Dr Patricia Weerakoon former Senior Lecturer at Sydney University and Academic Coordinator of the Graduate program in Sexual Health will be our speaker.
The date for this year's Smith Lecture is Thursday 30th August held at the Brisbane Club. Please reserve this date in your diary.
Patricia will be speaking on the topic of sexuality. Our title is still a work in progress, as is the abstract, however below will give you a taste of the topic.
Humans are sexual beings – sex permeates our identity, emotions and our behaviour. And yet, there are huge contradictions. We, as a society and as individuals, instinctively know that sex is beautiful and deeply satisfying – yet we also know it can be used to manipulate and subjugate others, and destroy ourselves. We rightly protest against child sexual abuse, paedophilia and child porn; and yet we don’t even see or turn a blind eye to the sexualisation of our children. We rightly celebrate romance and yet marriages and partnerships constantly fail.
Are these contradictions inherent to the nature of sexuality itself? Or is there a way to enjoy our sexuality which affirms ourselves, others, and the very nature of sexuality?
Is there a way forward for society and for us as individuals? What does recent secular research on sexuality, desire, love and long term attachment show us? Does it clarify the nature of sexuality? How does this correspond or contrast with the Christian perspective on sexuality? What can we know about desire, love, sexuality and the mind of God?
These are some the issues and topics that we hope to explore during the Smith Lecture.