Sex and the Soul

Many young people grow up with a very simple notion of religion and sex: they don't mix. Sex outside of marriage is wrong, and that's all there is to it. But young people are surrounded by pressure to have sex, and once they go away to college, that pressure can become unbearable. College is also a place where many students question the faith they inherited from their families. Is there a relationship between sexual exploration and spiritual exploration? Can romantic relationships and sexual promiscuity shift, split, or even shatter religious identity? Is the much-hyped "hook up culture" during college a reality-or do students just take it on "faith," without investigating whether activities behind closed doors support this perception? Donna Freitas sought answers to these and many other questions from students themselves across the United States. She conducted a survey of over 2500 students at a variety of American colleges and universities-Catholic, Christian, public, and private secular-as well as over 130 in-depth interviews. Her findings will surprise you. Yes, students are having sex and questioning their faith. But they're not happy about it. In fact, many are troubled by the hook-up culture on campus, but feel powerless to do anything about it. Behind closed doors, they're not talking about having sex, but about how they wish they could stop. They also, however, feel let down by their churches. They want a faith that is relevant to their sex lives, but one that offers solutions that account for their real experiences and difficult questions, not simply more prohibitions. Steering the conversation away from bromides and jeremiads, Freitas both tells the stories of college students and lets them speak for themselves, offering us a window into what's really happening on campus today. This book will be invaluable to high school and college students, parents, teachers, administrators, religious leaders, scholars, and anyone interested in what college students have to say about the state of college sexual morality, romance, and religion.