Religion and Sex

Religion seems to be obsessed with two things: God and sex.  God is the very basis of religion and that is what its teachings should deal with.  Instead, religion seems to control the lives of its followers and is especially involved in sex.  Catholic priests cannot be married and have sex; sex must only be had in a married couple; sex should only be used to reproduce; contraceptives are against God's will; sex between people of the same gender is sin.  Religion seems to have made sex a taboo topic and shamed the participants.  This sex-shaming society--a majority of the prejudice against females--has created more evil than good.  Girls that choose to have sex at a young age are considered whores and are given less of a social worth than others.  Hester Prynne has sex outside of marriage and faces punishment greater than could be imagined.  When she tries to attend church to pray and forgive her sin, she becomes "the text of the discourse," (Hawthorne 82).  Her self--and societal--worth has dropped because religion is obsessed with sex.  This problem is mostly suffered by women, a double standard that is unacceptable; people should have the freedom to make choices that have no negative effects on others without judgement.  Woman face being a prude or being a slut: two demeaning names for free sexual choice.  Religion should stay out of the personal lives of its followers and those that happen to fall under the umbrella of its power.  Separation of church and state already exists, so there might as well be a separation of church and bedroom.