Multiply and Replenish: Mormon Essays on Sex and Family

by Brent Corcoran (Editor)

Mormonism is well known for its embrace of family values and conservative sexual practices. Yet in the nineteenth century, sexual experimentation (i.e., polygamy) was the church's most distinguishing social feature. However, nonconformity eventually gave way to the allure of the American mainstream. This transition, as well as the contemporary dichotomies between prescribed practices and actual behavior, are the subjects of thirteen essays in this anthology.Contributors look at sexual issues for married partners, including eroticism, oral sex, and birth control; surveys of Mormon college students; adolescent issues of masturbation, kissing, and petting; gender issues -- homosexuality and genetic determinism; demographic information; the spiritual lives of single adults; polygamy and the concept of celestial marriage; and the changing content, over time, of church-issued statements about chastity.

Contributors include Lester L. Bush, Harold T Christensen, Eugene England, Lawrence Foster, Klaus J. Hansen, Tim B. Heaton, Jeffrey L. Keller, Romel W. Mackelprang, Rocky O'Donovan, Delmont R. Oswald, Erin Parsons, Levi S. Peterson, Marybeth Raynes, and Marvin Rytting. A sermon by Apostle Stephen L Richards on the dangers of modern trends, such as the abandonment of traditional, single-family dwellings for apartments, is included.

Contents:
Between heaven and earth: Mormon theology of the family in comparative perspective / Lawrence Foster
Changing perspectives on sexuality and marriage / Klaus J. Hansen
They shall be one flesh: sexuality and contemporary Mormonism / Ronald W. Mackelprang
Persistence of chastity: built-in resistance in Mormon culture to secular trends / Harold T. Christensen
Exhortations for chastity: a content analysis of church literature / Marvin Rytting
Fidelity, polygamy and celestial marriage / Eugene England
Abominable and detestable crime against nature: a brief history of homosexuality and Mormonism 1840-1980 / Rocky O'Donovan
Gender and spirit / Jeffrey E. Keller
Ethical issues in reproductive medicine: a Mormon perspective / Lester E. Bush
Single cursedness: an overview of LDS authorities' statements about unmarried people / Marybeth Raynes and Erin Parsons
Lone man in the garden / Delmont R. Oswald
In defense of Mormon erotica / Levi S. Peterson
Demography of Utah Mormons / Tim Heaton
Mormon ideas of home / Stephen L. Richards.

Genres: Religion

273 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1994

Reviews

[Stephen Cranney · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little dated, but still learned some things I didn't know. Would be interesting to see a 2013 version.