City of God, Augustine Defends Term Paper

Moreover, unlike Augustine who criticized the mysticism, the Jewish faith embraces it, however Judaism is more concerned about actions that beliefs (Judaism). In the Jewish law, sex is not considered shameful, sinful or obscene, nor is it a necessary evil for the sole purpose of procreation (Judaism). Although sexual desire comes from the evil impulse, it is no more evil than hunger or thirst, and like hunger, thirst and other basic instincts, sexual desire should be controlled and channeled, satisfied at the proper time, place and manner (Judaism). The primary purpose of sex is to reinforce the marital bond between husband and wife, and since the first and foremost purpose of marriage is companionship, sexual relations play an important role (Judaism). Although procreation is a reason for sex, it is not the only reason (Judaism).

Growing up Catholic, my views of the world, including sex, have been formed much from Augustine's view. There is a hell for evil people. Heaven is for the blessed and favored. And sexual relations are for the purpose of procreation and not simply for the pleasure and bonding purposes of marriage. Thus, birth control is forbidden, for there is no reason for birth control since the only reason to have sexual relations is for the intent of procreating. This is however, a very controversial subject within the Catholic church, and many Catholics do not adhere to this particular principle.

Works Cited

Augustine. City of God. Penguin Classics. 1984.

Jewish Questions. Retrieved November 06, 2005 at http://www.gotquestions.org/Jews-saved.html

Judaism 101. Retrieved November 06, 2005 at http://www.jewfaq.org/beliefs.htm

http://www.jewfaq.org/sex.htm