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It is axiomatic that one can gain true insight into how prevalent a deviant sexual practice is in a given culture as well as how threatening it is to that culture by the degree of severity of the laws which exist against it. Judging by the fact that the Hebrew law decreed death for zoophilia, forbidden intimacies with animals were commonplace indeed among the Israelites.14

Judaism and Women

The problem with the sheep-loving and lingam-worshipping desert tribes was their extreme hatred of women, who have been slandered with the accusation of being sinful, sexual creatures who corrupt otherwise sinless men. Biblical misogyny is reflected in the stories of Lot and of the Levite in Judges, for example, where men are so important that, in order to protect them from bisexual mobs, Lot and the Levite throw out their women: in the case of Lot, his virgin daughters; and in the case of the "good" Levite priest, his sex slave, or "concubine," although his host initially offered the mob his own virgin daughter. The Levite's concubine, of course, is gang-raped and left for dead. Her "compassionate" master finds her on the doorstep, yells at her to get up and, when he discovers she is dead, sheds no tear but immediately cuts her body into 12 pieces and sends the parts to the various tribes. Now, this story must be taken literally, according to bible literalists, so we must conclude that the Levite did indeed engage this appalling behavior, which would be considered a heinous crime in today's society but is perfectly okay for one of God's ancient priests!

Furthermore, while exalting the male genitalia, the OT repeatedly portrays women as having defiling menstrual cycles, during which they must be isolated. Prior to this misogyny, however, the menstrual blood was considered sacred because women were viewed as the creators of life; in fact, as noted, the wine and cup of the Holy Grail were originally Pagan symbols of the blood and womb of the woman. Of course, the degradation of the woman accompanied the vilification of the Goddess, and the biblical attack on the Goddess and female sexuality was tireless:

The religion of Astoreth, Asherah or Anath and Her Baal-and the accompanying female sexual autonomy-were the enemies. No method was considered too violent to bring about the desired goals. 15

With this violence came horrendous, oppressive laws against women, who basically became property. Raping virgins was the preferred biblical way to acquire such property, but if the rape victim was already married or betrothed, she was killed. The oppression of women, of course, had much to do with men wishing to be certain of paternity, which evidently was, as Stone says, the "reason that the Levite priests devised the concept of sexual `morality': premarital virginity for women, marital fidelity for women, in other words total control over the knowledge of paternity."lb

Things did not improve much for the status of women with the introduction of the "new superstition" of Christianity, which continued the assault on women and which refined sexual repression.

Christianity and Sex

Because of such fervent repression, Christianity is perceived as having nothing whatsoever to do with sex. In reality, rather than the picture of peaceful, celibate devotees commonly portrayed, early Christians themselves were viewed as sexual deviants and perverts. That this perception was a problem is verified not only in the writings of the Church fathers but in the canonical Letter of Jude, in which the author is concerned with the impression given by men who were "blemishes" on Christian "love feasts":

For admission has been secretly gained by some who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly persons who pervert the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. . . just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise acted immorally and indulged in unnatural lust, serve as an example by undergoing