Mark's Blog

Remember the sarcastic comments that followed the first state or two that legalized same-sex marriage?  Remember those who said, “So what’s next—polygamy? Abandonment of age requirements for consensual sex?  Why not sex with animals?”

That all seemed pretty outrageous at the time—until today! Today I was reading through Spiegel Online, the online version of a leading, serious German news magazine, and was shocked with the headline “Germany To Ban Sex With Animals.”

Here is the brief summary: “The German government plans to ban zoophilia — sex with animals — as part of an amendment to the country’s animal protection law, but faces a backlash from the country’s zoophile community, estimated to number over 100,000.”

And I had not known that zoophilia had been legal while we lived in Germany in the 1970s, but apparently it had been legalized in 1969.  The current government is trying, however, to appeal to the greater number of animal rights activists who are lobbying to protect animals from activities that are “inappropriate to their species.”

The zoophiles have organized themselves into a pressure group called ZETA (Zoophile Engagement for Tolerance and Information) and have been quoted as saying, “We see animals as partners and not as a means of gratification. We don’t force them to do anything.”

“People have tried to create the false impression that we hurt animals,” said Michael Kiok, who lives with an Alsatian dog called Cessie. He is quoted in this article as saying he had had  “special feelings for animals ever since he was four or five and that the fascination took on erotic elements in his teens.”

Here’s the link if you want to read the whole article: http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/germany-plans-to-outlaw-sex-with-animals-a-869402.html

Lest we be outdone by the Germans: did you see the recent ABC 20/20 special on the polygamist family in Utah that just published their story in a book entitled Love Times Three? Not only are they willing to risk prosecution by “coming out” but they are also hoping with their story to change the laws in the U.S. to make polygamy legal. In fact, the family argues that they are a “typical, albeit large, modern American family.” You can read the companion article to the TV special here: http://abcnews.go.com/US/modern-polygamist-family-risking-jail/story?id=14956226#.ULQgiYdaSSp

At least we still protect our children—unless you are in Mexico where the age of consent is 12, or Japan where it is 13. Many countries and some U.S. states let 14 year-olds have consensual sex; the federal law in the U.S. sets the age at 16.

India has a big controversy going on right now with some legislators attempting to raise the age of consent from 16 to 18, a move which at least one high court termed “regressive and draconian!” http://www.indianexpress.com/news/bill-to-raise-age-for-consensual-sex-regressive-court/948994

As far as I can tell, only a few Muslim countries have made it illegal to have sex outside of marriage. I thought that was the Christian teaching! 

I suspect that we Christians are reaping the harvest from centuries of teaching against sex to the point that we have no real theology of sexuality.  Just raise the issue in your life group of what is wrong with polygamy or zoophilia. Talk about how old children should be before you should assume that they are sexually active.  Ask if being in love makes all of the above OK?

Ask if sexual activity in every form is a human right, that if denied by law, is an act of oppression.  Ask if consensuality is the only test to apply to any form of co-sexuality.

Ask your group about raising children gender neutral?  And if your group doesn’t know what that means, go get some younger people to join your group!

If you are really brave, ask your teenagers at church, or your student group at the campus ministry the same questions.

We live in a time when everyone does what is right in their own eyes, just like Israel did during the time of the judges in the Old Testament (Judges 21:25) because they had no king.

Unless we have a King, there are no definitive answers to these questions. There are only your answers—and my answers—and their answers—and someone’s answers!  That’s all—if you don’t have a King.

.

Read Full Post »

Remember the sarcastic comments that followed the first state or two that legalized same-sex marriage?  Remember those who said, “So what’s next—polygamy? Abandonment of age requirements for consensual sex?  Why not sex with animals?”

That all seemed pretty outrageous at the time—until today! Today I was reading through Spiegel Online, the online version of a leading, serious German news magazine, and was shocked with the headline “Germany To Ban Sex With Animals.”

Here is the brief summary: “The German government plans to ban zoophilia — sex with animals — as part of an amendment to the country’s animal protection law, but faces a backlash from the country’s zoophile community, estimated to number over 100,000.”

And I had not known that zoophilia had been legal while we lived in Germany in the 1970s, but apparently it had been legalized in 1969.  The current government is trying, however, to appeal to the greater number of animal rights activists who are lobbying to protect animals from activities that are “inappropriate to their species.”

The zoophiles have organized themselves into a pressure group called ZETA (Zoophile Engagement for Tolerance and Information) and have been quoted as saying, “We see animals as partners and not as a means of gratification. We don’t force them to do anything.”

“People have tried to create the false impression that we hurt animals,” said Michael Kiok, who lives with an Alsatian dog called Cessie. He is quoted in this article as saying he had had  “special feelings for animals ever since he was four or five and that the fascination took on erotic elements in his teens.”

Here’s the link if you want to read the whole article: http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/germany-plans-to-outlaw-sex-with-animals-a-869402.html

Lest we be outdone by the Germans: did you see the recent ABC 20/20 special on the polygamist family in Utah that just published their story in a book entitled Love Times Three? Not only are they willing to risk prosecution by “coming out” but they are also hoping with their story to change the laws in the U.S. to make polygamy legal. In fact, the family argues that they are a “typical, albeit large, modern American family.” You can read the companion article to the TV special here: http://abcnews.go.com/US/modern-polygamist-family-risking-jail/story?id=14956226#.ULQgiYdaSSp

At least we still protect our children—unless you are in Mexico where the age of consent is 12, or Japan where it is 13. Many countries and some U.S. states let 14 year-olds have consensual sex; the federal law in the U.S. sets the age at 16.

India has a big controversy going on right now with some legislators attempting to raise the age of consent from 16 to 18, a move which at least one high court termed “regressive and draconian!” http://www.indianexpress.com/news/bill-to-raise-age-for-consensual-sex-regressive-court/948994

As far as I can tell, only a few Muslim countries have made it illegal to have sex outside of marriage. I thought that was the Christian teaching! 

I suspect that we Christians are reaping the harvest from centuries of teaching against sex to the point that we have no real theology of sexuality.  Just raise the issue in your life group of what is wrong with polygamy or zoophilia. Talk about how old children should be before you should assume that they are sexually active.  Ask if being in love makes all of the above OK?

Ask if sexual activity in every form is a human right, that if denied by law, is an act of oppression.  Ask if consensuality is the only test to apply to any form of co-sexuality.

Ask your group about raising children gender neutral?  And if your group doesn’t know what that means, go get some younger people to join your group!

If you are really brave, ask your teenagers at church, or your student group at the campus ministry the same questions.

We live in a time when everyone does what is right in their own eyes, just like Israel did during the time of the judges in the Old Testament (Judges 21:25) because they had no king.

Unless we have a King, there are no definitive answers to these questions. There are only your answers—and my answers—and their answers—and someone’s answers!  That’s all—if you don’t have a King.

.

Read Full Post »