The religious framework has a significant impact on how individuals perceive their sexuality and sex lives. It plays an important role in shaping individuals' attitudes towards sexual practices, desires, and beliefs. Religious values have influenced how society views sex for centuries, and they continue to play a crucial role today. People from different religions view sex differently due to their varying ideologies about it.
Some faiths believe that sex is sacred, while others consider it sinful or shameful. These differences affect the way people approach sex, which can result in resilience or self-acceptance issues. In this article, I will discuss how religious framing influences resilience and self-acceptance in relation to sex.
How does religious framing influence self-acceptance?
Religion teaches individuals that certain behaviors are right or wrong based on moral guidelines established by God or other higher beings. Religious teachings often emphasize abstinence until marriage and frown upon premarital relationships, extra-marital affairs, and same-sex encounters. This creates negative perceptions of these activities and reduces their acceptability. Those who engage in them may feel guilty, ashamed, or judged. The negative connotations associated with such activities make it difficult for individuals to come out openly about them. They struggle to understand why they behave as they do because they cannot reconcile their actions with what they were taught at home or in church. As a result, they develop low self-esteem and self-worth, affecting their overall well-being.
Some religious groups also discourage masturbation and sexual pleasure, viewing them as sinful acts.
Research shows that masturbation is healthy and has positive effects on mental and physical health. Individuals who view masturbation as bad are more likely to experience feelings of guilt, embarrassment, and shame, leading to poor self-acceptance. Similarly, those who feel that intimacy should only happen within marriage may find it challenging to express themselves if they have sexual desires outside of marriage. Such beliefs lead to sexual repression, which negatively impacts self-esteem and acceptance.