Most issues concerning religion, be they theological, practical or otherwise, are pondered in the quiet halls of churches and academia. Men of profound faith, or none at all, sift through rooms of books and papers looking for answers to the questions burning in their souls. Much of this work is carried on and finished without much fanfare in the public eye. Some issues, however, come raging forth like an inferno, and plant themselves firmly in our social and cultural consciousness. One of those issues is sex.

When I examine the sex debate at its core, I feel like I’m watching a PETA luncheon at Famous Dave’s BBQ. One side wants to claim that sex is merely a natural instinct and people are just going to do it. The other side seems to want sex only within the strict confines of marriage. Otherwise it is a vice of the flesh that will banish mortals from the good graces of their respective faiths. These two sides appear more polarized in debate than Congress, and it’s only gotten worse since the Pope’s remarks on birth control a year ago. Something keeps digging at me though. Aren’t they essentially saying the same thing?

The arguments from both the religious and secular aisles seem to suggest that sex is just a physical matter. Whether they are condemning or embracing, it is irrelevant. Sex is apparently grounded in physical pleasures and animal instincts and religion should have no part in it. The only consequence for the secular side is pregnancy or disease, while various religions add hellfire for emphasis. I guess there is some truth to this line of reasoning. After all what is gang graffiti but a human attempt at smearing crap on an object to say, We were here? Neither side seems to make a good case for itself though. Flowery words from the pulpit about chastity fall dead in the light of Charles Brinton or Father Stefanoni. The hellish situation in Africa condemns both sides quickly, from the animalistic gang rapes of the Janjaweed to correctional sexual assault of lesbians in South Africa. The rhetoric of liberation and condemnation is empty noise in the face of tragedy committed on both ends.

I’ve watched this almost surreal battle of futility go on my whole life. Each side blames the other for the problems while making the same point. Mainstream media seems content to fill every newsstand with the extremities instead of real dialog. It’s really more of a psychosis than anything else. I wondered for years about whom to believe, and watched friends grow up in depravity or confusion. None of us knew what to trust, and some fell deep into despair. After much reflection and personal experience, I finally decided to stop chasing the ghost. Such division of sex and faith has led to great suffering. Couldn’t there be something more?

Indeed there is, and it comes from seeing religion and sex for what they are. Religion isn’t just a way to explain scientific phenomena, and sex isn’t merely swapping fluids under hormonal duress. They are both about the complexity of human relationships, with the divine and with each other. They are forms of deep connectivity with what is outside of ourselves, both individuals and mortal beings in general. Sexual relationships, as I’ve experienced, are no different than relationships with the divine. They are ones of inquiry, mystery, discovery and profound intimacy.

Many religious cultures around the world have embraced this coalition of sex and divinity through their ritual and philosophy. The late Pope John Paul II wrote an incredibly pro-sex book called “Man and Woman, He Created Them: A Theology of the Body.” He described sex as a gift between lovers that should be cherished and enjoyed. The Vikings viewed the fertility of women as the cup of life and creation, not simply reproduction. Various shamanic faiths, including some forms of Hinduism, consider sexual and spiritual energy to be much the same and just as powerful as each other. Even the humor and absurdity of sexual experience is seen in millennia old consummation ceremonies – what Islam sometimes calls the “Ruhksati” or “Dukhul” – where the newlyweds’ freshly stained bedsheets were paraded around town for a jubilant crowd to behold.

Sex and religion hold enormous value in our lives for the same reasons, and sadly they are both misunderstood and used for evil. But my experiences, some being lessons hard learned, have shown me the truth of this issue. Sex is a bodily function but like religion it is still a matter of the heart and soul.

Will Holloway is a senior majoring in philosophy. His column will appear every other Wednesday. Comments can be sent to will.r.h@aggiemail.usu.edu