5. A Look at Other Cultures

Abstract

This chapter examines obscenity in several cultures other than the Western culture. It begins with an overview of Hinduism in India, and especially the sexual side of the major Hindu gods. It then considers sex and sexuality in China, Japan, and Scandinavia before turning to a discussion of the role of sex in Judaism and the way sex was treated in early Jewish culture. It also explores Islam's attitude toward sexuality and pornography, with particular emphasis on the modesty that may influence non-Muslims' perception of Islam. It shows that Islamic and Jewish cultures did not find shame in sex, but the kind of pornography found in Greece or Rome was absent in either culture.