It would seem that no other word elicits such a strong reaction in our culture as the word "sex." In its simplest sense, it refers to the concept of gender, but most frequently it refers to a set of intimate actions. Those actions are some of the most controversial ideas in our culture. The spectrum of different meanings and values assigned to those actions by different groups is wider than any other possible topic.
From a certain perspective, most of the actual actions that are encompassed by the term "sex" would seem totally absurd to an asexual entity. (You're going to do what?) But humans seem to have some innate predisposition towards those things, which defies logic and reason. The only aspect of sex that is logical is the part it plays in the reproductive process. And that only applies to the most basic forms, and in no way explains the pleasure aspect of sexuality. Sexual desires are very powerful, and powerful things can be dangerous if not handled with care. The liberal approach of embracing every sexual pleasure has led to the development of all sorts of strange variations and permutations, which are clearly getting out of control.
From a conservative perspective, sex in all of its forms, is this "thing" that is viewed as bad, and to be avoided and suppressed for so long, and rarely even talked about. And then one day when you get married, all of a sudden it is okay, and even a good thing. That dramatic shift is something I still don't fully understand. I know all of the facts and details; I just don't understand why God would structure things that way. Very few other moral things in life change that much depending on the situation. One thing is for sure, I am completely confident that God intended for people to get married earlier. That would alleviate much, but not all, of that struggle.
The struggle itself is rooted in the pleasurable aspect of sex, which is something that God clearly created that way. I have heard a number of intellectual explanations proposed for why he created things that way, but none of them have given me a solid grasp of what his purpose in doing that must have been. The negative results of that potential pleasure seem to far outweigh the positive ones. (Strengthening aspect of marriage, compared to adultery, lust, deviance, and rape, among other things) While I look forward to the positive results it should have on my eventual marriage, I find it hard to imagine what it would have to be like to make it worth the problems I see it causing.
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