Sex & Chocolate

Valentine's Day is the annual celebration of America's love affair with chocolate. Sure, we'll talk about romance and exchange lovey-dovey greeting cards, but the names that bring smiles to our faces are Hershey, Cadbury and Godiva. Diamonds may be Forever, but Chocolates are Forevermore!

Americans consume more than 3.5 billion pounds of chocolate annually. That's about 12 pounds for every man, woman and child in the country, but I'm fairly sure I eat that much in only a month! Sales increase here every year, and in many European nations, people enjoy chocolate even more than in the USA.

Here's what's ironic: chocolate has changed very little over the years. Yes, there are dark, milk and white varieties. And because this is America, there's something called "premium" chocolates which are more expensive. But it's all pretty much the same- smooth, rich, sweet, velvety, grand! Centuries have come and gone, but basic chocolate continues to satisfy.

Which brings us to that other delicacy we associate with Valentine's Day: sex. In 2010, Americans have achieved a degree of sexual freedom that rivals the excesses of 1st Century Rome. Today the potent forces of Hollywood, contraceptives and American affluence have created the Perfect Storm. Sexually speaking, anything goes, and the term "anything" is redefined every year.

Here's my question: now that Americans are so sexually free, why are many so sexually unfulfilled? You'll notice that while basic chocolates continue to delight everyone, basic sex is not nearly enough for the stars and celebrities of our decadent culture. First they passed from one marriage to another without much success. Then they decided to leap from partner to partner without the benefit of marriage or divorce. Then they spiked their "fun" with all kinds of booze, and drugs, and oddities. Today there are expensive restaurants in New York City where salad bars and sushi bars are arrayed atop naked women lying on display.

Modesty demands that I choose my words carefully here. But you don't have to be a TV addict to realize how far things have devolved today. The popular culture freely encourages bi-sexuality, threesomes, orgies, random hook-ups with strangers in elevators, the Mile High Club, etc, etc. Before long, even the most depraved kinkiness grows stale, and still more bizarre extremes are required.

In stark contrast to all that wretched excess, there is the New Testament principle of moral purity. As followers of Jesus Christ, we believe that sex is a sacred bond between one man and one woman, forever. We believe that celibacy is the most desirable condition for single men and women, smart people who reserve themselves for marriage. The Bible teaches that the human body is a temple- not a playroom. Sex is not only a good thing: it's so good, that it's worth waiting for.

And not surprisingly, most research documents that married people enjoy more frequent sex, and more satisfying sex, than single people. Sex is like chocolate: the traditional variety is still the best. Happy Valentine's Day!