SEXUALITY WITH FOCUS ON SEXUAL ABUSES

1.0 BRIEF INTRODUCTION

Sexual abuse has been a radical contemporary problem that people of all classes are part and

parcel of in this our world. Sex which is a human activity has rules and guides that it should

follow for it to reflect the intention of the one who instituted it. God did not put sexual feelings in

man for it to be exercised anyhow. In fact in catholic sense sexual conjugation is to take place

after approbated marriage must have taken place. But today people abuse themselves sexually,

abuse others and minors. Included to this are some other sexual exercises that are contrary to

what sex should be.

In this work I will walk through understanding the key concepts of this project, give teaching on

sexual abuses, give a biblical stand of sexual abuses and dish out solutions to this pertinent

problem that is ravaging the world grievously.

2.0 EXPLICATION OF TERMS

It is good to begin with definition of terms in every academic discussion. This is to enable us set

the necessary boundaries to our discussions.

SEXUALITY: according to Oxford Advanced Learners’ dictionary it defined sexuality as the

properties that distinguish organisms on the basis of their reproductive roles. Also, sexuality is

the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety

of sexual acts, ranging from activities done alone (e.g., masturbation) to acts with another person

(e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penetrative sex, oral sex, etc.) in varying patterns of frequency, for

a wide variety of reasons. 

ABUSES: also referred to as molestation, is abusive behavior by one person upon another. It is

often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another 1. It also stands for awful actions

one elicits either to one’s body or another. Now that an attempt to definition has been made let

me examine the different forms of sexual abuses.

3.0 SEXUAL ABUSES:

Sexual abuse, otherwise known as molestation, is defined as abusive sexual behavior by one

person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another 2. In

other words when force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault.

The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester3. The term also covers any behavior by

an adult or older adolescent towards a child to stimulate any of the involved sexually. Most

victims of sexual abuse have been, spouse, children, the poor, people with disabilities, etc.

Beyond the aforementioned victims of sexual abuse there is another form of sexual abuse that

has to do with improper exercise of sexual institution. These can come in the form of

pornography, cybersex, masturbation, homosexuality, fornication, adultery, bestiality,

pedophilia, contraceptives etc. Let us examine this later forms of sexual abuses.

3.1 PORNOGRAPHY: The term pornography etymologically was coined from the ancient

Greek words πόρνη (pórnē) meaning prostitute and πορνεία (porneía) meaning prostitution4,

and γράφειν (gráphein) meaning to write or to record, derived meaning "illustration", as in

"graph"), and the suffix -ία (-ia, meaning "state of", "property of", or "place of"), thus meaning

"a written description or illustration of prostitutes or prostitution". On clear form Pornography

1
American Psychological Association. 2018 American Psychological Association. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
2
"Sexual abuse". American Psychological Association. 2018 American Psychological Association. Retrieved 28
December 2020.
3
"Peer commentaries on Green (2002) and Schmidt (2002)". Archives of Sexual Behavior. 31 (6): 479–503. 2002
4
List of Greek words starting with πορν- (porn-) on Perseus.
short formed porn is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual

arousal5. This can come in vagaries of ways such as magazines, paintings, internet display,

animation, writing, videos etc. Its intent is to generate strong sexual arousal of the person or

persons going through it.

3.2 CYBERSEX: Cybersex, which has the following nomenclature, computer sex, Internet

sex, netsex and, colloquially, cyber or cybering, is a virtual sex encounter in which two or more

people connected remotely via computer network send each other sexually explicit messages

describing a sexual experience6. Cybersex is a sub-type of technology-mediated sexual

interactions. In one form, this fantasy sex is accomplished by the participants describing their

actions and responding to their chat partners in a mostly written form designed to stimulate their

own sexual feelings and fantasies. It has been argued that this type of sexual abuse is very

plausible since it helps to keep two sexual partners who are separate from each other to still

remain sexually connected to each other. But all said and done this type of sexual manipulation

comes with excessive obsession, marital stress and infidelity.

3.3 HOMOSEXUALITY: The word homosexual is a Greek and Latin hybrid, with the first

element derived from Greek ὁμός homos, "same" (not related to the Latin homo, "man", as

in Homo sapiens), thus connoting sexual acts and affections between members of the same sex,

including lesbianism. Homosexuality by way of definition is a romantic attraction, sexual

attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender7. As a sexual

5
 What Distinguishes Erotica from Pornography? – Leon F Seltzer, Psychology Today, 6 April 2011

6
Nicola (2000). "Feminist Views of Cybersex: Victimization, Liberation, and Empowerment". CyberPsychology &
Behavior. 3 (5): 863–884. doi:10.1089/10949310050191845.

7
"Definitions Related to Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity in APA Documents" (PDF). American
Psychological Association. 2015. p. 6. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
orientation, homosexuality is an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual

attractions to people of the same sex. It "also refers to a person's sense of identity based on those

attractions, related behaviors, and membership in a community of others who share those

attractions."8 Along with bisexuality and heterosexuality, homosexuality is one of the three main

categories of sexual orientation within the heterosexual–homosexual continuum.

The argument of this sexual orientation has been whether it is natural or an abnormality. The

anti-homosexuals state that sexual orientation is formed by three main factors, hormones,

genetics and environmental influence. When the three factors interplay accordingly the

individual will emerged a normal heterosexual person but its malformation produces

homosexuals. The proponents of homosexuality are of the opinion that homosexuality is not a

sexual choice but an inborn sexual orientation that is natural to them just like any other natural

attitudes of man. When it is between men it is called gay though it also connotes the two sexes.

Whereas when it is between women it is called lesbian.

3.4 FORNICATION: Fornication which is opposed to adultery is generally consensual sexual

intercourse between two people not married to each other 9. When one or more of the partners

having consensual sexual intercourse is a married person, it becomes adultery. For many people,

the term carries an overtone of moral or religious disapproval, but the significance of sexual acts

to which the term is applied varies between religions, societies and cultures. In modern usage,

the term is often replaced with more judgment-neutral terms like premarital sex or extramarital

sex.

8
 "Sexual orientation, homosexuality and bisexuality". American Psychological Association. Archived from the
original on 8 August 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
9
"Fornication". TheFreeDictionary.com. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
3.5 MASTURBATION: this term has so many ways of describing it such as playing with

yourself, pleasuring oneself and slang such as wanking, jerking off, and frigging are

common. Self-abuse and self-pollution were common in early modern times and are still found

in modern dictionaries. Masturbation is the sexual stimulation of one's own genitals for sexual

arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm10. The stimulation may involve

hands, fingers, everyday objects, sex toys such as vibrators, or combinations of these. Mutual

masturbation is masturbation with a sexual partner, and may include manual stimulation of a

partner's genitals (fingering or a hand-job), or be used as a form of non-penetrative sex. Many

researches have proposed health benefits of this kind of sex abuse but we know that beyond

scientific findings that masturbation is Onanism that is not only obnoxious to man but also to his

supreme maker-God.

3.6 PEDOPHILIA: The word pedophilia originates from the Greek παῖς, παιδός (paîs, paidós),

meaning "child", and φιλία (philía), "friendly love" or "friendship". Pedophilia is used for

individuals with a primary or exclusive sexual interest in prepubescent children aged 13 or

younger11. On the other hand, Infantophilia is a sub-type of pedophilia; it is used to refer to a

sexual preference for children under the age of 5 (especially infants and toddlers). In popular

usage, the word pedophilia is often applied to any sexual interest in children or the act of child

sexual abuse12. This use conflates the sexual attraction to prepubescent children with the act of

child sexual abuse and fails to distinguish between attractions to prepubescent and pubescent or

post-pubescent minors.

10
Lehmiller JJ (2017). The Psychology of Human Sexuality. John Wiley & Sons. p. 402. ISBN 978-1119164708
11
 Kail, RV; Cavanaugh JC (2010). Human Development: A Lifespan View (5th ed.). Cengage Learning.
p. 296. ISBN 978-0495600374.
12
Gavin H (2013). Criminological and Forensic Psychology. SAGE Publications. p. 155. ISBN 978-1118510377.
Retrieved December 10, 2020.
3.7 BESTIALITY: Some researchers draw a distinction between zoophilia and bestiality, using

the former to describe the desire to form sexual relationships with animals, and the latter to

describe the sex acts alone but both can be used interchangeably. Bestiality is cross-species

sexual activity between humans and non-human animals13. This is a situation whereby a human

being inserts his genital organ into that of a non-human animals such as goat, monkey, cow,

horse, dog, pig etc. or a situation whereby a lower animal inserts its sexual organ into a human

genital organ for the sole purpose of copulation or sexual intercourse. It should be noted that

some countries did not outlaw this heinous sexual abuse whereas those that outlawed it did it on

the basis of animal right.

4.0 SEXUAL ABUSE IN RELATION TO THE SCRIPTURE

Having examined the different means through which human sexuality is being abused in the

world today, I will now turn to give a biblical stand on sexual abuse. I will concentrate this

examination on 1Cor. 3&6, Gal. 5, Col. 3 and Matt. 5:27-31. The first epistle of St. Paul to the

Corinthians, he espoused them to know that every sin of sexual abuse is an immorality. What

takes the Shekinah or the spirit of God from us is when we indulge in immoral activities as the

aforementioned sexual abuses. He said “the body is not meant for immorality, but for the Lord,

and the lord for the body” (1Cor 6:13b). The above insight advices us to remain pure for the lord.

We can do this only when we know that our “bodies are members of Christ” (1Cor. 6:15). Christ

is present in us through his spirit. And our body is not ours but of the spirit of the lord therefore,

any immoral activity that pursues away the spirit of God in us will gain us eternal punishment

thus St. Paul warns “do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you,

13
Ranger, R.; Fedoroff, P. (2014). "Commentary: Zoophilia and the Law". Journal of the American Academy of
Psychiatry and the Law Online. 42 (4): 421–426. 
which you have from God? You are not your own, you were bought with a price.” (1Cor. 6:19-

20).

In the Gospel of Mathew Christ was very eloquent in giving new law about sexual immorality.

For Christ it is not enough that one should not commit adultery but “who looks at a woman

lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matt. 5:28). The teaching of

Christ is the standard or canon of our living. Failure to adhere to the injunction that Christ has

given above He stated that such a person will have his “whole body go into hell”. (Matt. 5:30).

In St. Paul’s letter to the Galatian, he enumerated two types of fruits. The fruits of the flesh and

the fruits of the spirit. And he advised that one leads to eternal life while the other leads to

eternal damnation. And two of them are in opposition thus “for the desires of the flesh are

against the spirit, and the desires of the spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each

other”. (Gal. 5:17). The fruits of flesh is death while the fruits of the spirit is life, he warned “that

those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Gal. 5:21).

When St. Paul admonished the Colossians, he reminded them of their new life in Christ.

Whoever that has chosen a new life in Christ must as a matter of fact put-off his old life. The old

life for Paul include “fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is

idolatry.” (Col. 3:5). All the above examined works of the scripture in relation to sexual abuses

show how vehement the words of God are against any form of sexual abuse. It is not about

superior argument or the current trend of the society but what God expects from us his creatures.

Sexual abuses and immorality must be avoided else we will be condemned on the last day.

5.0 SOLUTIONS/CONTROL OF SEXUAL ABUSES/APPETITE

In the first place it is worthy of note that there are many solutions to the problem of sexual abuse

but the paramount among them is that man must know that he is not his own. He belongs to God

who is his maker and any sexual immorality committed by man either as an unmarried, married

and celibate chases away the spirit of God in man. Therefore, man should always bear in mind

that his body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Also, there should be strict adherence to sex education. People of all classes should be

enlightened on the grievous implications of sexual abuses. Even the scripture made it clear in

Hosea 4:6 that my people perish because they lack knowledge. Education and sensitization on

sexual abuses should be a clarion call for both the government and the churches.

Moreover, there should be a censoring body that filters what is put in the media for public

consumption. There are some sites in the internet that should be put under check or regulation.

Sites that are suggestive of sexual arousal and sexual abuses either by watching them or

stumbling on them should be regulated.

Again, we should practice self-control and respect to our body and that of others. We are not sex

objects we are imago Dei, created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, we should not be

outweighed by life of flesh but life of the spirit. To live in the spirit is to practice obedience to

the commandments and teachings of the lord.

6.0 EVALUATION AND CONCLUSION

Having arrived thus far, it is good to state that this has been a copious research on sexual abuses

and how it can be ameliorated. There are many diverse views on whether certain sexual abuse is

wrong or right. But we have to know that from our human knowledge and the inbuilt moral sense

that God has given to all men that all the aforementioned sexual abuses are abysmal to human

living. Though we accept certain knowledge from other fields of life like medicine but any

proposition that is against the salvation of human soul should be avoided. This later statement is

incongruent with the teachings of the papal encyclical Humanae Vitae.

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