Sex worship has been practised in many ancient cultures and religious and one can easily understand the reason for it. Sex creates and maintains the continuity of life. The sexual instinct is considered to be the evidence of the vast creative power which sustains the universe. According to the Puranas, the sacred writing of ancient India, the Supreme Being, when creating human beings, split himself into two, thus becoming male and female. The phallus is the symbol of life and creativity and in many ancient and modern temples all over India lingam (phallus) worship is freely and reverently practiced. The idol is made in the shape of a low pillar supported in a round shallow base, depiciting the divine male and female organs in union.

There is nothing indecent or crude about phallic worship and no promiscuity or sexual activity is attached to the ceremony. The lingam worshippers are a pure and pious Hindu sect. Sexual symbolism in devotion is not, howeverm peculiar to the Hindu. The Songs of Solomon in the Bible abound in sexual symbolism and graces of the beloved's neck, breasts and thighs. Christ is considered the Divine Bridegroom and the Church is bride. The mystics of Islam, the Sufis, display the same preoccupa- tion with sex in their devotional concepts.

Several schools of Hindu thought believe that an erotic sentiment is a necessary part of devotional worship. Lord Krishna, one of the most powerful deities of the Hindu pantheon is known as the God of Love. Some of the most memorable incidents about him tell of his escapades with the gopis. Women found him totally irresistible. He is described as a very habdsome person with a strong and beautiful body. Lord Krishna taught his followers that a well lived worldly life is more noble than renunciation and asceticism. The present western interest in the Krishna cult is significant.

Sex has played a glorious and turbulent role in human affairs and will continue to do so. Some sincerely believe that the forbidden fruit of life was sex. Our age and time has not discovered anything new. In fact, we are going back to many practices which were used thousands of years back and were abandoned because they did not promote human happiness and welfare. The relationship of man and woman is complicated by the extreme intensity of their sex instinct. If the quality and complexity of human sexuality is understood better, we are better able to manage and enjoy it.