6 Serious Sexual Sins For Early Christianity That Are Usual Today
You might me doing acts that were unlawful in medieval era.
Human sexuality in Christianity is way more complicated than you might think, and the earlier we go into history the more complicated it gets — but for this article we will stay in medieval times.
These were the times when sex without being married was considered a major sin and things didn’t get any better even if you were married. What? Well, yes. There existed super strange regulations of medieval times. Let’s dive straight:
1. Fix Days On Which You Can Get Intimate
Firstly, it is important to learn when and where one could get intimate. Yeah, you read it right they had appropriate days for these kind of things and you were a sinner if you had an intercourse on Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday or Friday. So, no fun weekends.
Furthermore, these regulations were not enough, having sex during the daylight hours was also considered as sin.
For the church having sex wasn’t people’s right but rather just a need that had one to get over with.
It was the poor Medieval peasants who were hit the hardest, as these poor souls could only do the deed during 1 and half days of the week.
2. Doing It With A Pregnant Women Was A Sin
Medieval Christians often proclaimed that the only purpose of sexual intercourse was procreation. This was the idea that shaped many rules related to sex, and one of them was sleeping with a pregnant women.
It was believed by the church that having sex once a woman is pregnant is just unnecessary, because a woman who is pregnant can’t exactly get pregnant again.
Moreover Medieval Christians believed that having sex during pregnancy could lead to a abortions or birth related problems.
According to early church medical texts that were popular in those days states, that if the parents keep on having sex during pregnancy the baby could be born with defects in vitals, ill tempered, sickly and they maybe short lived.
3. Masturbation Turned Into A Major Sin From Being Nothing
Masturbation wasn’t considered a major sin in the early Middle Ages. The earliest Christians followed the Romans in this regard, however all this changed around the 700’s, in the early Medieval era.
A new narrative was build around the issue of masturbation, and the new rule stated that anyone who desires to fornicate with himself and the individual is not able to do it then the individual is to fast for forty days.
Incase, the boy is addicted to masturbation (does it often) then he is to fast for at least 20 days every time he commits the sin otherwise he is to be whipped for his continued sinning
This narrative kept on getting harsher and harsher by the passing of time and by the 13th century it was decided to declare masturbation as a major sin, because it was not natural.
Some believe that decline in population especially after the Black Death played a major role in all this and people started considering masturbation as a waste of seed.
4. No Nudity Accepted
The best part of sex is to undress your honey and feast your eyes on manifestation of their natural beauty. However if you lived in Medieval times, well then you were out of luck.
A Medieval peasants was someone who could never have this joy because the Church stated that nude sex is sinful and illegal.
A detailed flowchart was made by the church which showed in detail what is allowed and what is not allowed.
It was stated by the church that both partners are supposed to be fully clothed even while having an intercourse, but the problem here was the handbook of sins didn’t clarify on how exactly this is to be done.
Furthermore, for your spirit of inquiry not much was allowed by the handbook.
5. Wrap It Up Quick Once You Are Done
After sex is a part where partners like to spend some time with each other in intimacy or maybe go for it again. However in Medieval times well you guessed it right, it was sin and an immoral practice.
Medieval Europeans believed that the right way or the only way of having sex was one round at a time.
Well one may wonder about cuddling but unfortunately it wasn’t allowed either, because the Church gave specific instructions when it came to sex and it stated that both the partners should bath immediately after having the act.
6. Celibate Because It Is The Best Choice
For early Christians celibacy was the best choice, believing that the sex was the root cause of corrupting of the hearts.
However, the Church had its own take on this and there policy in regards to being celibate was not as harsh — for much of early Christianity the priests were allowed to get married and have children.
It was only after the First and Second Lateran council that the Catholic Church officially forbade priests from marrying.
Final Words
Sexual relationship is something that is very personal part of our lives. We all might have our own limits that we don’t like to exceed.
But someone setting rules on such a personal level is kind of unacceptable — rules that are especially as strange and as bizarre as the ones mentioned in the list above.
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