Overview

Whose job is it to teach the public about sex? Parents? The churches? The schools? And what should they be taught? These questions have sparked some of the most heated political debates in recent American history, most recently the battle between proponents of comprehensive sex education and those in favor of an

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9780190842178

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Teaching Moral Sex provides a fascinating excavation of the role of liberal religious actors in the creation of sex education US. Through a detailed historical account, Slominski uncovers the mutual work of medical experts, scientists, educators, and liberal religious leaders who sought to promote sexual awareness within a specific moral framework. The result is a critique of a dominant narrative that erroneously equates public sex education with secularism while highlighting the role of liberal religious leaders - for better and worse - in shaping public health and public education. Thoroughly researched, this book is a significant addition to the growing scholarship on religion and sexuality in the United States. * Amy DeRogatis, Michigan State University * Teaching Moral Sex is the definitive history of American sex education. Slominski shows that this history is a religious one, set in motion by liberal Protestants who sought to ensure that medical information about health included a moral education. Contemporary observers may think religious talk about sex is invariably a prescription for abstinence. Slominski debunks this caricature, showing that curricula about proper sexual behavior always included reminders of proper ethical action. * Kathryn Lofton, Yale University * Should sex education teach morality? As Kristy Slominski reminds us, that's the wrong question. The right one - across American history - has always been which morals to teach, and why. Our answers inevitably came from religion, the wellspring of sexual morality for liberals and conservatives alike. Most Americans didn't separate their ideas about sex from their understanding of God. Nor will historians, after reading this rich and rewarding book. * Jonathan Zimmerman, University of Pennsylvania *

Author Information

Kristy L. Slominski is Assistant Professor of Religion, Science, and Health at the University of Arizona. She received her Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, specializing in North American Religions with a Feminist Studies emphasis. Her research focuses on the interaction of religion, sexuality, and health sciences in U.S. history. Before joining the faculty at the University of Arizona, she taught at the University of Mississippi and served on the Board of Directors for the American Academy of Religion.

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