The Judaeo-Christian tradition has been influenced by many different cultures. It began when Abraham, coming from the culture of Mesopotamia, settled in Canaan. Some of Abraham=s descendants subsequently lived in Egypt for many generations. Eventually, they migrated back to Canaan, after travelling for 40 years through territory occupied by the Midianites, Moabites and Ammonites. For the next six centuries they gradually took over the land of the Canaanites, while successfully avoiding conquest by the Philistines. When they were taken captive by Babylon they reabsorbed some aspects of Mesopotamian culture. In the succeeding centuries they came under the influence of Persia, Macedonia, Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome. Gradually over a 1200-year period, the Israelites developed their own distinctive culture, largely as a reaction to the cultural traditions of the nations that surrounded them.

Jesus of Nazareth proclaimed that a new era was about to dawn in which God would come to the earth to rule it in justice and rightness. The Roman empire, of course, would be destroyed and Jerusalem would become God=s capital for ruling the whole world. All the nations of the world would flock to Jerusalem to learn about God and God=s law. There would be universal peace and joy such as the world had never known. The land would become extraordinarily fruitful and both the flocks and herds would reproduce to provide an abundance of free food for all. Everyone would be able to live in safety and security amidst all the wealth and prosperity that they could ever imagine. The walls of cities would disappear and everyone would be able to enjoy God=s providence without fear. Even though Jesus died as a rebel against Rome, his immediate followers did not give up his vision of an imminent just world.

It was when Paul transformed the message of Jesus and took it to the cities of the eastern Roman empire that the new converts had to learn how to distinguish themselves from the Gentile culture in which they lived. These new believers adopted many Jewish ethical traditions and began to live as outcasts among the people of the eastern Roman empire. This transfer of Jewish cultural traditions into Gentile communities was possible only because the Romans tolerated established religions. It created a period of intense local conflict when the first Christian communities tried to establish their own unique culture within a pagan environment. Gradually, however, the Christian communities were able to justify their distinctive behaviour and establish it with the authority needed for survival. Paul=s dynamic energy and influence were eventually successful and Christian ethics became the norm in the communities that he founded. Christianity finally succeeded in establishing a new code of conduct that would eventually become the standard of both the church and the empire. Even within our contemporary secular world the impact of the Judaeo-Christian culture is immeasurable. It is essential to understand this background if we are to provide consistent justification for many of the aspects of our contemporary way of life.

It is a mistake to think that the Judaeo-Christian tradition that developed over more than 3000 years is perfect. It began in the ancient middle east with a very primitive understanding of the physical world and the nature of humanity, and many of its principles can no longer be supported. As a result, it is time to take a look at the way in which ignorance and superstition have determined the rules by which people live out their sexual lives. The Canaanite, Israelite, Greco-Roman and Christian traditions have all made a contribution to our understanding and way of life. But we humans will reach our natural potential only if we learn how to select the best traditions from those that have been tried and found successful. This will require a fresh beginning that includes a thorough examination of human behaviour within all the cultures that have existed throughout history and comes up with a consensus that establishes how humans ought best to live in accordance with their own unique nature.

The various cultures of the past are inhibiting us from finding the best way in which we can become normally functioning members of society. In the past the Judaeo-Christian tradition has enabled happily married couples to enjoy their sexuality without guilt or shame but has prevented all others from achieving this objective. Its severe limitations on what constitutes appropriate sex have often brought only frustration, bitterness, anger, guilt and shame to those who are not fortunate enough to belong to a happy heterosexual union. Other religious traditions have equally contributed to the way in which sex has prevented many from being able to enjoy life to the fullest measure of their ability. As our secular culture expands across the world, gradually encompassing and superseding all traditional forms of religious practices and beliefs, it is making their ethical injunctions regarding suitable sexual behaviour increasingly spurious and irrelevant. All religions of the world, including the Judaeo-Christian tradition, will have diminishing influence unless they recognize that they must change because modern knowledge is making their arbitrary limitations on human sexuality obsolete.

Our human sexuality uniquely defines us as people who want to interact with others. We should be able to create the conditions where we can regularly celebrate our sexuality without inhibitions, guilt, or shame. With the development of appropriate knowledge and experience we can generate the ability to transform society in such a way that it adequately meets the needs of everyone in our community. This will happen only when individuality, diversity and equality are always respected and encouraged. Sexuality is so critical to human development that every person deserves to reach their physical, social, and moral potential. This will be achieved only if we mutually agree to set aside the ignorance and superstition that have defined appropriate sexual limits in the past, and boldly grasp the possibilities available to us. The future is ours and we are able to make it what we will if only we choose to do so.