feeling weary or getting angry. Sexuality is part of being human, and it’s good.



In his remarkable self-acceptance, Jesus seems to bring new life to whoever comes near.  His presence is extraordinarily vital, is fearsome, and calls for a profound response.   Jesus is in fact God’s invitation to wholeness and self-hood. When we are able to celebrate Jesus in the flesh, we understand that we, too, are called to incarnation, called to embody God’s Spirit in our earthly form.  Perhaps this challenge is too daunting, so we prefer to strip Jesus of his humanness and to deny our own potential for divinity.  Karen King has asked us to consider what we have lost.

Even a cursory view of the Scripture shows us Jesus to be intensely alive, vital and responsive. He had a strong sense of humor, and he was certainly no ascetic: Jesus in fact was criticized by his enemies for being a “glutton and a wine-bibber.” He enjoyed the company, conversation and the celebration of marriage feasts. He was forever eating and drinking in many various homes, of Saints and sinners alike, during his ministry. He was pleased and delighted to be anointed with sweet smelling oil."

https://www.salon.com/2016/02/07/god_is_not_a_prude_this_is_why_religion_remains_so_sex_obsessed_why_we_pretend_jesus_was_born_of_a_virgin/

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-sexuality-of-jesus_b_1915011

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