World religions and sexuality

Individuals and communities around the world hold a plethora of beliefs, practices, emotions, and motivations that mark religious diversity. Such diversity is evident in religious attitudes toward sexuality throughout the world. This essay considers the complicated relationship between religions and sexuality, focusing on four key themes in contemporary religious discourse. It first highlights the cosmological value of sexuality as articulated in some religious discourse and through various religious practices. The essay then notes the influence of Cartesian Dualism, patriarchy, and heterosexism on some religious understandings of sexuality. Finally, it illustrates the way sexuality acts as a framework for moral epistemologies.