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snakechic
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(Date Posted:01/29/2008 9:17 PM)

Where did the term originate and does it actually exist? Its the 'condition' curable...or is it a life time thing.? Is it a bit like being homosexual or bisexual..or whatever the sexual preference is. Is not having sex just a preference? Is it about gender? ...

Is it a cliche..and new invention to describe someone's lack of sexual impulses or whatever it is that you use to describe no  'sex' ... ?

Mmmm.....I'm a skeptic on this one as well...
I doubt that its a biological condition ......something that a person catches, inherits .................

thinking aloud...A person can be chemically castrated.....emotionally berated...etc..to the point of shutting down their mind to the posibility  of sexual feelings and thoughts. Not acting on sexual impluses is a choice...not having sexual impluses can be caused by all kinds of things including medical illnesses
.....not showing sexual feelings towards your partner can mean anything....being turned off by what other's consider appropriate ? how a person  displays their  inhabitions or whatever else is identified......& so on...


Why is the far end of an continuum of frequency of sexual thoughts etc..be given a snazzzy term that to me suggests some thing 'final' ...a bit like the idea of homosexuality. I agree with that being something 'ingrain' and part of the persons identity & sexual preference..........

?

For some reason ...I tend to think of this term as a  cover for what's up............ I think is a very individual issue/problem...and I don't think can be generalised to mean  the same thing for everyone who is not so inclined to sex.


......Off the topic a little...I don't go for the idea that to be a xian (fundie or whatever) means the person doesn't like sex or is somehow fucked up...sure chrisitianity has 'had its hand on the crutches of  all kinds of  people for a couple of hundred years'...but Farout...they sure do breed a lot and have their fair share of getting   caught with their pants down ....

How come the term is so easily used in connection with christians or ex christians....................& is it associated with other religions?



that's just a bunch adhoc thoughts about the topic  ............ I'm tired of categorizing people aren't you?.....especially about sexuality.



(Message edited by snakechic on 01/29/2008 9:32 PM)

--------------------------------------------------------------
In exchange for obedience, Christianity promises salvation in an afterlife; but in order to elicit obedience through this promise, Christianity must convince people that they need salvation, that there is something to be saved from. Christianity has nothing to offer a happy person living in a natural, intelligible universe. If Christianity is to gain a motivational foothold, it must declare war on earthly pleasure and happiness, and this, historically, has been its precise course of action. In the eyes of Christianity, woman(man) is sinful and helpless in the face of God, and is potential fuel for the flames of hell. Just as Christianity must destroy reason before it can introduce faith, so it must destroy happiness before it can introduce salvation.

-- George H Smith, Atheism: The Case Against God

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RE:what is Asexual.............and what's normal?
(Date Posted:01/30/2008 10:48 AM)


In a way I think some xians can shut down their own sexual responses by "avoiding temptation" to the point where they lose the knack.  For years after stopping going to church I was unaware of any sexual responses until I had a few sexy dreams.  Everytime I kissed a man the feelings weren't there so I wondered what was wrong with me.  Now I realise it might have had something to do with their technique.  Who really wants to be kissed in a cold hard way by somebody who isn't really mentally or emotionally there and xians aren't really there when being intimate with another person?  I've been to touch workshops and I know the difference between being touched on the arm by somebody when they are focused and also when their mind was elsewhere.  That is the case when xians get together and is also apparent in mainstream culture as people usually connect when they're drunk or taking mind numbing drugs; street or prescribed.

Sometimes I think I really want to be in a relationship but part of me is scared because of the last one where I couldn't get away.  I realised I had made a mistake and wanted out on the first date because of the pressure put on me by my date.  He turned out to be  a psycho who demanded I come out despite the weather forecast predicting for days heavy rainfall and possibly storms.  Then he started talking about us having children together (this on a first date) and I just knew I had to get away.  I developed a migraine and went home but was still being harassed for a second date the following evening.  When I eventually got shot of him I just shut down completely.  I had lost confidence in myself so was unable to be as assertive as I like.  I'm now taking aikido lessons so should the need arise I can feel confident about saying 'no' to a psycho like that.
Chirpy
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RE:what is Asexual.............and what's normal?
(Date Posted:02/04/2008 8:19 AM)

Actually it's me Chirpy who posted the above.  I forgot to log on and this board doesn't automatically remind us to log on but logs us on as 'Guest'.  I wish this wouldn't happen.

Actually I've been feeling asexual for years because of poor diet, eating junk food and constant detoxing and retoxing as well as the brainwashing from the church and the overly politically correct mental health arena following that  that gives more credence to gayness over straightness.  Consequently many service users who thought they were straight got confused about their sexuality and ended up experimenting and/or going to gay support groups.  It's ironic that they are now with boyfriends but I'm really happy for them.  It's like someone and that was happening a lot  in counselling  had tried to convince them they were gay because their boy-girl relationships weren't working out rather than spend some time alone and try to work out a new way of relating in heterosexual relationships.    I really think this is sick what has  happened to them and  one counsellor did try to put one over me.  There are an awful lot of women getting  into  Lesbian relationships because they can't  get a man or work it out with one and not because they love women and the real Lesbians are getting sick of  women like this.   

Also women used to police each other more often for various reasons; genuine concern, forcing society's morals on their friends or acting in that way in order to steal their man.  It used to be very  much a man's world and women were perpetuating this.  It got to the point where if you were in the early stages of a relationship you explained away what you were up to by saying that you were going out to see a friend without mentioning the gender of that person.  If it was known that you were seeing a particular man on a regular basis you would say that you were just 'good friends' and that it was like a brother and sister relationship until you were sure it would last at least some time.  Other women would go through a fake engagement in order to give the impression that the relationship was for keeps when in fact they weren't ready to settle down.  One good thing about the ladette culture where women go out together getting drunk with the intention of having one night stands with strangers and with no obligation involved is that they are no longer policing each other so much well at least among younger women.

All this  has lowered my sexual responses so that I would only feel them for a few hours depending on the time of month and season and rarely when I was with a man.  I was wondering what was happening to me.  I've been on a special diet for months and even through Christmas which is wrecking my social life a bit but I need to detox properly from this overgrown yeast so I have to arrange socialising around mealtimes and to divorce the connection between meeting people and eating together.  Not easy.  Consequently I've got sexual feelings stronger than ever and a huge crush on a man I meet regularly but I'm not sure about his feelings for me.  It might have been that Tantra course I took a year ago in another city that I haven't told anybody about.

(Message edited by Chirpy on 02/04/2008 11:10 AM)
snakechic
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RE:what is Asexual.............and what's normal?
(Date Posted:02/06/2008 4:43 PM)

Ooo...love those 'sexy dreams'

I think its largely a stereotype about who takes up with who...or how people hook up.............but anyway...I see what you mean about the xian being much like the druggie.. Intimacy is faked by a lot of people, including Xians who put their faith first...(you know always feeling like they have god or jesus with them on the back seat)  using their faith to fake whole relationships....  or the person who takes chemicals for whatever reason.

I've never used or heard of the term 'asexual' but at times my sex drive as been pretty much dumbed down. Depression, anxiety will also tend to squash the libido. Or Freaking out about lifes pressures.............Drinking heaps is pretty much guaranteed that your organisms will disappear. (for all genders) so the "drunk slut" sterotype doesn't figure ?................. also I wouldn't   call a male who couldn't get it up...as being 'asexual'. I think its a crap term. Why not just be comfortable to say..."I don't like sex"..or "I don't have any feelings about it" etc...etc..but I really don't care what terms  a person uses to describe themselves. I basically think the term 'asexual' is a cop out. (don't care )


Oh yeah...I very definitely get more horny at certain times of the month...(hormones)..and I remember when I was pregnant I was absolutely wild for it all the time (when I wasn't throwing up that is). I also vaguely remember having a weird thing about sex when I was very young ( just out of the weird xian homelife) that I (being a female) didn't come into the equation when it came to enjoying sex...(thankxrishna that I didn't have much sex with xians) - only that one time with the Baptist YOuth Leader who got me to suck his dick when I was 10 or so years old    .(bastard was 21 & newly married)...He said I need some 'spiritual guidance'.....Haha..!
After I left home...I soon found out about the joy of having my pussy kissed  - the world opened up! Hehee..

"huge crush on a man"...oh I love that feeling...I haven't had one of those for ages - (don't tell my hub)...yeah marriage can get a wee stale at times (for sex that is)..but I'm eating more at home these days (winkwink)
That 'Tantra course" sounds interesting...

I love the idea of learning about sex more.........most people think its all about 'instinct' - crap! There are heaps of people who could use a few tips.
However...there is one thing I've learned....that every sexual partner is different so its about learning about them....? I dunno...
I've had a few guys who think they are 'god's gift' - studs and turned out to be ratshit lovers. I don't think the 'more you have the better you get' always applies to sex. Some  people are just 'stupid' or ignorant of anyone but themselves.  That's a huge turn off for me anyway...the hypocrite always shits me. The guy who wants to make the rules ... The internet is a laugh too.



--------------------------------------------------------------
In exchange for obedience, Christianity promises salvation in an afterlife; but in order to elicit obedience through this promise, Christianity must convince people that they need salvation, that there is something to be saved from. Christianity has nothing to offer a happy person living in a natural, intelligible universe. If Christianity is to gain a motivational foothold, it must declare war on earthly pleasure and happiness, and this, historically, has been its precise course of action. In the eyes of Christianity, woman(man) is sinful and helpless in the face of God, and is potential fuel for the flames of hell. Just as Christianity must destroy reason before it can introduce faith, so it must destroy happiness before it can introduce salvation.

-- George H Smith, Atheism: The Case Against God

Chirpy
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RE:what is Asexual.............and what's normal?
(Date Posted:02/09/2008 11:10 AM)


Wow, there's quite a lot of stuff in there but I'll reply more fully when I have the time as I get limited time on the computer these days.
Cyranothe2nd
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RE:what is Asexual.............and what's normal?
(Date Posted:02/17/2008 3:25 PM)

  Psychology can only comment on what is "normal". Asexual or anti-sexual behaviour is atypical or abnormal.
  I think most asexual behaviour has to do with one of three things (or a combination of them): homonal changes that make it difficult or impossible to become aroused, psychological issues that leave a person with a distaste or downright fear of sex, and society pressures that subverts "natural" sexuality.
  For instance, the insistance of certain religious sects that their adherants become non-sexual and their obsession with sexual purity creates a lot of societal pressure that then promotes a fear or guilt response when one is faced with sexuality. Is it any wonder that some people chose (subconciously) to avoid sexuality altogether and become asexual?

  I think that psychological or medical council can help those who are committed to changing into more sexual beings. But if the asexual person isn't bothered by their "abnormality" and if it doesn't adversely affect their live then its not necessarily the best thing to try to change it.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------
"After all this time?" Dumbledore asked sadly.
"Always," said Snape.

***Trust the Prince***

Chirpy
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RE:what is Asexual.............and what's normal?
(Date Posted:02/18/2008 6:42 AM)

Sorry to hear what you had gone through, Snakechic, with your childhood experiences of sexual molestation.  It seems to be very young to have had trauma such as this forced on you and it only goes to show that sexual abuse is rife throughout  all church denominations and isn't confined to Catholic priests and laymen abusing choirboys and altar boys.  The problem with religion is that it knocks down our boundaries so that we are open to such abuse but having said that any girl or woman no matter what her personality is or how she dresses is vulnerable to it.  At least all that church sexual abuse is coming out in the open and people are discussing it in all walks of life and being believed when it happens to them  with the knock on effect that church attendance is falling as people see it as no longer a bastion of safety from permissive society.  Underneath all that is the physical, mental and emotional abuse that is going on as well even for those who do escape the sexual abuse.

In reply to Cyranothe2nd psychiatric medication in particular the SSRI anti-depressants have the effect of making one asexual as sexual feelings can just disappear when taking them.  I remember taking Cipranil years ago and at the same time undergoing counselling with someone who tried to convince me that I was gay as I didn't feel attracted to men much as was complaining about sexual harassment.  In fact I wasn't sexually attracted to anyone at all and discussing sexual orientation is irrelevant when meds can affect you in this way rendering you asexual.

As for this man that I was mentionned in the previous post I haven't seen him for over a week now as I decided to cool it a bit as I guess he was recognising that I was getting a tad obsessed with him.  Hopefully I'll see him today and maybe be a bit more open with him.  It's a kind of make or break situation and a lot better than mooning after him for months on end with no resolution be it getting together to start dating or finding out that there is no chance of a relationship.



(Message edited by Chirpy on 02/18/2008 6:43 AM)
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RE:what is Asexual.............and what's normal?
(Date Posted:02/20/2008 6:53 AM)

whatever it is I'm agin it

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One theme that is Taboo for American publishers, noted by Vladimir Nabokov:........"the total atheist who lives a happy and useful life, and dies in his sleep at the age of 106."

snakechic
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RE:what is Asexual.............and what's normal?
(Date Posted:02/20/2008 6:42 PM)

Reply to Cyranothe2nd (01/29/2008 9:17 PM).
  Psychology can only comment on what is "normal". Asexual or anti-sexual behaviour is atypical or abnormal.
  I think most asexual behaviour has to do with one of three things (or a combination of them): homonal changes that make it difficult or impossible to become aroused, psychological issues that leave a person with a distaste or downright fear of sex, and society pressures that subverts "natural" sexuality.
  For instance, the insistance of certain religious sects that their adherants become non-sexual and their obsession with sexual purity creates a lot of societal pressure that then promotes a fear or guilt response when one is faced with sexuality. Is it any wonder that some people chose (subconciously) to avoid sexuality altogether and become asexual?

  I think that psychological or medical council can help those who are committed to changing into more sexual beings. But if the asexual person isn't bothered by their "abnormality" and if it doesn't adversely affect their live then its not necessarily the best thing to try to change it.

 



that doesn't make sense to me...psychology doesn't have a handle on 'normality' and more than the effing "church" does. Nor have I  heard psychology referred to in  that way..that '  it only deals with normality'. ???  The whole thing is based on discovery on why people do what they do. A bunch of theories.

I don't think loss of sex drive can be termed 'abnormal' - many people experience it   or suffer from some kind of fluctuation during there life - for a huge variety of reasons.
Its impossible to define.

I also think the opposite can happen ...that people simply hide their sexuality from the controls of the church and are very sexual. ie. church goers/xians have a 'healthy' interest in porn online and enjoy    masturbation.
Or use church as a meeting place to make contact with potential sexual partners ...ie. right from the pedophile to the local high school kid looking for a girlfriend.
Church is far from a place without sex.
I'd even say the 'church' is obsessed with it...............controlling it, talking about it, inventing dogma's about it..............the bible is pretty darn filthy..hehehe..
From what I can gather from it..there was probably a huge problem with bestiality in those days!

but yeah...Its no wonder some people become obsessed with 'purity' or perfection and have trouble  with sexuality. It tends also to be passed down  from one generation to another...through mothering/parenting techniques and overt or covert messages that are sent to the children of parents who have been fucked up by religious interferences.

I also think its cultural. - how accepting of different sexual practises etc individuals are.

One of the things that pisses me off...is the obsessive qualities of the interest in Male sexuality... Impotence remediesall over the place   and research dollars  and FUCK all interest in coming up with 'cures' or assistance to women who used to be called 'frigid' for not being able to have an orgasm or problems associated with various life stages ie. from menopause to  child birth  issues  (whatever) 
To me that's plain discrimination on the grounds of gender. ..okay...maybe a little harsh ...but it sure promotes the message to the community that women's sexual function is not as important as male function. 


quotes Chirpy
.  " At least all that church sexual abuse is coming out in the open and people are discussing it in all walks of life and being believed when it happens to them  with the knock on effect that church attendance is falling as people see it as no longer a bastion of safety from permissive society"

yep...I think this relates to your other post about the 'baby bathwater"....
The idea that people develop  the guts and take their  right to speak up against the social rules that are imposed on them by the group mechanisms and/or controls.

There is a strongly held belief that the church is a safe haven and somehow magically without the usual influences of the outside community. I think that's a myth.............perpetuated by the current  'loyalists' in  any given era  - the people who don't want to see themselves as flawed or part of the world etc. etc...
I don't think   the church as ever been a 'Bastian' of safety from anything  ....I think that's the sales pitch the christians spread around. In fact I'd say the 'church' is and has been responsible for its fair share of corruption, behind the scenes maybe to those who choose not to look, the 'church' also actively promotes a veiw that it is infallible, makes its own rules that are often illigal  or  downright criminal.
ie....marriage of minors, incest, bigamy 
so who is safe from who?

Ithink the worse of it in terms of 'churches'...is the idea that kids who have been abused within the church environment are often counselling by other xians who decide that its reasonable for that kid to remain within its confines - ie. keep going to church and believing in the system.
That is totally fucked up....puts the kid in worse shape than before for the sake of the church members need to not face the 'reality' of their situation?
  to promote the mythical idea that there is such a thing as a 'safe church' is criminal negligence imo.


Do you know how many 'pastors' get extra marital sex inside their so called counselling sessions from vulerable men & women who come to them for 'spiritual' guidence without getting caught much of the time?
They are on a good scam there....little of no supervision from the outside.
Its a ticket to screw up.

anyway...I tend to get on my high horse about this kind of topic...
best I stop..

'As for this man that I was mentionned in the previous post I haven't seen him for over a week now as I decided to cool it a bit as I guess he was recognising that I was getting a tad obsessed with him.  Hopefully I'll see him today and maybe be a bit more open with him.  It's a kind of make or break situation and a lot better than mooning after him for months on end with no resolution be it getting together to start dating or finding out that there is no chance of a relationship"

Good luck with that..I hope you get to say what you need to say and get it sorted.

I think its great that women are able to ask for what the want in relationships..sexual or otherwise.



p.s.


"Sorry to hear what you had gone through, Snakechic, with your childhood experiences of sexual molestation.  It seems to be very young to have had trauma such as this forced on you and it only goes to show that sexual abuse is rife throughout  all church denominations "

Thanks Chirpy....but in that situation I think I was probably the more 'mature' of the two. He was a total twat...the experience was the final "icing on the cake" for me I think....I had very little regard for christianity, church authority as it was...  ..its bible - in fact I refused to do the bible lessons thing. 
but...yeah..it not a good lesson for anyone & I knew at the time  there was no point sharingthe info around - in other words   I knew exactly who would end up being 'punished'.


(Message edited by snakechic on 02/20/2008 6:56 PM)

--------------------------------------------------------------
In exchange for obedience, Christianity promises salvation in an afterlife; but in order to elicit obedience through this promise, Christianity must convince people that they need salvation, that there is something to be saved from. Christianity has nothing to offer a happy person living in a natural, intelligible universe. If Christianity is to gain a motivational foothold, it must declare war on earthly pleasure and happiness, and this, historically, has been its precise course of action. In the eyes of Christianity, woman(man) is sinful and helpless in the face of God, and is potential fuel for the flames of hell. Just as Christianity must destroy reason before it can introduce faith, so it must destroy happiness before it can introduce salvation.

-- George H Smith, Atheism: The Case Against God

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RE:what is Asexual.............and what's normal?
(Date Posted:02/21/2008 4:37 PM)

Well, I saw Anthony today for the first time in two weeks in the library though I won't have much of an excuse to go there now I'm back on-line at home (computer got a new hard drive on Saturday so I was in a position to request the broadband service get put back on) and passed him a jokey mini book on boyfriends.  He started to read it and said that I would be in trouble because his girlfriend might see it.  He was joking about telling her about it otherwise she'd find out anyway as he talks in his sleep.  Well at least he knows and I was hoping the girlfriend thing wasn't so serious as they've been together for a few months.  Tis  far better to get it out in the open and get rejected than to keep hoping for months on end.  However it's a great feeling being back on-line at home though I have to guard against being addicted to it and spending hours every day but then again it beats rushing around trying to find a library or cyber cafe to use the internet for on average one hour a day.  Much nicer to be at home in the warm and away from busy traffic and crowds.

Something I find quite ironic is that I get more sexual attention from fundy men (they usually attend pentecostal churches and independent evangelical churches) since I've walked away then when I was attending church and keeping an eye out for a christian boyfriend even though I was much younger then.  There could be several reasons for this; fundy men preferring to play away rather than on home territory, being more at ease with myself now I now longer go to church and the fact that conservative churches are attracting more problem people who are therefore more sexuall predatory.  There have been quite a few in the last ten years I've had to fight off or go out of my way to avoid.

 

Chirpy
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From:
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RE:what is Asexual.............and what's normal?
(Date Posted:02/21/2008 6:14 PM)

  The above was posted by Chirpy.  I wish they could change the system so that you cannot post until logging in as I often post forgetting that I haven't logged in.