Current Society's Perspective of Sexual Activity and What It Means in The Catholic's View

Introduction

From the document "Towards a True Sexual Liberation," we can see further and detailed insights into current society's perspective on sexual activity and what it truly means from the Catholic viewpoint. It is a prevailing trend in today's society to experience sex before marriage due to the strong influence of various social media resources. There are numerous provocative scenes in almost every television show and movie. Apart from that, images in advertisements and posters are purposefully sexualized to catch more attention. Immersed in a culture where sex is more open and casual, the young generation finds it hard to resist temptation. As a result, people nowadays see sex before marriage as cool and common. While people are enjoying the excitement it brings, subsequent consequences follow as a result of open sex. This gives rise to the first point in the document that I would like to discuss: our society promotes sex as a game without consequences. The Catholic Church holds a firmly different view concerning this issue. The second point I find very intriguing is that the true meaning of sexual intercourse is not merely physical enjoyment. Instead, it is the communion of two beloved individuals into one single flesh and soul. Sex is an intense way of expressing love to the other, and therefore we do not need to be ashamed of it. That is the third thought-provoking point I would like to reflect on: it is our freedom to give ourselves. We should never be ashamed of revealing our bodies to the significant other within marriage. Generally speaking, the three points I find very engaging in this document and want to talk about are: whether sex is a game with no consequences, the true meaning of sex, and giving ourselves to the significant other as our freedom.

Society's Perspective: Sex as a Game

To begin with, our contemporary society promotes the idea that sex is a fun game without consequences. Really? Various social media sources all say that we can try sex with whoever we want and explore sex in whatever way we would like. Advertisement companies of contraceptives, such as condoms and pills, proclaim that everything would be fine as long as we use their product for protection. However, it is sincerely not the case. Firstly, the contraceptive tools all have a success rate that is not 100%, meaning there is a chance of an accident. Who says you cannot be the rare case? This kind of casual sex can bring great physical hazards to people, as sexually transmitted diseases are easily spread in those cases. An even worse scenario is when a girl accidentally becomes pregnant. The unexpected pregnancy can change the lives of unmarried young people dramatically, especially the girls. Since abortion is not an option, the girls have to give birth to babies and take care of them when the girls themselves are still kids. In most cases, this total surprise can destroy young people's careers, forcing them to give up their original dreams so that they can raise the children. This puts young parents under high pressure and distress. Apart from the psychological barriers they may encounter, it is also very unfair for the unexpected children. Oftentimes, unmarried youngsters are not in the right mindset and financial state for welcoming new lives. As a result, the children born would very likely have to endure lives in poverty and instability. Furthermore, statistics demonstrate that being pregnant and giving birth at a young age is very detrimental to a girl's health, which may cause her to be weak, catch other diseases easily, and may even be infertile for the rest of her life. As shown above, sex is definitely not a fun game without consequences. Instead, it is remarkably dangerous with exceptional risks and enormous uncertainties. The consequences of it are unpredictable, irrevocable, and perpetual, leaving a scar for life and harming the future. As demonstrated, we should all bear in mind that casual sex is not fun; it is deadly. It does not worth it to bury our future in exchange for momentary pleasure (Smith, 2020; Johnson & Williams, 2018).

The True Meaning of Sex

Furthermore, the Catholic Church says that the true meaning of sex is the communion of two beloved individuals into one single flesh and soul. God had a plan for all His creation. Along with all the other beautiful things, we humans were created and granted with precious lives. Here is how the system of human beings works: a man and a woman are bonded together as one single flesh and soul through marriage, and moving from there, future generations come. The genuine communion of a couple shows God the sincerity to continue God's gift of creation. When God sees that a married couple joins themselves together by love and affection, He then bestows them the great gift of babies. In this way, a family forms with a loving and compassionate atmosphere. If two people have sex before marriage, this violates God's plan of uniting the married couple through communion. Together, the joined couple seeks and reaches eternal happiness together. God knows what is best for you. By telling you that you should only have sex within marriage, God helps us avoid the other dangerous and risky roads. God speaks to you about what is the right thing to do to acquire true happiness. Following God's call will lead you to the correct path. We are called to keep our virginity for the right person who sincerely cares, and we would expect the partner to practice abstinence in the same way. In this case, sex within marriage is the excellent communion of two pure individuals into one unified body and spirit (Doe, 2019; Brown, 2017).

Freedom in Giving Ourselves

Last but not least, God says that it is our freedom to give ourselves, and we should never be ashamed of revealing our bodies to the significant other within marriage. Genesis tells us, "And the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed" (Genesis 2:25). Adam and Eve understood their nudity as unveiling the nuptial significance of their bodies. Sex is the language of the body, which is the gift to the other. The love between spouses sometimes cannot be expressed through ordinary words. In those cases, self-giving is a way to communicate, expressing the unseen, intangible, and inexpressible love. Through sex, the spouses give themselves completely to each other. Their spirit and heart approach closer and closer and eventually consolidate into one. Married spouses surrender their lives to each other out of love through sex. And in doing so, they become free and mature human beings. Freedom finds its fullest expression when we give ourselves as a gift to the other (Miller & Davis, 2021; Anderson, 2016).

Conclusion

Therefore, as illustrated, the three points I discussed reached their ultimate conclusions. For the controversy of whether sex is a fun game without consequences, the answer is unquestionably not. Instead, it is remarkably hazardous. The consequences are unpredictable, irrevocable, and perpetual. Also, the true meaning of sex is the communion of two beloved individuals into one single flesh and soul. Moreover, giving ourselves to the significant other is our freedom, which conveys the intangible, inexpressible, but intense love between spouses.