In our stake, there was some kind of stir, some talk going around. I was young and naïve, but learned it had to do with whether oral sex was OK among married couples. Apparently the question was raised in prior weeks/months, and bishops and the Stake Pres were attempting to give counsel. The Regional rep of the 12 got wind of this, and guess what? They immediately scheduled Mark E. Peterson to address our Stake at the next Stake conference!
It was Sunday, May 25th, 1975. They quietly scheduled a meeting for all ADULTS, to be held 3 hours prior to regular Stake conference. I showed up early, and it was amazing, the parking lot was totally full at 6:30am, with cars parked clear down the street. The chapel was packed to overflowing.
During this "meeting", actually a dictator-style lecture by Elder Peterson, it was said very sternly that oral sex is an abomination, and had no place in marital relations. wow, you could have heard a pin drop. Peterson wielded a mighty, authoritative presence. And he was a bit cranky. He seemed displeased that this was even an isssue!
He also spoke during our regular conference meeting. A long, boring tirade. He somewhat carried this "purity in marriage" theme over. I clearly remember him saying "you know, I've been married to my wife for 44 years, and never once have seen her body uncovered". Again there was silence. What a joke; implicit in his remarks was the idea that sex is ONLY for procreation, and the visual enjoyment of bodies is dirty, not beautiful.
The above is of questionable validity.
God made sex, but not for entertainment. It was provided for a divinely appointed act of creation in which we, to this extent, become co-creators with him. – Mark E. Peterson, April 1969 General Conference
This (above) is in a conference report.
One more for good measure:
“There is some belief, too much I fear, that sex desire is planted in us solely for the pleasures of full gratification; that the begetting of children is only an unfortunate incident. The direct opposite is the fact. Sex desire was planted in us in order to be sure that bodies would be begotten to house the spirits; the pleasures of gratification of the desire is an incident, not the primary purpose of the desire.... As to sex in marriage, the necessary treatise on that for Latter-day Saints can be written in two sentences: Remember the prime purpose of sex desire is to beget children. Sex gratification must be had at that hazard.”
- J. Reuben Clark, Conference Report, October 1949, pp. 194-195
I'll keep going:
~Spencer W. Kimball "The union of the sexes, husband and wife (and only husband and wife), was for the principal purpose of bringing children into the world. Sexual experiences were never intended by the Lord to be a mere plaything or merely to satisfy passions and lusts."
.
.
.
.
"There are some people who have said that behind the bedroom doors anything goes. That is not true and the Lord would not condone it."
This one is great:
"There are some who will tell you that when you marry you get the green light on intimate behavior with your spouse, but such teaching is another of Satan’s lies. Of course, after you marry, the Lord commands you to consummate your intimate, personal relationship and to cleave unto each other. That physical relationship is sacred and holy. It is part of becoming one, wholly and fully united in heart and soul. It is part of building your eternal family. It is pleasing before the Lord; but—and this is a very important qualifier—it must be established in love and kindness, in patience and unselfishness.
Your intimate relationship is just that—a relationship. It is something you create together. Both husband and wife should experience it as joyous and fulfilling. It must be established, therefore, without exploitation, without abuse of any kind, and without self-indulgence. Satan would have you give way to the natural man in your marriage—the man of passion, of carnal desire, of gratification of every impulse and appetite. But remember, the natural man is an enemy to God. You simply cannot give way to the natural man and ever hope to have a union that is holy, a love that is eternal and pure, or a marriage that is blessed and sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise. Thus, restraint, control, and bridling your passions are just as important after marriage as before."
President Kim B. Clark and Sue L. Clark
Brigham Young University–Idaho Devotional
January 9, 2007
It is better to be a warrior in a garden, than a gardener at war.
Some of us, on the other hand, actually prefer a religion that includes some type of correlation with reality.
~Bill Hamblin
