Human sexuality

• What is human sexuality?

  How people express themselves as sexual beings
• What are heterosexual relationships?

  Relationships between a man and woman
• What are same sex relationships?

  Between members of the same sex
• What do the Christian church and Hinduism teach about heterosexual relationships?

  They teach that these relationships within marriage are ideal
• True or False : Some Christians and Hindus accept other types of relationships as opposed to just heterosexual relationships

  True
• What does the Christian Church teach about sex?

  It expresses a deep loving lifelong union that requires the commitment of marriage. Not all Christians agree with this but all are against unfaithfulness
• What does Genesis 1:28 and 2:24 state?

  That a man and woman should be united together and 'increase in number' . This teaches Christians that heterosexual relationships are God's plan for humans
• What does Hinduism teach about sex?

  Sexual pleasure in a heterosexual relationship is part of kama , one of the sensual pleasures of a person in the householder stage
• Traditionally in Hinduism, what was sex considered as?


  A duty in marriage and the main purpose was to have children to carry on family traditions
• Traditionally young people were expected to wait until marriage to have a sexual relationship
• What does Leviticus 18:22 teach about same sex relationships?

  Sex between members of the same sex is a sinful activity . This is what the Catholic Church also teaches and is why some Christians oppose same-sex relationships as they believe they go against God's plan
• The Church of England welcomes people living in same sex relationships. But do they allow same-sex marriage in the Church?

  No (Some other Churches do)
• Heterosexual relationships are seen as the ideal within Hindu teaching. Why might this be?

  Hinduism place a very high value on marriage and having a family
• Do Hindu scriptures generally condemn same-sex rellationships?

  No
• Hindu gods provide models of variety of different relationships
• What do Hindus believe about God?

  God and nature are indefinitely diverse , and that God is impossible to define or understand fully
• Why have some Hindu priests performed same-sex relationships?

  They say love is a result of attachments form previous lives and should be allowed in whatever form it takes
• A third gender has been accepted in Hinduism since Vedic times (This has been described in the Laws of Manu - Old Hindu rules about duty and behaviour)
• What are members of the third gender in Hinduism called?

  Hirjas - they consider themselves themselves to be neither male or female or a combination of both genders