Ancient fertility religions have reinterpreted sex as a divine service to promote fertility and abundance. These beliefs originated from the idea that procreation was a sacred act of creation. In these cultures, sex was seen as an expression of love between the gods, goddesses, and mortals, which produced children. Sexual acts were often performed for spiritual purposes and seen as offering sacrifices to the deities.
Fertility worship was also a way of promoting agricultural productivity, as it was believed that the gods would bless crops and livestock if they received offerings of sex.
In ancient Egypt, the pharaoh was considered the embodiment of the sun god Ra, who needed to be worshipped through ritualistic sex with his many wives. This practice was meant to ensure a successful harvest and prosperity for the kingdom.
In addition to promoting fertility, ancient fertility religions used sex to strengthen social bonds. Marriages were viewed as unions between families and communities, where sexual relationships reinforced ties and created new ones. Sexual relationships were seen as part of the natural order of life, and monogamy was less important than the maintenance of alliances.
Some fertility religions had more explicit views of sex. The Babylonian religion, for instance, celebrated the goddess Ishtar's sexuality by celebrating her "divine marriage" with Tammuz. Her union with him represented the coming of spring and the rejuvenation of vegetation. Sacred prostitution was common in this culture, with priestesses performing rites of fertility in the name of the gods.
Despite these differences, all ancient fertility religions shared a belief that sex was an act of divine service and could be used to promote abundance and well-being. They understood that human reproduction was intertwined with nature's cycles, and that sexual acts could enhance the relationship between humans and their environment. Today, we can still see echoes of these ideas in modern fertility cults and practices like Tantra yoga.