Advertisement She is a kid I can’t think of without smiling, because any time I see her, that is what she is doing. And so the image of this sweet child singing about “banging” several years ago, to me, stands as an icon of our sexually deformed culture.
On Sunday, I met a church group doing something about this problem. Members of First Congregational United Church of Christ have run a program for three years called “Our Whole Lives” for middle- and high schoolers. The curriculum, developed jointly by the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ, teaches a holistic approach to sexuality, relationships and decision-making for young people.
“What we often see is sex as a verb and relationships are actions,” said Le Sedlacek, 56, who is teaching the course for the second time this year. “We spend a lot of time trying to counter societal views that everybody is doing it.”
Teachers talk about sexuality as a gift from God, and one that involves the whole being from birth to death. While the course encourages abstinence until marriage — or until one has entered a committed and mature relationship — students also learn about contraception.
“It’s more empowering them, letting them know what’s likely to happen so they don’t get into circumstances where they do not have a choice,” Sedlacek said.
The course leans liberal on the hot-button issues. Teachers said abortion is talked about in a factual manner, with “non-judgmental information,” because people in the congregation have different views on the subject. A panel of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender speakers addresses the class, and homosexuality is understood as a natural expression of sexuality.
This year, eight middle school girls are taking the course, which meets most weeks from October to March. Last year, Alex Stoffregen, now 16, and Emma Shelby, 18, attended the high school level course.
“Sex ed at church? Hmmmm,” Shelby said, joking about her and other classmates’ initial suspicion of the course’s value. But by the end, both agreed, the students were sad it was over.
“I take it more seriously now,” Stoffregen said. “If somebody is talking to me that they’re thinking about having sex with their girlfriend, instead of being like, ‘Yeah, right on, man,’ I’m like, ‘Oh, are you sure you’re ready for that? Do you think that would be a good thing for you guys to do?’ Somebody needs to ask the question, and he’s not going to be talking about it with his parents.”
Shelby said before the course, she hadn’t processed gay jokes as offensive, but since the course, she has told people that using the word “fag” is derogatory.
In a country where constitutional amendments, advertisements, church scandals and clothing suggest we have issues with our sexual identity, and in a culture that pukes its vile songs out of the innocent mouths of babes, teaching youth about sexuality is a tough prospect.
Luckily, there are those out there trying to counter the culture.
Joe Orso works part time for the La Crosse Tribune and the Franciscan Spirituality Center. Opinions in this column are his own.
Achristian wrote on Dec 4, 2008 1:58 PM:
I do respect your choices and what you believe, I simple don't accept them as the truth. I have listened and read many Atheists and their arguments, which make no sense to me. I pointed a few of these out on the other blog and ask for clarification, but so far the silence is deafening. "