This is http://www.essayz.com/a9606181.htm         
Previous-Essay      <== This-Essay ==>     Following-Essay
Click HERE on this line to find essays via Your-Key-Words.
{Most frequent wordstarts of each essay will be put here.}
==========================================================
 %SEXUAL COMMUNAL PERSONAL INTEGRITY HONESTY REPORT+960618
   %GROUP DISCUSSION DIALOGUE EXPERIENCE PRAYER SIN 960618

     Many  communities have hang-ups about sharing reports
of  personal sexual experiences in group settings.    Such
communities are often dominated by repressive tacit  rules
which  not  only  do not facilitate openness  and  honesty
about  sexual  experiences---but  actually  contribute  in
tragic  ways  to  repressing openness  and  honesty  about
sexual  experiences.    Such repression  of  openness  and
honesty  makes  it  difficult  for  people  to  learn   in
integrative ways from their own and other people's  sexual
experiences.     The   consequent  dishonesty   lays   the
foundations for dishonesty in areas other than sexuality.

     When  guidance  regarding sexuality  is  disconnected
from personal reports of sexual experiences,  the guidance
is  bound  to  become dis-integrative.   Each  pattern  of
guidance regarding  sexuality needs to be re-examined from
time to time to see if it:

     1.  Encourages people to be open and honest about
   their own experiences.

     2.  Is being used by some people to manipulate
   other people in abusive ways.

     3.  Affirms in balanced ways the importance of both
   personal and communal integrity in interdependent
   ways.

     4.  Deals openly and honestly with human limits and
   human limitations.

     5.  Deals honestly with both objective and reflexive
   aspects of human relationships.

     6.  Acknowledges and deals openly and honestly with
   the realities which are associated with
   addictions and collusions.

     7.  Deals appropriately with individual needs for
   privacy and communal needs for responsible
   behaviors on the part of individuals in private
   settings.

     8.  Provides integrative sexual education to each new
   generation in regards to how to promote personal
   and communal sexual integrity.

     9.  Works to mitigate sexual abuse and repression of
   the weaker individuals and/or groups by the
   stronger individuals and groups.

     10.  Acknowledges that power corrupts to the extent
   that it is not operating within a system of
   formal and informal check and balances.

     If in new circumstances old patterns of guidance lead
to  tragic consequences in systemic ways---then it is time
to make changes.   Patterns of guidance are not everywhere
and eternally sacred, holy  and/or worthy of worship as if
they are God.   The worship of patterns  of  guidance when
they   systematically   engender  personal  and   communal
disintegration---is  idolatry,  should  be  recognized  as
idolatry,   named  idolatry  and talked about  openly  and
publicly as idolatry.
                                                                                                                               
                         (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in      
                    (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)  
                                                                                                                               
==========================================================