Issues In Human Sexuality Research Articles

The ecclesiastical crisis of human sexuality: ‘Critical solidarity’, ‘critical distance’ or ‘critical engagement’

The issue of human sexuality has many negative implications in African society. These arose in a number of contexts – legal, religious, cultural and societal – and were significantly divisive. This article examines these responses in terms of critical solidarity, critical engagement and critical distance, and attempts to find a way of considering them in the perspective of achieving justice and solidarity. The focus is on one mainline denomination, the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa (UPCSA).Contribution: This article has implications that link subjects within the theological encyclopaedia of History of Christianity, Church Polity, Systematic Theology and Practical Theology, and other disciplines including Social Sciences such as Political Science.

BATAK TOBA SOCIETY'S PERCEPTIONS ABOUT SEX EDUCATION FOR ADOLESCENTS IN THE PARPAREAN III NEIGHBORHOOD PARPAREAN III VILLAGE PORSEA DISTRICT TOBA REGENCY IN 2023

Sex education is a clear and correct information regarding the issue of human sexuality, which includes the occurrence of conception, pregnancy, sexual behavior, sexual relations and health, psychological and social aspects. The issue of sexual education provided should be related to the norms prevailing in society, what is prohibited, what is legal and how to do it without violating the rules that apply in society. This study aims to determine the perception of the Batak Toba community about sex education for adolescents in the Parparean III environment, Parparean III Village. This research is descriptive using primary data obtained through a questionnaire. The sample in this study was the Batak Toba people who had teenagers who were obtained using a total sampling technique. From the results of this study obtained data, respondents who have positive perceptions as many as 43 people (81.1%) and negative 10 people (18.9%). Given the importance of sex education for adolescents, it is necessary to coordinate between the government, health workers and the community to unifying perceptions about sex education so that adolescents get clear and correct information about sexuality to improve their reproductive health.

Finding Joy in Being Counter-cultural: Lessons for Catholic Medical Professionals.

Catholic medical professionals face increasing challenges to adhering to the faith in the exercise of their professional functions. Growing opposition to traditional Church teaching-particularly with regard to issues of human sexuality and end-of-life care-threaten faithful Catholic clinicians with a form of "white martyrdom," characterized by loss of professional standing. Threats to rights of conscience come from various segments of contemporary society, including professional medical societies and publications that increasingly resemble strident activists rather than dispassionate and measured consensus-builders. Reflection on the relationship between counter-culturalism and joy can be a source of strength for those Catholic physicians facing opposition based on their adherence to the faith in their practice. A review of the historical developments of Christian medicine highlights its counter-cultural stance in contrast to the ancient Greco-Roman traditions that preceded it. Counter-cultural figures such as Ss. Cosmas and Damian, St Basil, and St Philip Neri serve as examples of courageous Christian counter-cultural witnesses in their times. Additionally, St Philip Neri's cheerful ministry in Rome also exemplifies Christian joy as a means of evangelizing in the midst of a culture in decline (as was the Eternal City in the 16th century). The lives of saints who suffered for the Faith remind us that being counter-cultural has consequences. While being called to "speak the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15), Catholic medical professionals are to show compassion in words and actions as the singular signs of a faithful Christian.

ESTUDOS SOBRE DIREITOS HUMANOS E SEXUALIDADE

 The article deals with human rights, understood as a set of ideals and mechanisms of protection of man from his relationship with the other. Thus, emphasizing its classifications, history and creation of specific mechanisms of protection, not forgetting to highlight the issue of human sexuality and its necessary preservation in dignity. A bibliographic investigation was carried out, using the deductive method and qualitative analysis. The study concludes by perpetuation of practices that hinder respect for human rights. Thus, continuous efforts are needed to allow the real protection and enforcement of the rights commented, in favor of a more just, egalitarian and solidary society.

Communication strategies and responses to change around issues of sexuality in Catholic higher education

Sometimes, change around sexuality at Catholic higher education institutions exists in the shadow culture –the values and systems that drive a culture of an institution but that differ from those openly espoused. Past studies have often focused on the creation of LGBTQ student organizations at one or at most four institutions. The present study examines qualitative data from 31 employees at 17 different Catholic colleges and universities across the USA in which employees indicate how they navigated the process of effecting change around human sexuality at their Catholic institution. Interviews were transcribed and coded with a three-phase coding procedure that was then reviewed by an expert panel. Participants experienced both supportive and resistant reactions from colleagues. Issues of human sexuality were defined broadly to include not only student groups around orientation (i.e., LGBTQ student groups) but also sexual assault policy and prevention, policy around transgender student housing or restrooms, incorporating sexuality into the curriculum, same-sex employee benefits, etc. Reasons for resistance included fear, misunderstanding, mission incongruence, and perceived scandal. Methods of navigating change consisted of data gathering, increased visibility, taking a student focus, public conversations, trainings, one-to-one education, task forces, student protests, engaging with university heritage and mission, sensitivity to language used, and more discreet methods of effecting change. These data strengthen the literature by offering a detailed description of these methods, identifying the geopolitical atmosphere as relevant to the change process, noting some methods as ineffective, and clarifying communication that occurs in the shadow culture. Beyond Catholic higher education, readers may find these themes useful in effecting change at their own higher education institutions, including institutions with much fear and anxiety around sexuality.

Hated without a reason (injustice personalised): A case study

This is the second part of an investigation of the subject of injustice relating to the issue of human sexuality in a mainstream South African Christian denomination. The first paper, entitled ‘Hated without a reason I – Contending with issues of human sexuality in a South African ecclesial context: A case study of the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa’, sought to trace the development of the issue from 1999 to 2016. This article considers the issue from the standpoint of an individual. Within the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa (UPCSA), views have polarised along lines determined by views on the authority of scripture and biblical hermeneutics, with little hope for a resolution that will satisfy all the parties concerned despite proposals being made because of a ‘failure of love’. Contribution: This article seeks to extend the discussion on human sexuality in the South African church scene.

Hated without a reason – Contending with issues of human sexuality in a South African ecclesial context: A case study

The mainline churches in South Africa are in turmoil internally as a result of divisions arising out of issues related to human sexuality. These issues have serious implications for these churches, church families within them, and the relationship of these churches with one another and with the state. There is little open space for debate as discussions are hampered by a variety of theological perspectives on the authority of scripture, some of which are fixed and absolutised. This is a matter of justice for all those involved. This research article seeks to analyse the issues involved theologically and in terms of church polity, with a view of clarifying possibilities and options for a resolution of the distress and pain caused within and between members of the Christian family using the transnational context of the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa as a case study. The concepts of critical solidarity and critical distance will be used to clarify relationships within the relevant contexts. This article is interdisciplinary and embraces the fields of Church History or Polity, Practical Theology, Missiology and Systematic Theology.Contribution: This paper seeks to analyse issues of human sexuality within a South African Christian denomination with particular attention to the matter of justice.

Positioning LGBTIQ as the human sexuality agenda for black theology of liberation – Reflection on Vuyani Vellem’s black theology of liberation

Vuyani Vellem was an outstanding Black Theologian of Liberation (BTL), who was approaching the zenith of his career when he died at the age of 50 years in 2019. This paper begins with a personal memoir to Prof. Vellem and a recognition that there is a lacuna in BTL relative to human sexuality issues. The contemporary global context of the human sexuality debate is discussed before the task of BTL in Vellem’s thinking is outlined. This is followed by an examination of the situation in Africa and South Africa. Following this, the article proceeds to introduce the issue of human sexuality as a potential field of research in BTL and argues that the subject of human sexuality in the black community is a valid and appropriate topic for study and research by BTL.Contribution: This article raises pertinent issues regarding the development of a Black Theology of Liberation (BTL) which includes a proposal for the inclusion of LGBTI+ issues. It seeks to expand the understanding of the oppressed to include those who are oppressed as the result of gender issues.

O tema sexualidade humana nos livros didáticos de Biologia mais distribuídos pelo Programa Nacional do Livro Didático 2015

The restriction of the approach to the issue of sexuality in schools and in the textbook may be problematic, since by not debating on contents related to human sexuality, important doubts about health in relation to the sexual sphere may not be clarified. By not debating about the social issues of human sexuality, prejudices and discriminations against homosexuals can be generated. The objective of this study was to investigate how the two collections of biology textbooks most distributed in Brazil in 2015, by the PNLD, address the theme, in addition to checking the collections of the same authors in 2018. Content analysis was used to analyze the four collections. It was verified that the language present in the textbooks still presents a heteronormative pattern, not addressing the diversity of human sexuality, focusing mainly on sexuality as a synonym and form of reproduction. Thus, the discussion of sexuality issues within the classroom should cover more topics within the content, in order to deepen the discussion and then be able to meet the criteria for building a democratic society. It is hoped that this study will contribute to the demystification of the taboos that involve human sexuality; as well as help in the elaboration of textbooks with a more social view of the sexuality theme, with the intention of deconstructing gender prejudices and sexual orientation.

PENDIDIKAN SEKSUAL SEJAK DINI PADA ANAK

Sexual education is a clear and correct information regarding the issue of human sexuality which includes knowledge of conception, pregnancy, and the birth of sexual behavior which is properly given and related to the norms prevailing in society. This Community Service aims to provide knowledge for children to know personal areas that must be protected from others and children can protect themselves from the crimes that are around them by refusing from behaviors that are not liked by children such as saying "no", “don’t” and "please". The results of the activities held in the form of teaching sexual education from an early age to children at the Raudhatul Athfal Islamic Kindergarten, the children know the areas of their private bodies that should not be touched by others except themselves, fathers, and mothers and children can reject the behavior disliked by children. Children can point out which areas of the body are not allowed by others and tell who can touch them.

Sexual and Reproductive Health in (Nigeria) Africa: Issues, Debate and Approaches

Human reproductive health is still at risk in Nigeria. In response to the problem, the Federal Government of Nigeria launched the National Reproductive Health Policy in 2001 to serve as the framework to base reproductive health strategies and interventions. Despite this, the country is far from achieving its set target. Several factors have been identified as the elements behind this challenge. One of such factor is cultural and religious beliefs. Religions have been known to have influenced people on beliefs of various kinds, especially on the issue of human sexuality and reproduction. There are two main religions in Nigeria – Christianity, and Islam. Their doctrines on sexual and reproductive health have been challenging. This paper sets out to map out these religious perspectives in the light of contemporary and practical relevance based on a sound philosophical understanding. This approach is important in order to bridge the communication gap between the cultural/religious community and the public health intervention workforce, so as to create synergy towards effective action. Moreover, the paper argues that silence on sexual matters should no longer be held as a virtue since traditional norms have lost their capacity to modernity.

Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception. Vol. 15: Kalam–Lectio Divina

<i>Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception.</i> Vol. 15: <i>Kalam–Lectio Divina</i>

‘Neither Catholic Fish nor Protestant Fowl’: the question of Anglicanism

ABSTRACTAny claim for the ecclesiological integrity of Anglicanism seems, at the moment, tenuous. The divisions within the Anglican Communion over the issues of human sexuality and gender do not seem easily healed, despite the efforts of the current archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and his predecessor, Rowan Williams. Despite the proud assertions of Anglican apologists down the ages that the Church was positioned, following the Elizabethan ‘settlement’ of 1588, with moderation and good sense as a via media between Rome and Geneva, this new five-volume history of Anglicanism reveals a church that has been in conflict from its very origins. In seeking to be a church for the whole of England, it was naturally constituted of competing theological and ecclesiological visions, influenced by continental reformations, that could never be entirely congruent – divisions which, at certain junctions since the break with Rome almost 500 years ago, have been the source of significant aggravation and tribalism. Those politico-theological tensions, the History underlines, were exported across Britain’s expanding empire, spawning vibrant new networks and associations that only served further to disrupt the fragile unity of the Church of England after the confessional state was dismantled by the British parliament in 1828–1832. Despite the enormous vibrancy engendered by this conflict of traditions, now stretched across a global Communion and influenced as much by post-colonialism and globalisation as older theological traditions, the final two volumes pose challenging questions for any who would seek to speak meaningfully of a single entity called the ‘Anglican Church’. This article suggests that the greatest threat to contemporary Anglicanism, however, lies in a postmodern retreat from the ecumenical task as truth becomes ever more contextualised, driven by a desire for peaceful cohabitation rather than institutional coherence. These volumes might suggest, rather, that Anglicanism’s hope (and its gift to the wider Church) is to be found precisely in its conflicted quest for truth and unity in faithful response to Scripture, tradition and reason.

CULTURAL CONTEXTS IN WORLDWIDE CONTEMPORARY ANGLICANISM: BEYOND THE ANGLICAN COVENANT

This research study attempts to explore the role that the notion of culture has played both, in the recent crisis within the Anglican Communion over issues of human sexuality, and in Anglican self-understanding more generally. I pay particular attention to the cultural transitions and clashes in different geo-social contexts, and to the dynamics between postmodern and postcolonial worldviews. The methodology employed here follows an inductive comparative analysis of the documents connected with the Anglican Covenant (2009). To date, there is no other academic investigation that has offered an in depth analysis of these texts as culturally contextualized identity articulations. The findings reveal a diversity of approaches to culture and a complex series of cultural clashes and alignments within this family of churches.

650 Let's talk about sex(uality) in the medical curricula

It has been difficult to introduce Sexology in Portuguese medical faculties' official curricula. The use of a parallel curriculum in Congresses organized by the students can promote teaching/learning sessions on these issues. The objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of a workshop more focused on the sexuality topics not often conveyed in Medical faculties: gender identity and diversity of sexual development (often known as intersexuality). Approximately 60 Medical students attending 4 optional workshops on Sexuality. Four 2 to 3 hours workshops were organized in different International Medical Students Congresses in Portugal during 2017 with a student-centered approach to learning, and in an informal education setting, centered in a role-playing medical consult to discuss and explore biopsychosocial sexuality myths. Questionnaires were filled out anonymously and privately by the students immediately after the workshop. Students’ on the spot evaluation acknowledged the workshop as being very important for their future practice, expressing the lack of discussion of these subjects in their medical faculties, emphasizing the need for further discussion of other sex-related topics (possibly in multiple sessions included officially in the medical curriculum). The medical curriculum in Portugal lacks a transversal and systematic approach to human sexuality issues and the population of medical students evaluated understand the usefulness of these problem-based workshops in the medical curricula.

Sexualidad y postmodernidad

The following essay contains a group of short texts that are forming a body of reflections on the always complex issue of human sexuality, relationships, and the human being of this post modern society. We can not disconnect the man of his time, so we must place it when something as proper as sexuality we speak. We hope that this work to be of interest and as always we propose, increase the discussion and the debate academic.

The Fragile Spell of Desire: A Functional Perspective on Changes in Sexual Desire Across Relationship Development

The sexual behavioral system evolved to motivate reproductive acts by arousing sexual desire. Building on the idea that this system has also been “exploited” by evolutionary processes to promote enduring bonds between romantic partners, the present article introduces an integrative model that delineates the functional significance of sexual desire in relationship formation and maintenance. This model explains why individuals’ sexual reaction to their partner is context-dependent, clarifying how changes in the nature of interdependence over the course of relationships alter the ways in which specific predictors of sexual desire tend to promote (or inhibit) desire and thereby affect relationship depth and stability. The model postulates that although desire influences the development of attachment bonds, the contribution that it makes varies over the course of relationships. The model also provides new insight regarding fundamental but unresolved issues in human sexuality, such as the vulnerability of sexual desire and the desire-intimacy paradox.

Human sexuality: Views and perspectives among Cypriot social workers – A compass to human sexuality education

This article presents the first survey conducted in Cyprus in relation to the knowledge and perceptions of social workers and social work students on issues related to human sexuality. With the use of a sample of 155 participants, the researchers attempted to identify the major areas of human sexuality that concern Cypriot social workers and social work students. A variety of closed-ended questions, which resulted from two focus groups – one with professionals and the other with students, were given to all the participants whose response was found to be of vital importance for this study, as well as for future research. The study has revealed the necessity for further training and education on human sexuality issues for professionals and students in social work. A need for more studies, especially comparative studies in order to construct a more comprehensive view on this matter in comparison to social work programmes in other countries, was also found.

The Ghosts of the Past: Hermeneutical Reflections on Historical Criticism within a Shared Conversation on Human Sexuality

This article is a reflection on the ways in which scripture was approached by participants within one of the Church of England’s Shared Conversations on Human Sexuality. It notes the significance of historical-critical hermeneutical concepts within the conversation and concludes that the hermeneutical aspect of the debate on scripture and sexuality, as carried out within the context of the shared conversations, is far removed from the scholarly discussion of theological hermeneutics for which the issue of human sexuality has been a great stimulant.

The Effect of Clinical Clerkships on Medical Students' Attitudes Toward Abortion and Contraception [181

INTRODUCTION: Research has shown that clinical clerkships can affect medical students' attitudes toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues. Similar research investigating how clinical clerkships affect attitudes toward other human sexuality issues—such as abortion and contraception—is lacking in the literature. METHODS: As part of their required curriculum, second-year medical students at the University of Iowa complete an anonymous survey that presents them with eight clinical scenarios involving abortion and contraception. In follow-up of a pilot study, members of the class of 2014 were invited to retake this survey in their fourth year. Additional questions, asking the students if they felt that clinical clerkships had changed their perspectives on abortion and contraception in general, were also included. RESULTS: Of 173 members of the class of 2014, 124 chose to participate, for a response rate of 71.7%. Twenty-six students (21.0%) felt that clinical clerkships had changed their perspectives on abortion. Thirty-five students (28.2%) felt that clinical clerkships had changed their perspectives on contraception. The percentage of students who would recommend against abortion for an ambivalent patient decreased from 63.9% to 50.8% (P=.01). The percentage of students who would refer a patient for a surgical abortion increased from 76.0% to 85.8% (P=.02). The percentage of students who would offer a medical abortion increased from 61.2% to 70.8% (P=.04). Differences in the other five clinical scenarios were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATION: This study demonstrates that clinical clerkships have the ability to affect medical students' attitudes toward abortion and contraception in general as well as toward specific scenarios involving abortion.