This volume is rooted in two convictions: first, sexuality is far more comprehensive and more fundamental to our existence than simply genital sex, and, second, sexuality is intended by God to be neither incidental nor detrimintal to our spirituality but a fully integrated and basic dimension of that spirituality. The authors address what our sexual experience reveals about God, the ways we understand the gospel, and the ways we read scripture and tradition and attempt to live faithfully.

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In many ancient faiths sexuality was the ultimate sacred act and symbolized the central holy sacrament. Lust originally meant a religious joy experienced as unity with the godhead. This gift book explores the origins and practices of religious sexuality in many cultures worldwide. Included are the erotic sculpture and paintings of ancient Greece and Rome, illustrations from Japanese pillow books, Asian temple art, erotic Indian and Persian miniatures, as well as the work of well-known European artists from the Classical, Renaissance and Romantic periods.

Christian discourse on sexuality, spirituality, and ethics has continued to evolve since this book's first edition was published in 1994. This updated and expanded anthology featuring more than thirty contemporary essays includes more theologians and ethicists of color and addresses issues such as the intersection of race/racism and sexuality, transgender identity, same-sex marriage, and reproductive health and justice.

A historical, cross-cultural survey of sexuality as a sacred spiritual practice • Examines sacred sexuality in the world’s religious and mystery traditions • Explores contemporary “sexual stress syndrome” resulting from the absence of the sacred in sexual practice • Reveals how to find the sacred in the ordinary This book examines the history of sexuality as a sacramental act. In spite of our culture’s recent sexual liberalizations, sexual intimacy often remains unfulfilling. Georg Feuerstein instructs that the fulfillment we long for in our sex lives can only be attained once we have explored the spiritual depths of our erotic natures. Feuerstein delves into a wide variety of spiritual traditions--including Christianity, Judaism, goddess worship, Taoism, and Hinduism--in search of sacred truths regarding sexuality. He reveals that all of these great teachings share the hidden message that spirituality is, in essence, erotic and that sexuality is inherently spiritual. From the erotic cult of the Great Mother and the archaic ritual of hieros gamos (sacred marriage) to the institution of sacred prostitution and the erotic spirituality practiced in the mystery traditions, Feuerstein offers a wealth of historical practices and perspectives that serve as the bases for a positive sexual spirituality suited to our contemporary needs.

Based on a vast diversity of religious and spiritual traditions, this comprehensive exploration of sexuality's spiritual dimensions uncovers deeply hidden messages about sexuality and shows how to incorporate the concepts of Hinduism, Christianity, Judasim, and other philosophies into our lives. Illustrated.

Indeholder: Introduction. The Trinity. Creation. The Fall. The Incarnation. The Sacraments. Married Life. Celibacy. Family Life. Conclusion.