Sex and Heaven: Catholics in Bed and at Prayer

by John Portmann

What does it take to get into heaven? If you're Roman Catholic, Portmann argues, the red-hot issue is sex. Since the late 1980s, the Vatican has made great efforts to encourage Jews to celebrate their faith, yet continues to reject homosexual Catholics. Portmann, himself a Catholic, finds it striking that the Vatican says Jews can "get to heaven" by being Jewish but strongly implies that even monogamous gay and lesbian Catholics cannot. Portmann concludes...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312294883
• ISBN13: 9780312294885
• Release Date: March 2003
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.6" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

Entertaining

This is an interesting book. The author stresses in it the preference that lately the Catholic Church has given to sex and gender matters over other matters pertaining Faith and religion. The author claims that the Catholic Church has become conservative on some issues (sex and gender again) and liberal on social and economical issues. The book is interspersed with trivia-like passages which, for me, it is quite alright. This book appealed more to me because of the author's style (form) than because of its content. I will like to read other books by Mr. Portmann on other interesting subjects.

This Book Delivers.

=If we must classify Sex and Heaven by John Portmann one appropriate rubric might be "Queer Studies," but this volume surely is a very exceptionally queer study. This book is knowledgeable, perceptive - and, surprise - well-written (the author's Yale and Cambridge education shows).This book delivers. The first third is indeed about sex and Heaven, more in fact, sex in Heaven. Yes, we will be all there in Heaven. Some of us, as in life, tall, some short. And our differing personalities (but no envy) - sort of laundered. The laundering I fear might make for a most dull place. An endless ocean cruiseship with all one's fellow passengers lobotomized. The old spiritual notwithstanding, we won't all be white in the heavenly light. Will there be slavery there? Is an affirmative action program in place? Yes, Portmann actually asks these questions. All you wanted to know about Heaven and never dared to ask. Questions you never thought of asking. But very few answers. Portmann subjects the inscrutable, the idea of Heaven, to strict and penetrating scrutiny. The result is like a trailer park after a tornado.As for the all important question, who gets aboard and who is left standing on the dock (worse, goes to Hell), Portmann suggests the varsity team as an analogue (later the country club). Now who but a Yalie would think of that? There is a chapter on "The Sex We Don't Have"; that's important with respect to the question of who does and doesn't get in. From all this the author extracts one central generalization. Historically the church, primarily the Roman Catholic Church (he also examines Islam - plenty of sex in their Paradise - and Judaism), has become totally preoccupied with sex to the exclusion of all else - including theology, not to mention the Scriptures. These days, according to Catholic teaching, it seems, correct sexual preference is far more important than correct religious views or even good acts for getting into Heaven. Heresy - blasphemy even - are overlooked but gay love, never, never, never. Another third of the book, more than is necessary I feel, deals with the relationship between Roman Catholics and Jews (Protestants get relatively little attention). Once, closely following The Gospels, the Vatican condemned Jews as Christ-killers. But there has been a drift away from Scripture. From censoring the Oberammergau Passion Play - out of deference to Judaism - to ceasing to convert Jews, the Church has moved to letting non-Christians, but not non-heterosexuals, into Heaven. And so, the author concludes, a straight Jew has a much better chance of getting into Heaven than a gay Roman Catholic.In my own opinion, the Gospels are the foundation of Christianity. The Faith cannot exist without them. If the Roman Catholic Church, or any other church, drifts away from The Gospels it will cease to be a Christian church. Ridiculous? Unbelievable? Portmann writes (p. 115). "I have not considered whether...leaving Christ behind might benefit the Cath