Exploring sexual feelings through Roman Catholic images: The lust judgment of Gentile religion

Silvia Francesca Mary Stein

Religious discourse and imagery may proscribe transformative power centers away from Church proscriptions against sex. By clearly demonstrating that religious images can be found erotic (May, 1982, Tyrrell, 1989) this study is a preliminary examination towards an ethic based on the Diasporic voices of Roman Catholic women in eastern Washington about sexual feelings. Diasporic groups are the same stereotypes not imaged on the artist's traditional rendition of a white male crucifix. Both male and female religious have been documented reporting sexual feelings towards the crucifix during prayer (May, 1982, Tyrrell, 1989). With the current media frenzy on male priests and sex (Barry, 2002), as a group, male priests are difficult to recruit and study for sexual feelings. This study of Roman Catholic women in a weekly eastern Washington bible group substitutes for an explanation of the sexual feelings experienced by priests, as reported by May and Tyrrell (May, 1982, and Tyrrell, 1989), and functions as a preliminary study of parishioner worship of the priestly figure. This study has been informed by symbolic constructionism (Denzin, 1992, Blair and Michel, 1999), critical studies on the mechanisms of art as media reproducing systems of gender and racial oppression through eroticisation of the white male image (Martin, iv Krizek, Nakayama & Bradford, 1999, Kincheloe & McLaren, 2000), the crucifix as the symbol maintaining division between Muslims and Christians (Henneberger, 2001), and by the admitted feelings of sexual arousal among religious Roman Catholic men and women during worship of the crucifix (May, 1982, Tyrrell, 1989). The discussion then explores the manifestation of the erotic in a phallus shaped design in front of an eastern Washington Roman Catholic university. Lastly, to address the architect's design and artist's depiction of the crucifix as possibly defamatory regarding the popularly accepted historical memory of Jesus, Washington state criminal code 9.58.010 prohibiting defamation of the deceased historical figure in public memory is discussed as providing possible legal recourse for Roman Catholic priests and others who claim the historical memory of Jesus. A proposal to pursue damages resulting from defamation of the historical Jesus by artists and designers could provide financial security for religious communities, particularly priests, seeing them through current and future media and legal focus on Roman Catholic sex abuse cases (Goodstein and Stanley, 2002, Liptak, 2002).

Exploring sexual feelings through Roman Catholic images: The lust judgment of Gentile religion

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