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| | Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin |
 | | Canonical rules from the beginning were markedly concerned with the moral and disciplinary problems arising from sexual attractions and desires. |
 | | Writers on theology and canon law frequently branded any departure from heterosexual relations in the missionary position as "sodomy," on the theory that the biblical story of God's destruction of the city of Sodom (Genesis: 18-19) definitively demonstrated divine disapproval of activities, heterosexual or homosexual, that aimed primarily at enhancing sexual pleasure. |
 | | Punishment of sex offenses by canonical courts might, in theory, be extremely severe; in practice, the more common sex crimes, such as fornication, often brought little more than a casual fine, occasionally accompanied by ritual public humiliation to impress upon the rest of the community the seriousness of the offense. |
| www2.hu-berlin.de /sexology/GESUND/ARCHIV/SEN/CH07.HTM (17729 words) |
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