Domestication, Sacralization, Instrumentalization of Sexuality: The Case of Jehovah's Witnesses and the Hassidim

The social influences on intragroup sexual relations for members of the Jehovah's Witnesses & the Lubavitcher Hassidim are explored. The outcome of processes of domestication, sacralization, & instrumentalization of sexual practices are identified among these religious groups, especially for women. For both the Jehovah's Witnesses & the Hassidim, the "natural impurity" & nonexternal nature of sexuality require measures that domesticate & sanctify sexuality & also sustain the organizational & charismatic legitimacy of the group leaders. While Jehovah's Witnesses exhort members to keep families small in relation to the household economy, the Hassidim are urged to procreate & establish large families. The organizational & leadership power of both groups derives from the sacralizing & legitimizing modification of the normal ethical code, a response to challenges by Roman Catholicism & the modern Westernized world. 52 References. Adapted from the source document.