Daylight Atheism » Sex and Relationships

Sex and Taboos in Orthodox Judaism

Ebonmuse — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 10:47:39 +0000

In the past, I've poked fun at the Catholic church for the logical contortions it goes through to get around the problems it creates for itself with its nonsensical decrees about sex. But the Catholics are far from the only sect that has laughably ridiculous rules about sex, nor are they the only sect that goes to absurd ends to get around the problems those rules create. So, today I'm going ... [visit site to read more]

Sex and Sensibilities

RitchieAdmin — Mon, 23 May 2011 20:48:32 +0000

By Richard Hollis (aka Ritchie)

Being a documentary fanboy, I've lately stumbled across a couple of interesting histories on the topic of sex, which have set me thinking about what shape our attitudes to it, so forgive me coming over all Carrie Bradshaw.

Many early European cultures had a decidedly celebratory attitude to sex. Ancient Egyptians practised public fertility rituals which included open masturbation. The homes of ancient Romans were liberally adorned with explicit ... [visit site to read more]

Pro-Family Christians Support Child Kidnapping

Ebonmuse — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 11:46:42 +0000

Yesterday, I came across a story that was so appalling I had to write about it. It shows the true depths of the Christian right's hatred for gay and lesbian people, and the lengths they're willing to go to - up to and including defying U.S. law - in the name of that hatred. (HT: The Wall of Separation)

The story in a nutshell: A same-sex couple in Vermont, Lisa ... [visit site to read more]

Weekly Link Roundup

Ebonmuse — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 23:32:29 +0000

If I had the time, I'd write a whole post about each of these. As it is, you can probably guess what I would say:

• There are atheists in the military!

• And in high schools!

• And for why this matters, see visit site to read more]

The Catholic Church Answers Your Sex Questions

Ebonmuse — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 11:44:11 +0000

Gather round, readers! I've got a real treat in store for you, because today the Roman Catholic Church is going to answer all your questions on dating and sex. Yes, that's right - if you've ever wanted your raunchiest, most explicit questions about human intimacy answered in full, uncensored detail by a group of elderly white men who are also lifelong celibates, today is the day you've been waiting for.

First of all, a reader writes in with visit site to read more]

In Praise of Human Diversity

Ebonmuse — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 02:22:15 +0000

The Nobel committee has awarded this year's prize in physiology or medicine to Dr. Robert Edwards, a pioneer of in vitro fertilization. Given how long ago this achievement took place, this decision is surely meant to be read partially as a political statement - an implicit rebuke of the right-wing churches that want to deny people the right to exercise control over their own bodies.

And right on cue, the Roman Catholic church stepped in to visit site to read more]

Selling Shame: How Christians Profit from Porn

Ebonmuse — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:30:25 +0000

As everyone knows, porn is big business. To cite just one example, ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, recently approved the creation of an .xxx top-level domain. ICM Registry, a company that plans to sell the new domain names, says it already has more than 110,000 pre-reservations, and expects to make over $200 ... [visit site to read more]

The Loving Compassion of the Catholic Church

Ebonmuse — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:47:36 +0000

A few weeks ago, I mentioned briefly that the Catholic church had threatened to pull out of Washington, D.C., ending the social services they provide for thousands of people, if the city council passed a law recognizing same-sex marriage. Well, the council did pass the bill, same-sex marriage is now legal in D.C. (congratulations!), and the church visit site to read more]

Common Myths About Polyamory

Ebonmuse — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:42:30 +0000

By JulietEcho

Editor's Note: This piece emerged from the discussion of my recent post on the legality of polyamory. Please welcome Daylight Atheism's newest guest contributor, JulietEcho, who has her B.A. in both Philosophy and Religious Studies and is also the administrator of the Friendly Atheist forum. You can e-mail her at ejsunflowers@gmail.com.

I've been in a ... [visit site to read more]

Flat Earth Follies: The Religious Right's Egg Crusade

Ebonmuse — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:56:13 +0000

By Sikivu Hutchinson

Taking its "life begins at conception" charade from State Legislature to State Legislature, one of the most dangerous political forces in the U.S. is stepping up its crusade for the "rights" of the unborn. Backed by an organization called Personhood USA, the latest offensive from the Religious Right involves a renewed movement to amend state constitutions to establish human rights and personhood status for fertilized eggs. Ever immune to morality, reason, ... [visit site to read more]

On the Morality of: Polyamory

Ebonmuse — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:51:20 +0000

The comments in a recent thread on same-sex marriage have been heading in this direction, so I thought I'd offer some thoughts about polyamorous relationships and how we can view them from a humanist standpoint.

The reason I (and others) advocate full marriage equality for same-sex couples is straightforward. Marriage is a civil ceremony which confers many legal rights on both partners, rights which are either ... [visit site to read more]

Celibacy Is Unnatural

Ebonmuse — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 22:40:05 +0000

The Roman Catholic church's stated reason for opposing homosexuality is that it violates a vaguely-defined construct they call "natural law". This viewpoint is explained in essays like this one:

People have a basic, ethical intuition that certain behaviors are wrong because they are unnatural... The natural sex partner for a man is a woman, and the natural sex partner for a woman is a man. Thus, people have the ... [visit site to read more]