Sexuality is an important aspect of human life that involves physical, mental, and emotional aspects. It is essential for humans to understand their sexuality and express it through intimate relations with others. Intimacy can be understood as the act of connecting deeply with another person without any barriers.
Many religions have taught people that there are boundaries to expressing sexuality and intimacy, which has made them normalize emotional distance, restraint, and delayed gratification. This article will explain why religious discipline has made individuals suppress their desires and create distance from intimacy.
Religious norms teach that sexuality is meant for procreation, so they discourage engaging in activities that do not involve producing children.
Some religions view masturbation as a sin, and others consider it a taboo practice because it lacks purpose. According to this belief, people should abstain from sex until marriage or when they want to produce children. Such norms instill self-control, whereby individuals restrict themselves from engaging in pleasureful acts that could lead to premarital sex. The religious discipline also teaches believers to focus on long-term relationships rather than short-term encounters because they believe in long-lasting commitment.
Religious disciplines promote delayed gratification by teaching that waiting for the right time is better than indulging in instant gratification. Sex is only allowed after marriage in many religions, so adherents are supposed to practice self-restraint during dating stages. Religious norms encourage fidelity and monogamy, which creates a sense of security within marriages. They also advise couples to abstain from sex before marriage to ensure virginity, which makes the first experience more special. These teachings help individuals delay gratification since they wait for the perfect moment to express their feelings physically.
Religion normalizes emotional distance in intimate relations. Religious norms require followers to be modest and restrained in all aspects of life, including sexuality. Individuals are taught that sex should not dominate their thoughts, desires, and actions but instead remain private affairs. This means that they avoid exploring their sexuality outside marriage, which creates an emotional barrier.
Men do not feel comfortable initiating conversations about sex with women due to fear of rejection, while women may hesitate to reveal their needs to their partners for fear of being viewed as promiscuous. Such restraint makes people suppress their innermost urges, creating a gap between them and their partner.
Religious discipline has created a culture where individuals suppress their desires and create distance in intimacy. It encourages emotional distance through modesty, restraint, and delayed gratification in expressing sexuality and intimacy. While these disciplines promote healthy relationships by teaching individuals how to control themselves, they have also made it hard for people to communicate openly about their feelings and experiences. Therefore, people need to understand the importance of self-control without suppressing themselves too much to enjoy meaningful and fulfilling intimacy.
In what ways does religious discipline normalize emotional distance, restraint, and delayed gratification in intimacy?
Religious discipline can be described as a set of rules and guidelines that aim to regulate individuals' behavior and actions based on their beliefs and values. It is common for many religions to promote self-control, restraint, and delayed gratification in various aspects of life, including interpersonal relationships and intimacy. This disciplinary approach may lead to the normalization of emotional distance, where individuals learn to control and manage their feelings rather than expressing them openly.