"You're closest to God when you are having sex, because it's then that you are a co-creator with God." For many of the people who have passed through the halls of the School of Theology at Virginia Union will recognize this statement or something similar from one of our illustrious professors. When he first said it, I thought it was one of the most profound statements I'd ever heard. With God being the ultimate Creator, esp as illustrated in Genesis 1, we can see the Image of God as being a creative being, bringing forth life as God did. And when you think about it, it should be God, not Trey Songz singing "you gon' think I invented sex."
Yet, when I think about this particular statement, I think it's too narrow in its focus. In what it says, it also implies a lot more. It seems to imply that the best way to be close to God is wrapped in act that not everyone can participate in or that doesn't always result in the "desired" result. Sex, as beautiful as it can be, and child-bearing, as awesome as it can be, are not the ultimate determiner of anything. If that were the case, then virgins, people in same-sex relationships, barren women, and infertile men cannot be close to God within this paradigm.
It is true that God is the ultimate Creator, and part of what makes us share God's image is that we can create life. But animals can have sex and create life too. If we agree with the theology that people are made in God's image from Genesis 1, then we have to examine what that means. I believe that the Image of God includes being able to create life in the traditional sense of having children, but it also relates to creating life in the sense of making life better. Most people really just exist, but we have the ability to help people really live by sharing love, affirmation, positivity, help, and encouragement. We also create life when we form and sustain healthy relationships, because nothing gives more life than love.
No comments:
Post a Comment