Discuss the historical view of sexual behaviour. In your answer, discuss the beliefs regarding appropriate/inappropriate sexual activity, as described by both religious and scientific belief.

Beliefs about appropriate and deviant sexual behaviour, although very different in today's society than in the past, have been very much influenced by the historical beliefs inherent in religion and science. Judeo-Christian beliefs, as espoused by the Bible and the Talmud, have been challenged in our society. Christian values developed from the teachings of St. Augustine, who declared that the only acceptable sexual activity was sexual intercourse between a male and a female, for the purposes of procreation. Oral-genital sex, masturbation, anal sex, and sexual activity between same-sex partners were considered sinful.
Science in the 16th and 17th centuries attributed all forms of illness to "excessive" sexual activity. Treatises were written by Tissot, Reverend Sylvester Graham, and Dr. John Harvey Kellogg in the 19th century surrounding the ills caused by masturbation. These problems, such as dullness, defective development, ill health and untrustworthiness could be cured with healthy activities and a bland diet. Graham crackers and cornflakes were developed for this purpose.
Even today, research on sexuality and sexual problems is much slower than in other areas, and many would like to ignore the importance of studying sexuality.