The Moral Compass: Online Sex & Religion Project

A web based journalism project called God, Sex & Family which was developed as part of a News21 initiative, out of the Graduate School of Journalism at UC Berkeley recently launched and it includes a wonderful section and resource on sex and religion. They explain the project this way:

Stories about religion are too often framed around conflict and controversy, culture wars and holy wars. We want to tell another story – the lived experience of people’s faith.

We are a team of journalists...exploring "God, Sex and Family." That's where choices about marriage, dating, the building of community, family and faith play out in private life.

One of the elements of the site is called the Moral Compass, which tries to answer the question: how do different religions view certain issues on sex and morality? For each of the nine religions they chose, questions are asked and answered regarding masturbation, homosexuality, interfaith marriage, abortion, contraception, and more.

The interactive design is fun, if a bit clunky in parts, and the information, which includes Q&A text and short video clips, is a great start to conversations about religion, sexuality, gender, and family.

More than anything I think this wonderful project highlights how difficult it is to start a conversation about these issues, and the comments from readers point to the fact that most of us would like to see our perspectives on religion and sexuality represented somewhere. The larger project is supposed to envision the future of journalism, and if the folks involved in doing this aren't completely beaten down and demoralized by the time they get paying jobs, the future looks bright (just don't forget about sex!)

I could go on about all the things I loved and didn't love about this project, but your time is better spent checking it out.

Faces of Faith in America - God, Sex & Family: The Moral Compass