Peter Steinfels

American culture has deluded itself about sexuality’s power, argues Peter Steinfels in the following viewpoint. Traditionally, practices such as marriage enabled society to safely contain and direct the sex drive in healthy ways. Currently, however, established sexual norms are challenged by a modern world that wishes to separate sexuality from reproduction and family life. In effect, the author maintains, sex has become associated with the simple pursuit of pleasure, and its significance as a powerful instinctual drive has been minimized or ignored. The result is a society that is greatly confused about sexuality and sexual ethics. Steinfels is the senior religion correspondent for the New York Times.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. Traditional codes of sexual ethics share what two major premises, in Steinfels&rsquo...