Why no unmarried senior sexual guidance in bible scripture ?

David777

David777

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I web searched with "why no unmarried senior sexual guidance in bible scripture". Christian seniors in this era have little scriptural guidance and instead may be perplexed with what scripture does exists that is obviously for those of younger child bearing ages. Also, a typical response from religious authorities is likely to be useless as they safely opt to "getting married" and simply "avoiding all non marriage sexual immorality".

I've long believed the Bible is NOT inerrant and obviously written by men, though with some scripture indeed very likely inspired. Reflecting on this issue, it is rather odd that there is no scripture on the subject as though scribes during Old Testament eras carefully deleted any such sections due to either embarrassment or guilt. And likely again in the New Testament era during the Middle Ages when they (with guilty minds) also stopped allowing married priests.

In ancient times, not many people lived beyond 50 years of age except for elite wealthy and ruling classes. That makes the issue doubly odd since most of the Bible ignores life activities of ordinary people and instead only chronicles those of their ruling classes employers. One cannot expect ancients didn't consider that issue. And we certainly can't believe elder nobles of old were all celibates, so yes... DELETED

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AI Summary (Yahoo)

The Bible does not provide explicit guidance on senior sexual relationships, which may lead to the perception of a lack of direction in this area.

Cultural Context
Biblical texts primarily reflect the cultural norms and values of ancient societies, which often focused on procreation and family structures rather than individual sexual expression in later life.
Many teachings emphasize sexual morality, fidelity, and the sanctity of marriage, but they do not specifically address the sexual needs or relationships of seniors.

General Principles
The Bible promotes love, respect, and mutual consent in relationships, which can apply to all ages.
Passages that discuss love and companionship (e.g., Song of Solomon) can be interpreted as relevant to seniors, though they are not explicitly about senior sexuality.

Lack of Specificity
The absence of direct references may reflect the historical context where older adults were often viewed primarily as caregivers or family leaders rather than sexual beings.
Modern interpretations and discussions about sexuality in later life are often informed by contemporary understandings rather than scriptural texts.

Contemporary Perspectives
Many religious communities today engage in discussions about sexuality in later life, recognizing the importance of addressing these topics for seniors.
Resources and guidance may come from modern theological interpretations, pastoral care, and community support rather than scripture alone.
 
You're right, it seems the Bible is silent in terms of "unmarried [senior] sexual guidance," but Bible principles regarding sexual intimacy/ morality / immorality are not age reliant.

The Bible also has little to say about matters of sexual intimacy relative to age within existing relationships, except that in the first part of 1 Corinthians chapter 7, instructions are given to husbands and wives to meet each other's physical needs and not deprive each other of those needs, which would apply to people of all ages.

Also, Ecclesiastes 9:9 (NIV) says, "Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun," which indicates that love and marital intimacy need not end in old age.
 
I don't want to provide advice for other Christian seniors as I don't want to contribute to their possible sin nor my own for doing so. And as I've related on other religious threads, no spirits have ever been whispering into my ears though I do hope if higher powers exist they are guiding me a bit somehow.

In my choice of belief as a practicing mass attending Catholic that has quite radical ideas, I will offer some thoughts after briefly describing my perspective. As I've related in other threads, I dismiss the notion of OOO, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnipotent powers because I don't believe in actions without forces, magic, or the existence of other simultaneous invisible physical dimensions within what we experience. And what humans call god and angels I expect are a race of UIE, Ultimate Intelligent Entities, that are involved in life on planet Earth including possible direct influences on human evolution. More likely mostly AI than organic except possibly at their brain core.

Gen 1:26>27
Then God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth.” So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Mainstream Jewish religion treated that to mean we humans and God were body-wise physically the same. I've rejected that as primitive non-science nonsense. With a 13.6 billion year old universe if a race of UIE's evolved billions of years ago, they would not know how creatures on given planets would evolve even a few hundred thousand years into their future, much less billions of years. Logically, the future is not known because it hasn't yet happened.

Additionally the path of DNA life evolution is immensely complex such that creatures in other DNA worlds are certain to have structural differences. What that scripture may mean if actually given in a vision to Moses is that our minds and maybe our faces have similar structures since a UIE would be able to modify creatures with DNA like we write software.

From that and what I read in scripture, I don't expect UIEs ever wanted to provide detailed rules for our reproductive and mating practices but rather set some boundaries for the sake of morality via the simple text of the Ten Commandments and later with parts of Leviticus likely formulated with Moses. UIEs would have been extremely unhappy by some practices that arose after early civilizations first arose in Mesopotamia that contributed to conflict, murder, slavery, and warmongering. And little of that was intended to still be valid 2,000 years later during Jesus's era, much less 4,100 years later now in modern times. That was why Jesus gave the control to Peter as a living law to create what became the Christian church.

Accordingly, UIE's probably don't care about specific human mating practices as long as such doesn't lead to immorality, negative societal issues, conflict, and warring. Thus, sexual practices of child bearing age humans either married or single considered immoral/sinful, ought not beyond noted basic morality, bear on those beyond child bearing ages including older widows, widowers, those legally divorced, and those that are not married. The complexities of society and culture in different eras of civilizations require intelligent live guidance by the church.

Since that guidance has been absent, one is left to follow common sense. One ought not expect in this modern era that many seniors with natural bi-gender creature urges and passions given complex lifetimes in our complex science and technology societies, ought be forced into legally and societally awkward marriages to other seniors any time their feeling rise to levels of genuine love for others.
 
David777 said:
Since that guidance has been absent, one is left to follow common sense. One ought not expect in this modern era that many seniors with natural bi-gender creature urges and passions given complex lifetimes in our complex science and technology societies, ought be forced into legally and societally awkward marriages to other seniors any time their feeling rise to levels of genuine love for others.
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In your closing paragraph (above) from your post #5, if your use of the term bi-gender is the same as the Merriam Webster definition: "relating to, or being a person whose gender identity is a combination of more than one gender," it appears you are saying that when certain unions incorporate "genuine love for others" these unions may be reconciled or sanctioned by scripture with or without benefit of marriage, but your apparent means of arriving at your conclusion, and how to apply it, seems to primarily apply only to seniors, since they are beyond child bearing age - - -

- - - I'm referring to the paragraph where you wrote, "sexual practices of child bearing age humans either married or single considered immoral/sinful, ought not beyond noted basic morality, bear on those beyond child bearing ages including older widows, widowers, those legally divorced, and those that are not married."

If I've interpreted your conclusion correctly, it seems you are somewhat limiting this perspective to only a certain age group. If so, that seems conjectural, and without any specific scriptural support that I'm aware of, even though there may be biblical scholars who would dispute me on that.

I have my own feelings about the broader picture of this issue, but I'm choosing not to express them here, since it is God who will ultimately judge all such matters.

If I missed your point, I'm sorry, but I have a hard time following your train of thought because of the way it is expressed.
 
Bi-gender was an incorrect, awkward attempt at meaning heterosexual without using that term and not "a combination of more than one gender". And yes, am only addressing senior facets of relationships that Yahoo AI seemed to agree with. So the statement, was a terse summary statement relating scripture that tends to only address child bearing age adults ought not significantly bear on noted seniors.
 
Muskrat said:
Do we care what the scriptures say about our sexual habits now? Haven’t we sort of been doing the same ol stuff for years?
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Was why I narrowed the thread to "unmarried senior". Of note that bears a bit on your perspective, as you've related being in a few marriages and have been in a stable one happily for the last two dozen years.
 
I hate to say it @David777 but the reason there's no guidance is because you should know by now upon reading your bible that the same sexual laws apply as they did when you were younger. Just because you're older and single doesn't mean you can run out and jump everything in sight anymore than you could at age 20.
 
David777 said:
Bi-gender was an incorrect, awkward attempt at meaning heterosexual without using that term and not "a combination of more than one gender". And yes, am only addressing senior facets of relationships that Yahoo AI seemed to agree with. So the statement, was a terse summary statement relating scripture that tends to only address child bearing age adults ought not significantly bear on noted seniors.
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Thanks for clarifying. A lot of scripture for the young unmarried and married, scripture about divorce, scripture for widows / widowers, but I've not been able to find anything specifically for older single adults who have the same desires, but no scriptural direction on how to manage them outside of marriage. Such situations become a matter of conscience and reliance on biblical principles as a whole.
 
Fritz said:
I hate to say it @David777 but the reason there's no guidance is because you should know by now upon reading your bible that the same sexual laws apply as they did when you were younger. Just because you're older and single doesn't mean you can run out and jump everything in sight anymore than you could at age 20.
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As I noted, I'm sure some religious authorities would agree with your statement. However, I also provide reasonable reasons to question that perspective. As someone that believes the Bible is not inerrant with limited inspiration, I'll continue to analyze what I might read and accept carefully using common sense.

Reproductive subjects and controversies have certainly been at the center of what Christian churches have most ignored and hidden for 2 millennia. Even today, discussions about sexual practices at Catholic masses in my experience has always been absolutely absent, obviously because it is a difficult subject for many to address in public without feeling guilt and embarrassment.

Thus using human nature, one can easily apply the same to ancient scribes and their masters. In modern times, that has been obvious with the exposure of rampant child sexual abuse first by religious authorities, that has since widened in scope across many other human social realms. So NO, I don't think ancient scripture that was meant for humans during that age necessarily applies fully in this era and IMO it is a mistake to use scripture in that rigid way.
 
some would point out that although they consider the bible was "God inspired" it was essential written by man who was never perfect and so made mistakes along the way? Maybe if he had some help by women it would have made it more accurate?
 
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