Today Live Action launches its new groundbreaking series, “The Truth About Sex,” with its first video: “The Sexual Revolution of the Roman Empire.”
In this first video of the series, Live Action founder and president Lila Rose juxtaposes the sexual ethics of the Roman empire with those of Christianity, showing how the very first Christians sparked a sexual revolution that transformed the world – and asking if that same transformation is still possible today.
Rose begins by noting that while many people associate the term “sexual revolution” with the 20th century, a massive sexual revolution actually took place in ancient Rome after Christianity took root. However, that sexual revolution was very different than the modern sexual revolution.
The video states that in the Roman Empire, there was little concept of sexual morality, and social status was the only thing that impacted what was permitted sexually. For example, a higher status free man could engage in sex with anyone he wanted, as long as that person was of a lower class. Slaves fared the worst, especially children, as they were viewed merely as objects to be used.
Abortion and infanticide were also permissible if a husband or father did not want the child.
It was into this sexually abusive world that Christianity entered, bringing with it the teaching that all human beings are made in the image and likeness of God.
“Christian teaching based sexual ethics on the equal value of every human being and it upheld freely chosen, one woman, one man, monogamous marriage as the only acceptable context for any sexual activity,” Rose says.
She goes on to show that while Roman sexual ethics accepted infidelity, sexual licentiousness, and views that treated humans as property, Christianity was counter-cultural in teaching that spouses should pledge and maintain fidelity to one another. Christianity maintained that all people should be treated with dignity and that sex only belongs in marriage.
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Gradually, these Christian ideals began to spread and upend many of the Roman customs. Christians began rescuing babies who had been abandoned by their parents, while teaching that women and slaves had equal value and dignity. Unilateral divorce and infanticide were no longer seen as acceptable.
“Far from imposing an oppressive patriarchy, Christian sexual ethics elevated virtually everyone in society,” Rose explains. “The value of slaves, women, and children were no longer based on their social status, but on their status as children of God. Freely chosen, faithful marriage, not social status, became the measure for sexual morality.”
Christian sexual ethics eventually became the norm in the Western world, where sexual activity was seen as ideally belonging within the bond of marriage between a man and woman who are open to children, according to the video. As the concept of monogamy took hold, sexual license was frowned upon, and the idea of protecting vulnerable children, women, and slaves was more accepted.
Today, the modern sexual revolution cemented the breakdown of the sexual ethics that were considered the model for 2,000 years. According to Rose, a combination of toxic ideologies contributed to this, including Marxism, second-wave feminism, and hedonistic post-relativism. Though today’s sexual revolution hinges on the promise of equality for women, it doesn’t make good on that promise. Instead, it has destroyed the lives and happiness of millions of human beings.
Live Action founder and president Lila Rose stated in a press release about the series:
Daily in America, over 2800 preborn children are brutally murdered by abortion. These daily mass casualty events are a crisis of massive proportions. Ending this crisis means completely protecting human life and making abortion illegal and unthinkable. To make abortion unthinkable, we must fix the culture that breeds abortion.
Nearly 9 in 10 children who are aborted have unmarried parents. A culture that promotes sex outside of marriage is a culture that doesn’t value life. To end abortion, we must address the elephant in the room – the rampant sexual promiscuity and confusion of our time, which increases demand for abortion. As a culture, our sexual ethics reflect who we are and shape our collective future. We must rediscover the truth about sex, cherish marriage, and create a society where every child gets to experience their right to a loving mother and father who are married.
Editor’s Note, 5/14/24: This article has been updated with remarks from the official Live Action press release.
