Dr. Darrel W. Ray is author of four books, two on organizational team issues, The God Virus: How Religion Infects Our Lives and Culture which explores the social-psychology of religion and his latest book, Sex and God: How Religion Distorts Sexuality. He has been a psychologist for over 30 years, practicing counseling and clinical psychology for 10 years then moved into organizational psychology and consulting. He has been a student of religion most of his life and holds a MA degree in religion as well as a BA in Sociology/Anthropology and a Doctorate in psychology.Born into a fundamentalist family and raised in Wichita, Kansas, he was surrounded by religion while growing up. He had a grandfather who preached for 40 years, cousins who were preachers and missionaries, and his parents became missionaries when they retired. For decades, he has been intensely curious about the mechanics of religion, how it influences and infects people’s minds. He wrote The God Virus in response to a need for a simple and practical understanding of religious mechanics. Something anyone can understand. While Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris and Dennett have written eloquently about religion, these authors are less accessible to those who have little knowledge of philosophy, biology or religious history. Of the thousands of religious books and hundreds of sociology and anthropology books, few if any explain the methods religion uses to infect and control people and cultures. The God Virus and Sex and God, explains in common, understandable terms, religion and its consequences on individuals and society.
Darrel is the father of two adult children and has two grandsons. His hobbies include mountain climbing, flower gardening, and reading. In early 2009, he founded the rapidly growing movement called, Recovering from Religion. You can learn more about this movement at www.recoveringfromreligion.com. In 2011, he turned the organization over to a new executive director, Jerry DeWitt, and became the chairman of the board of this rapidly growing organization.
Dr. Ray travels extensively and speaks in may places about the ideas presented in Sex and God, The God Virus and his research on Sex and Secularism and Recovering from Religion. Please look at his book tour schedule to see if he will be in a place near you soon or contact him directly at IPCPress.com to book an engagement.
After reading Darrel Ray’s new book, Sex & God: How Religion Distorts Sexuality, I’ve been considering the following thought experiment for Believers:Imagine for a moment that God either doesn’t exist or does not care about your sex life. How would this revelation impact your sexuality?
For some, it would mean more sex, for others, less sex – but given all the considerations of research, data, history, testimonials, etc which Ray brings together on this important topic of sex and religion, for most people, the elimination of God from the equation would not result in significant changes to their sex lives. What it would definitely change is this: We would most likely cease to feel guilty about whatever it is we are doing or not doing in our bedrooms.
The religionists’ great fear is that apart from the constraints of “thou shalt” and “thou shalt not” – the human race would quickly descend into an abyss of sexual debauchery. But think about it … without the promise of eternal reward or the threat of damnation, how many of us would actually become rapists or child molesters?
Research shows that Believers engage in the same sexual behaviors, at about the same frequency, as the less religious – the only difference is they feel guilty when they do it. And it is through the guilt that religious leaders and institutions gain their power and control over ordinary people like you and me.
I highly recommend “Sex and God” – it is especially important information for women who are the particular targets of religion’s need to channel powerful sexual energy into the service of the Church.
