Abstract:
The Judaeo-Christian ethic arose within cultures that needed to produce large families in order to survive. The Judaeans originally adopted the sexually promiscuous culture of the Canaanites, but eventually developed their own ethic under the influence of the middle east cultures around them. Through the direction of Paul, Christians took the Judaean ethic and transmitted it throughout the Roman empire. The negative attitude toward sex was a reaction to the crude sensuality and brutality of the dominant cultures. A proper positive code of justifiable appropriate sexual conduct will depend on a thorough examination and selection of the best human practices.