spirituality vs. religion and sexual behavior

From Peter Smith in the C-J, reporting on a UK research project on spirituality vs. religion...

Spirituality and religion may seem similar, but they can have vastly different influences on sexual behavior, according to a University of Kentucky study [published in Journal of Sex Research].

They are similar in that they both speak to the supernatural. But the former is relatively ungrounded and the latter is relatively grounded. (I'm reading a Eugene Peterson book right now where he's making the same point-- on the importance of the word "spirituality" [even though it has been bastardized] and the importance of linking it to Jesus.)

Not surprisingly, different beliefs lead to different conduct...

A survey of more than 350 UK students found that young women who are considered highly spiritual — a measurement based on their survey question responses — are likely to have more sex partners, and more unprotected sex, than those who measure low on a spirituality scale.

But it also found that young people who are highly religious — those who adhere strictly to a traditional faith such as Christianity, Judaism or Islam — are less likely to have sexual intercourse outside of marriage.

Researchers say the findings are significant because they indicate that “spirituality, at least for women, could be considered a risk factor” when it comes to sex.

The study, and particularly that conclusion, has its critics. But it also joins a small but growing field of research into the connections between sexuality and non-traditional spirituality....

The study found that highly spiritual men, in contrast to women, did not differ in their sexual practices from other men. Burris speculated that this may be explained by longstanding research that “although both men and women have sex to satisfy physical arousal, having sex to achieve emotional intimacy and union is relatively unique to women.”...