Hey everyone!
I'm Gotham Chopra and this is Holy Facts,
the show where we take you on a tour of the
weirder side of religion and spirituality,
from the Jedi mind tricks to summoning the
spirits of the dead.
For this episode, you’re going to want to
turn the lights down low, pour yourself a
glass of red wine, and put on some Barry White,
cause tonight we’re talking about sex.
Okay this is getting weird!
Sex and religion have always had a relationship
that can best be described as “it’s complicated.”
While Hindus literally wrote the book on sex
in the form of the kama sutra, sex for devout
followers of other religions often has a lot
of rules and restrictions.
For Orthodox Jews, sex with a woman while
she’s on her period is a no-no, while one
Islamic “hadith,” or saying by the Prophet
Muhammed, indicates that a man can’t leave
the bed until the woman is satisfied.
But one constant across nearly all religions
is the value placed on virginity and virgins.
Ancient Pagans sacrificed virgins to the gods
in religious rituals, while modern Christians
throw purity balls to celebrate the virginity
of their young people.
At one such ball, young girls pass under an
arch made of swords held by older men, which
seems awfully phallic for a ceremony that’s
all about purity.
And although it’s nice to have a party for
your daughter to tell her how special and
worthy she is, isn’t it kind of creepy to
shine such a bright light on something so
personal to a young person.
But then again, purity has always been powerful
currency.
In ancient Rome, Vestal Virgins were priestesses
charged with performing religious rituals
and keeping the eternal flame tribute to Vesta,
goddess of the hearth, burning.
Though the practice died out some 1600 years
ago, the house of the Virgins was recently
reopened to the public and features women
dressed in traditional Vestal garb, sort of
like the Roman version of Epcot Center, except
with fewer rides and more chastity.
For the ancient Vestals, the virginity part
of their name wasn’t just a suggestion.
A vestal virgin caught breaking her vow of
chastity would be condemned to death and buried
alive.
But, no pressure!
On the up side, the vestal virgins got to
live relatively independent lives, compared
to their contemporaries, who had few freedoms
and little power.
Although many religions place a high value
on virginity, at least one – Islam – also
provides a convenient loophole, in the form
of temporary marriage, called “sigheh.”
Though Sunni Muslims banned sigheh, Shiites
did not, and the practice is still alive and
well in Iran.
Couples can specify a term for as little as
a few minutes or as long as 99 years for their
marriage and can renew the contract as often
as they want.
When you think about it, temporary marriage
is not a bad idea, especially considering
the high divorce rate around the world.
And it would have helped Kim Kardashian avoid
a lot of heartbreak and expense.
While proponents say the practice of sigheh
allows couples who can’t or don’t want
to marry to be “together,” critics say
it also provides a framework for legalized
prostitution.
And what about atheists?
Well, according to a Kansas University Study,
atheists have the best sex lives, due to the
fact that they’re not plagued by guilt afterwards,
as many religious people are.
Mormons ranks highest on the guilt scale,
followed closely by Jehovah’s Witnesses
and Pentecostals.
How do you reconcile your faith with your
sex life?
Let us know in the comments below or by uploading
a response video.
Go crazy with that.
