For all the counsel and solace millions of Americans seek in their religious institutions, most churches aren't exactly known for offering a frank, healthy forum for talk about sexuality.
Recent highly publicized cases of child sexual abuse at the hands of clergy, though, are getting people talking about religion and sex - although the discussion focuses on a specific pathology, pedophilia. Former Roman Catholic priest John Geoghan was sentenced Thursday to up to 10 years in prison for sexually abusing a 10-year-old boy in 1991. More than 130 people have claimed Geoghan fondled or raped them while he served in Boston-area parishes.
On Wednesday, the cantor at New York City's largest Reform synagogue was arrested on charges that he sexually abused his own nephew. Howard Nevison, 61, the longtime cantor of Congregation Emanu-El, has denied the charges.
In an ABCNEWS poll, an overwhelming majority says the Catholic Church should be more open about sexual abuse. Nearly nine in 10 people said parishioners should be told of such allegations.
While such high-profile cases may serve to get people talking about pedophilia, some religion and sexuality experts say they hope such publicity also will help launch broader, more open talk about sexuality. Perhaps more frank discussion, some experts say, would in turn help prevent some abuse cases and help victims tell their stories.
Churches aren't doing enough to help families grapple with the sensitive topic of human sexuality, some experts argue.
"For the most part, churches refrain from dealing with this key dimension of life that we are sexual beings from the moment of birth to our death," said Larry Greenfield, a Baptist minister and former president of Colgate Rochester Divinity School. "We are sexual throughout our lives but we need the churches, temples, synagogues and religious organizations all to think about what it means to give good counsel [on sexuality] as a regular part of what we do."
Not Just About 'Plumbing'
One of the dangers with the Geoghan case and cases like it, Greenfield said, is that out of fear, churches could become even more closed on the topic of sexuality. "It has the possibility of making a silent church even more mum," he said. "A pastor can say, 'I'm going to protect myself, I'm not even going to mention sex.'"
For sure, open discussion of sexuality in churches of all denominations has become more frequent in the last 20 years. Now, most churches offer sexuality education in one form or another, as do schools.
But some argue that religion is so integral to people's lives and value systems that churches need to play a bigger role.
The kind of sexuality education children get at church is often more relational and less anatomy-based than what is taught in schools. "It's not just about the plumbing," said the Rev. Robert M. Friday, a religion professor at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
But religious sexuality education programs can often fall short, some experts say. As with many school-based programs, some say programs often target middle and late adolescents - which is not soon enough.
"That's too late if we're talking about laying the foundation for a healthy sexuality and way too late for sexual abuse prevention," said Debra Haffner, who with Greenfield is the co-director of the Religious Institute for Sexual Morality, Justice and Healing in Norwalk, Conn.
And while sexual abuse prevention programs with "good touch, bad touch" messages are quite common now, some say more openness about sexuality in general could go even further toward preventing abuse.
"Parents ought to say we want the kind of sexuality education that will protect our kids and make them healthy, where they won't feel shame and guilt over their sexual feelings," Greenfield said. "Not just that I don't want to be abused but I don't want to be an abuser, I have enough pride in myself as a child of God."
Where Should Parents Turn?
Many times, restrictive sexual atmospheres - common in some religious institutions and households - can actually contribute to sexual disorders such as pedophilia, says Dr. Fred Berlin, a Baltimore psychiatrist with the Institute for Study, Prevention and Treatment of Sexual Trauma.
Some clergy being treated for pedophilia talk of childhoods characterized by strict attitudes toward sex, he said. "Maybe they weren't abused but had a very suppressed curiosity about sex," Berlin said. "In some cases, that may have been damaging to them."
A more open atmosphere may encourage adolescents to discuss confusion about their sexuality - including feeling attraction to younger kids - before they become sex offenders, Berlin says. As it stands though, parents have nowhere to turn.
"You know where to send them if they have anorexia, depression, or if they're abusing drugs, but do we even have places to go in society if you're thinking your child is confused sexually?" Berlin said.
For sure, churches are not the only institutions with a responsibility to teach about healthy sexuality - education starts at home. "There needs to be an education of parents," said Friday. "They need to have an open and free dialogue with their sons and daughters."
Parents are the best sex educators of all, most experts agree, but some say churches also should be in a position to help parents field or encourage questions from their children about their sexuality.
"It would be nice if the church helped families deal with sexuality, moral development, and complex issues in our culture," said the Rev. Joretta Marshall, academic dean of Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis and a pastoral counselor specializing in sexuality and gender issues. "Most parents don't understand how the church can help them. [The Geoghan case] is a great example where the church isn't always helpful."