Is there sex in heaven? Stay with me here. Jesus makes it clear that there is no marriage but he says nothing about sex itself. We are told that we are getting resurrection bodies that have the ability to eat and drink. What other abilities will we have? And how will we use them? Will sex be one of them?
[Note - I've gotten emails saying the comments section wasn't working for this post - I think I've fixed the problem, sorry. David Sunday, 12pm]
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Well, I'll step in where Doug has better sense :)
Sex in Heaven? Unbound by marriage? I think you've found a message certain to increase the fold. But would it be confined to missionary position? What about oral? Anal? Gays? And what about privacy? Orgies in heaven?
Seriously, though, I think Jesus was merely speaking so that those listening to him at the time could understand. After all, where is Heaven located such that a physical body, one requiring food and drink and warmth and air, could travel there in an instant?
Or did he mean that Heaven for the resurrected is here on Earth? That would be a short-lived eternity since Earth likely will be engulfed by the sun when it goes nova in about 5 billion years.
This is a great question! It opens up a host of other questions, such as will we be able to eat whatever we couldn't eat before? What about pain? That doesn't sound very heavenly. Um...waste elimination?
Makes me wonder if sometimes Jesus didn't just give blow-off answers like a parent gives a persistent child asking why, why, why?
"Yes, Peter, this is excellent fish. Yeah, sure, you can eat fish and drink wine after the resurrection...as much as you want. Whoa, John, no more mushrooms for you...they'll give you strange dreams."
For everyone who skipped it here to go there, I hope so.
Tempt me not.
The desire for sex, and the related passions, cause a lot of problems.
I'm not sure that I even want there to be sex in heaven. But then, what do I know; I am not a Christian.
The theology of heaven needs some work.
As it stands in the layman's mind, it currently appeals mostly to
the very young or simpleminded:
Yes, there will be ice cream, and puppies, and angels with golden harps, any you'll be able to fly anywhere you want!
and the very old or sick:
There will be no more sickness or decay, and you'll be able to lay your weary burdens down.
What is there in heaven to appeal to an individual of youngish to middle age years who enjoys productive work and takes pleasure in sex?
In case anyone is still reading, a positive (though possibly speculative) case can be made that male-female relationships similar to marital bonds can continue between the redeemed into the next life. This may then also imply a romantic, physical or even sexual aspect in such a relationship.
Below are some websites that make this positive case (across Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Protestant strands of Christianity). Each website does deal with the marriage pericope of Mt 22 to a lesser or greater degree -
1. http://rezfamilies.googlepages.com
2. http://www.ewtn.org/library/Marriage/zmarrheavn.htm
3. http://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&id=YSSCUO1tonkC&dq=meyendorff+marriage%20&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=5NSzvkqo5M&sig%20=hBJchN5_JtqohBFEy0xFHYABFJI#PPA15,M1
Whether you find these arguments convincing is ultimately up to you.
PS. please note according to historic Christian doctrine, the next life involves the resurrection, which is physical in nature, and is not to be identified with "heaven" (where the redeemed go after death to await future physical resurrection of their bodies) - please see this link for more explanation -
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1710844,00.html
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