3 reasons why having sex with robots is wrong, according to the Catholic Church

As robotics manufacturers look to the future, they're planning to tap into the multi-billion dollar sex industry. In the not-too distant future, people will be able to keep robot companions that provide them with sexual gratification. What happens when people begin using robots for sex? And is this morally acceptable? We have an answer.

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LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Robot manufacturers have already built the first prototype sex robots. As you can imagine, the machines are a bit crude, and far from human. At one hospital in China, a machine is used to extract sperm from male donors, and while it doesn't look human, it's key interface is literally a sex toy.

Humans already have a complicated relationship with robots. Chat programs can be downloaded that allow users to chat with an artificial intelligence for hours on end. They keep getting better, because the programs are capable of learning to some degree. Before long, robots will no longer be awkward, misshapen machines that operate stupidly. Within a few decades, robot design could advance to the point we could have some difficulty telling robots apart from humans, at least at a glance.

First, such machines will be coming out soon. Manufacturers in both the United States and Asia have been working on competing designs for years and both report they are almost ready for market. So this is a question that must be answered sooner rather than later. Second, is there any harm in using one of these machines for personal gratification?

The answer to the second question is, yes. In fact, the Church has already addressed the issue through several teachings.

Sex serves two key purposes. First, it is the means by which we procreate. Second, it is intended to solidify a loving bond between a husband and a wife. It has no other God-given purpose. Sex is neither for self-gratification, nor for recreation. People who rely on sex for these purposes should consider prayer and fasting as a substitute and may need to seek the guidance of the Church to improve their spiritual health.

Of course, this goes over very poorly in our modern, secular world where even popular television shows try especially hard to normalize deviant and inappropriate sexual behaviors.

Sex with a robot would be a form on masturbation, and as such, it is against the teaching of the Church, and more importantly, it is a sin against the self.

There are other problems too. When men and women are using robots and toys for gratification, they can diminish procreation, by providing an ersatz replacement for genuine sex. A person can become desensitized to normal sexual stimulation to the point they no longer find sex with their spouse enjoyable.

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Humans are social creatures and we are made for one another. Without the companionship of our brothers and sisters, our lives lose something, a form of color-blindness for the soul sets in. Very few people are called into lives of solitude. Robots will provide artificial interactions, and will be a poor substitute for the real thing. You cannot marry a robot, and you certainly cannot procreate with one.

Having a robot to do your laundry and your dishes is just fine, in fact we already have machines that mostly do both. But having a robot for sex isn't just a bad idea, it's immoral and essentially forbidden if you consider the teachings of the Church. This then, at least for faithful Catholics, should end the debate.

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