In the Bible we can find many allusions to sexual relations, and also some rules about what is prohibited in them. Framing this in the way the Bible presents sexuality, some Christian traditions interpret that there are positions in the sexual act that are sinful, and should be prohibited.
Attention: This is an educational and respectful article about the approach to sexuality in the Bible, without going into explicit details, but showing the diversity of perspectives within Christianity.
Some more conservative interpretations may consider these positions to be a departure from moral and ethical standards related to sexuality, while other more flexible interpretations may focus on the importance of mutual consent, respect, and intimacy within marriage.
How is sex viewed in the Bible?
In the Bible, sexuality is seen as a sacred act between a man and a woman who love each other, and that can only occur if they are married. This links the sexual act to love and keeps it linked to its procreative potential. Only marriage, for the Bible, is the area where a new conceived life can be embraced.
The Book of Genesis tells us that God created man and woman in his image and likeness, and that he joined them together to become one flesh. It also talks about love and fidelity in marriage, and adultery and fornication are prohibited.
What does the Bible say about sexual positions?
Although the Bible does not explicitly mention prohibited sexual positions, there are some passages that have served this purpose.
For example, the book of Leviticus prohibits having sex during menstruation, and it is recommended to wait seven days after it ends to have intercourse. Considering this, not only would certain positions be prohibited, but all sexual practices would be prohibited until seven days had passed since the wife finished passing her period.
In Deuteronomy it is also prohibited to have sexual relations with animals, so positions for practicing intercourse that are reminiscent of those used by mammals (animals) would be interpreted as prohibited.
Additionally, there are passages that have been interpreted as implicitly prohibiting certain sexual positions. For example, in the book of Ezekiel, God tells the prophet to speak to the people of Israel about their sexual sins, including lust and promiscuity. Some exegetes interpret that within this ‘lust’ would be the practice of sexual positions that trivialize the sexual act and push it to be separated from love.
There is, therefore, no set of sexual positions that the Bible prohibits, but rather they depend on the interpretations that each denomination makes of the sacred text.
Christian Church, an open vision
This video is an example of how many Christian churches encourage practicing different positions when having sex with our husband or wife. It is a vision that clashes head-on with the most conservative ones, in which only the position of the missionary, with the man on top and the woman on the bottom, would be accepted by God.
The position of the Catholic Church on sexual relations
The Catholic Church has had a clear position on sexual relations throughout history. In general, it has been taught that sex is only legal within marriage and that it must be based on love and fidelity. Furthermore, it has been emphasized that the goal of sex should be procreation.
As for sexual positions, there is no manual. But the common priests condemn as sin all positions in which the man could ejaculate outside the vagina. When this occurs, the possibility of inseminating the woman is voluntarily prevented, and the sexual act is closed to the procreation of life, which is a mortal sin in Catholicism, that is, it is enough to condemn the person who commits it to eternal punishment and don’t regret it.
As a curiosity, we should add that this same argument is what makes ‘interrupted intercourse’ (coitus interruptus) prohibited in the Catholic Church, a sexual practice in which the man withdraws his penis from the vagina before ejaculating and ends up outside the vagina. your partner’s vagina. Normally, it is done to avoid unwanted pregnancies.
What positions are sin? If you are wondering if there are sexual positions prohibited in the Catholic Bible, we could conclude by saying that there are no differences in this sense between the Protestant and Catholic translations, and, therefore, there is no list of sexual positions permitted by the Catholic Bible.
The sexual positions permitted by the Catholic Church would be all those in which intercourse occurs, and are aimed at making the man ejaculate inside the woman, so that she can become pregnant. This must always occur, in the Catholic context, within marriage and never outside, which would constitute a mortal sin.
What do the most conservative Christian groups say about positions for having sex?
It is important to note that the vast majority of Christian denominations do not take a specific position on permitted or prohibited sexual positions. However, there are some radical groups within Christianity that have made lists of inappropriate or even sinful sexual positions.
For example, some conservative Christian groups have banned certain sexual positions, such as the “inverted missionary,” in which the woman is on top of the man, because they defend that the man is the one who should govern the woman according to the Bible. They also prohibit oral and anal sex, because normally the man ejaculates outside the vagina. These groups argue that certain sexual positions are contrary to God’s will and can lead to promiscuity and lust.
Christians can do sexual positions
In all Christian traditions there is unanimity in affirming that sex is a gift from God, but that it must be ordered to life, and not only to the search for pleasure, as is the case with masturbation or the consumption of porn, or sexual positions that only seek pleasure. What sexual positions are allowed in Christian marriage? All those that are carried out to promote fertilization.
10 Key Biblical Verses about Sex within Relationships
- “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.” – Hebrews 13:4 (NIV)
- “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” – Ephesians 5:25 (NIV)
- “But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.” – 1 Corinthians 7:2 (ESV)
- “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:3 (ESV)
- “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.” – Hebrews 13:4 (ESV)
- “The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband.” – 1 Corinthians 7:3 (ESV)
- “Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.” – 1 Corinthians 7:5 (ESV)
- “Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes.” – Proverbs 6:25 (ESV)
- “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine.” – Song of Solomon 1:2 (ESV)
- “Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well.” – Proverbs 5:15 (ESV)
I am Leonardo A. González, I firmly believe that everyone deserves to know the beauty and wisdom found in the Bible, and I am committed to spreading that message of love and hope through my writings.