Challenges in education Church attitudes toward sex education
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The attitudes of eight major American Protestant churches toward sex education
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have become more positive in the last decade. Historically the main stance of the churches has
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been primarily negative and judge mental.
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This study has clearly revealed that the estimate of a decade ago
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has to be greatly revised. All eight denominations
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have provisions for sex education and one or more age
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level.
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In fact I would declare that a major breakthrough is taking place in
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an area where unfortunately taboos have
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reigned for generations.
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And I think on a much deeper involvement as promised the speaker is Dr. J H
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Phillips who study of sex education and church is quite revealing more of his
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findings and a moment.
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Challenges in education presented by Duke University.
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Here with today's feature is Charles Prasad Dr. J.H. Phillips
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a professor in the Department of Religion at Duke has found that eight of the largest protestant
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denominations with a membership of about 40 million. And the church school enrollment of about
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21 million are showing an impressive awakening to both their responsibilities and
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opportunities in sex education. A change from its negative approach of the past.
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I would say that when it has spoken and it often has equated
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sexual behavior with immoral behavior as it were.
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This of course would connote a very negative attitude toward Saks
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and any kind of sexual involvement. And this has resolved it down
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through the generations and unfortunate consequences it seems to me
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and has led most of our young people today to feel that this that the church really has
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nothing significant. A way to say
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about sex. Thus many young people simply have not been looking to the churches
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for answers to their own questions in this area.
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Dr. Phillips says there has been tremendous increase in instruction in the church.
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Sexuality is in all of the material that I
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reviewed described in its broad dimension.
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Nowhere in any material is it identified narrowly in what might be called
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instinctual or genital terms rather sexuality means
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the understanding of sex as an expression of the whole person
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through human relationships the consistent effort in all the material
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is toward an understanding and acceptance of sexuality
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as a positive means for human creativity and fulfillment.
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That's we've seen a radical change in the stance of the church
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from that of what has been described as an end to sexual to
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sex if any.
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Dr. Phillips found that the teaching materials had four common approaches. They try to
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establish the Christian principles rather than to issue Biblical rules as guides for sexual
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behavior. They try to promote communication and open discussion between teacher student
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and parent child and the belief that the confrontation of alternatives provides the
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best climate for the learning process. The traditional preventive negative approach
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is minimized. And finally the ultimate end of the learning process is personal
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confrontation and decision making.
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Within the Christian context commenting on the major motivations for sex education
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Dr Philip says the major motivation would be to lead young
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people to understand their own sexuality in positive
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terms as a force that is God given. That's
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natural to them that it is good to help
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them understand their own sexuality in relationship to other people and
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to the opposite sex and in particular and to develop
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their sexuality in ways that will be meaningful to
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themselves and to society. He's to me that this is a highly
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irresponsible approach to the whole question of sex.
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This is Charles Braswell with challenges of education from Duke University.
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This program was distributed by the national educational radio network.
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