Traditional religious doctrine and women’s sexuality:reconciling the contradictions

SUMMARY. For many women the connection between sexuality and spirituality is frequently experienced in the context of their past or current religious beliefs-beliefs that privilege intercourse and male pleasure while ignoring much of what is rich and important in women's sexual experiencing-resulting in feelings of shame, guilt and disconnection from a vital source of their power and pleasure. The focus of this paper is on the differences between religiosity and spirituality, and how women can be assisted to develop more positive and affirming sexual self constructions and nurture a more empowering sense of spirituality in their lives, in the face of sometimes oppressive religious teachings and beliefs. Sugges-tions are provided for helping women create more positive connections between their spiritual and sexual selves, irrespective of their religiou