Sexuality and Spirituality: Friends, Not Foes

When religious teaching and claimed revelation from God reign, a spiritual view of sexuality frequently devolves into sectarian sexual ethics, and predetermined rules pose as spirituality and effectively suffocate it. But if—apart from all theological considerations—the spiritual is an essential facet of human nature, the reconciliation of sexuality and spirituality simply expresses human wholeness. Building on the psychology of spirituality in the facilitator’s books, Sex and the Sacred and The Human Core of Spirituality, and relying on the findings of the medical and social sciences, this workshop will develop the theme that sexual, personal, and spiritual integration are facets of the one and the same process of human growth. The result will be a broadly inclusive view of sexuality and its relationship to spirituality.

Daniel has presented these ideas on the following occasions: Georgia Perimeter College, Gwinnett University Center, April 20, 2004. Wright Institute for Lifelong Learning, Chicago, IL, January 23, 2004. Dignity/Denver, June 7, 2003. American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists, National Convention, Miami, FL, May 3, 2002. Georgia Perimeter College, April 16, 2002. Metropolitan Atlanta Recovery Residences, Inc., August 8, 2001. Metropolitan Atlanta Recovery Residences, Inc., May 14, 2001. PrideFest America, 2000, St. Luke and the Epiphany Church, Philadelphia, PA, May 2, 2000. Oxford College of Emory University, Nov. 10, 1999. The GALA Distinguished Lecturer Series, Georgia Tech University, Atlanta, GA, October 12, 1998. American Psychological Association, 105th annual convention, Chicago, IL, August 18, 1997. University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA, February 25, 1997. University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA, October 15, 1996. The University of Dayton, July 19, 1988. Sixth World Congress on Sexology, Washington, D.C., May 25, 1983. District III Conference, American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists, San Antonio, TX, March 5, 1983.