My church doesn't teach it's only for procreation, and we are solidly Christian. We teach that it's also wholesome, fun, and great to be enjoyed between husbad and wife; a spark of the divine, if you will. That it is between a husband and wife and God to decide when to have children, and so contraception is totally appropriate. Sex helps build the relationship. I remember when my dad taught a lesson at church about how sex was great; and I took a class at a religious university where it was specifically taught we were sexual beings meant to enjoy it. Not prudish here, just also very conscious of how powerful a force it is and so it should be between life-long committed people who can make the most of it and enjoy it fully without having the emotional damage of sharing yourself with someone who then skips out on you. Use it how God intends it and it is even better.
> Not prudish here, just also very conscious [that sex] should be between life-long committed people
That is prudish. To be perfectly clear, it’s entirely fine to decide that this is the right thing for yourself. But the way your comment is written makes it clear that you think this is the only correct way, for everyone. Yeah, that’s extremely prudish.
definition of prudish: `having or revealing a tendency to be easily shocked by matters relating to sex or nudity; excessively concerned with sexual propriety.`
Having a belief that a loved one would be happier if they do not take drugs and acting on that to attempt to persuade them is love and concern (and they are free to disagree with me). Having a belief that a loved one would be happier if refrained from using sex in a certain way is love and concern; not prudishness. We teach our children to not run in front of cars or to read Plato, why not impart other things we think will help them? whether or not you agree with the particulars, it is every persons duty to try to help the world be a bit better and happier.
The “excessively concerned with sexual propriety” part of the definition applies to what you’ve written. You’ve got some very clear and quite restrictive ideas about how sex is to be enjoyed, and you view other ways as harmful. And, to reiterate, that’s totally fine. But most people with differing opinions about sex will recognise yours as prudish.
OK, so not all churches teach this. But the Catholic church does, and that has been the barometer of western morals for 1500 years. The protestant revolution even went further, with the Puritan movement that influenced the first US immigrants so much.
We can have a discussion about how your church's attitude towards sex pushes people to commit to long-term relationships way too early, but that's a separate discussion.
