How odd Christian beliefs about sex shape the world
From a book review in the Economist of Lower than the Angels: A History of Sex and Christianity. By Diarmaid MacCulloch.
Mr MacCulloch’s great strength is that he knows a vast amount. His great weakness is that he has written it all down, over 497 pages, in a tiny font.
The writings of St Augustine and St Paul offer one answer. Perhaps a simpler answer is provided by the old saying that everything in the world is about sex, except for sex, which is about power. The Christian church, which has been described as the most powerful persecuting force that the world has ever seen, knows this well.