The Wages of Sin: Sex and Disease, Past and Present

Rating:
Summary: A Fascinatng and Unique View of History
Review: Peter Allen takes three of the most compelling aspects of human history--sex, disease, and religion--and weaves them together in a fascinating exposition of how religious authorities in the West have viewed disease since the late Middle Ages. His book discusses the histories of lovesickness, leprosy, syphilis, plague, masturbation, and of course AIDS. For each disease (and yes, masturbation was considered a serious disease well into the 20th Century!), he discusses how sex, and the sins associated with it, figured into the religious and popular views of illness. Allen's book is meticulously researched (he read texts in the original French, Latin, German, and Italian) and elegantly written. It is a far easier read than most academic works. Most importantly, it offers insight into how religious and sexual intolerance can hamper the fight against disease, even in today's world.

Rating:
Summary: Catholic compassion
Review: This gripping book raises far-reaching questions about what Roman Catholic teach. It fits nicely with two other books this year -- John Portmann's When Bad Things Happen to Other People and Garry Wills's Papal Sins. All three make us wonder about the state of Catholicism today and how it will it respond to such powerful criticism.

Portmann examines Bernard Haring's account of illness. Haring is the most important Catholic moral theologian of the twentieth century; the Catholic culture Lewis fleshes out culminates in Haring, whose thinking about illness was remarkably sophisticated. Even someone as modern as Haring allows a link between illness and sin. Haring gives permission to celebrate the suffering of others who have broken God's law. Both Lewis and Portmann seem to think of Judaism as generally more compassionate than Catholicism. This point could be debated.

Wills turns to the question of whether Rome has responded compassionately to gay and lesbian people. You can guess what Wills thinks, just on the basis of the title of his penetrating book. Lewis looks much more closely at sexuality and sexual sins than Wills does. Who doesn't find the topic of sexual sins worthwhile?

The three books have just come to light. Like others that have preceded them, they make us wonder how Rome will respond to serious analyses of Catholic compassion.

The Wages of Sin is part philosophy, part religious studies, part cultural studies. It is interesting through and through.

Rating:
Summary: Long Over-due
Review: What a terrific book! Extremely well researched, written in lively fashion (by an open-hearted author) and frank in exploring past mis-steps from which we can, and certainly should, learn. We have been waiting for this one for a long time.