Conservatives and liberals integrate spirituality into their sex lives in different ways. Self-described conservatives, compared with their liberal counterparts, tend to believe in soulmates (69% to 44%), pray before or after sex (42% to 34%), and believe that sex is a gift from God (56% to 42%). Liberals are more secular about sex–49% define sex as “a physical act of pleasure”– but are more likely to use spirituality-tinged sexual practices: 44% have tried tantra, the Kama Sutra, couples yoga or prayers for intimacy, compared with just 24% of conservatives. These practices have evolved from religious thinkers who believed intense sexual pleasure is a powerful way for people to connect to their divine nature, not only to each other. Counselors and sex therapists think clients are helped by understanding sex in spiritual terms. Next June, the 2,000-member American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists is hosting a conference on “The Soul of Sexuality: Exploring the Depth and Dimensions of Pleasure.” The overriding message: for many, sexuality is emerging from the realm of guilt and sin and becoming instead a divine blessing and a way to reach new, transcendent heights.
