Religion
Sex and the Bible Paper #3 (2200 word minimum – due on Blackboard, Friday, Nov 13) Pick ONE of the following questions and answer in 2200 words (post word count at end of paper). Your paper should provide a clear and well-reasoned argument. Regardless of which question you choose, make sure to use detailed and specific examples from the text(s) to support your analysis.
1) Choose one sermon by either Origen or Bernard of Clairvaux and analyze how the author uses the Song of Songs (and other biblical citations) to construct a Christian erotic discourse. How is the overt sexuality of the Song of Songs redirected via allegory?
2) Analyze the ways in which the Onania pamphlet constructs and locates “selfpollution” within a hierarchy of sexual sins, then analyze the same aspects of Mark Driscoll’s chapter on masturbation from Porn Again Christian. How has the discourse regarding masturbation and the Bible changed between the Onania and Driscoll? You may find it useful to engage with Foucault in crafting your argument.
3) Analyze the ways in which Tim and Beverly LaHaye in The Act of Marriage construct “the act of marriage” in relation to the texts they cite from the Bible. What interpretive and rhetorical strategies are the authors using and what kinds of authority do they appeal to? Make sure that you make use of DeRogatis’ book in developing your analysis. You may also find it useful to engage with Foucault in crafting your argument.
*Only use sources that I provide and do not use outside sources. Choose topic which suits you best.
**Some sources may be missing, such as the book if you want to go with number 2 or 3. Number 1 seems like a good and easy option to go with
