Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

Sheep by the WWI trenches at the Newfoundland memorial, France October 2018/ Geoff W. Sutton The characteristics of the Good Shepherd are known to readers of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian New Testament. Good Shepherds are men of honor—men who protect their flocks. Christians continue to tell their children the story of the shepherd boy David who became King of Israel and an ancestor of Jesus, that Noble Shepherd found in the gospel story (John Chapter 10 ). Two months ago, at 11:00 am on 11 November, 2018 I stood at the Cenotaph, a memorial in London honoring those who sacrificed their lives in the Great War, one hundred years ago. It is an annual event here and among the allies who fought together in 1914-1918 and again in World War II. Cenotaph Memorial, London, 2018/ Geoff W Sutton In times of war, governments call men and women into service. They are sent to carry out a task. We remember those who fought the good fight. Those that died while serving are esp...

How Sex and Death Anxiety Link to Christianity How would you feel if you learned a friend or close relative decided to have sex to help with expenses? Earlier today, a headline news story reported on the low rates Greek women get for sex-- some just get enough to buy a meal.  Christians often show an interest in rescuing people from sex trafficking. But not all sex workers are trafficked. And not all sex work is illegal. But sex work has a long history of condemnation and in many places sex workers are at high risk of harm. Sex work is just one example of the sex-linked issues confronting Christians who want to show compassion but may be put off by some aspects of the lives of the people they wish to help. For many Christians, sex evokes disgust. The leaders of a group I attend on Sundays decided to study Richard Beck ’s book, Unclean . Beck takes readers on a journey through the psychology of disgust and shows how we emotionally respond to disgusting experie...

GAY MARRIAGE WHY ARE MOST CHRISTIANS SO OPPOSED? Why? The why question is complex because Christians give different answers. I’ll not wax too philosophical here. But I think it important to keep in mind that Christians have different beliefs about a lot of things. Here’s a few common answers to the why question. Bible Answers 1. Genesis marriage answer . Most Christians refer to the creation narratives in the Hebrew Bible. Genesis describes God’s creation of the first couple—Adam and Eve—a male and a female. And Christians point out the blessing on sex to fill the earth—some think the purpose of sex is to have children. And they point out the importance of a male and female to reproduction. ( Example: Catholic teaching on marriage .) Christians also point out there are no scriptures affirming same-sex relationships or marriages. 2. S inful sex answer . Same-sex activity is explicitly banned in the Bible. Most don’t think about same-sex couples li...

Sexual Response & Self-Control Sexual responsiveness is my third of three posts looking at the psychology of sex with a view toward understanding variations in sexuality and what research findings might mean for religious leaders who offer guidance to people about right sexual conduct.   In addition to research about sexual responsiveness, I look at self-control, offer some thoughts, and suggest questions for those concerned with moral implications. How do psychological scientists study sexual responding? Some sex researchers present videos of sexual activity to volunteers in laboratory settings. They obtain physiological measures of sexual responding along with subjective reports of the experience. Information about sexual interest and visual responding can be obtained from eye-tracking technology and the time spent viewing a stimulus. Brain imaging can be used to identify which areas of the brain respond to sexual stimuli. Researchers measur...