By John Stonestreet and Kasey Leander
No Civilization Without Restraint : Wise Words From 1939
IT is not normal or healthy for a culture to talk about sex this much . From Pride month to education to companies telegraphing their commitments to inclusion and diversity , to just about every commercial , movie , or TV show produced today , sexual identity is treated as if it is central to human identity , human purpose , and human happiness . And this vision of life and the world is especially force-fed to children , who are essentially subjects of our social experimentations .
“ If the energy spent talking about sex is disproportionate , it ’ s important to know there were some who saw this coming . The best example is Oxford sociologist J . D . Unwin . In 1939 , Unwin published a landmark book summarizing his research . Sex and Culture was a look at 80 tribes and six historical civilizations over the course of five millennia , through the lens of a single question : Does a culture ’ s ideas of sexual liberation predict its success or collapse ?”
Unwin ’ s findings were overwhelming : “ Just as societies have advanced [ and ] then faded away into a state of general decrepitude , so in each of them has marriage first previously changed from a temporary affair based on mutual consent to a lifelong association of one man with one woman , and then turned back to a loose union or to polygamy .” 1
What ’ s more , Unwin concluded , “ The whole of human history does not contain a single instance of a group becoming civilized unless it has been absolutely monogamous , nor is there any example of a group retaining its culture after it has adopted less rigorous customs .” Unwin saw a pattern behind societies that unraveled . If three consecutive generations abandoned sexual restraint built around the protections of marriage and fidelity , they collapsed .
Simply put , sexuality is essential for survival . However , sexuality is such a powerful force , it must be controlled or else it can destroy a future rather than secure it . Wrongly ordered sexuality is devastating for both individuals and entire societies .
Unwin ’ s conclusions can be boiled down to a single issue . Are people living for the future , with the ability to delay gratification , or are they
24 THE RENEWANATION REVIEW