The two main critics of this plan can be summed up as
1) As one woman put it, "When it comes to innocent children at the tender age of five years old, it is absolutely appalling these guidelines suggest that they should be taught about subjects such as masturbation."
2) As another woman who stated "This is wholly inappropriate and is destroying parental responsibility. It is parents who should determine the pace of revelation, not the authorities."

There are so many things which need to be addressed in order to discuss this topic fully! But basically, since it's a person's/society's value systems which are in place which decide if something is good or bad, what needs to be questioned are those value systems. Raelians' value systems are often quite different from others' while at the same time holding human life and in particular, the quality of life, very, very dear.

For Raelians, what is appalling, is that these innocent children are being subjected to dogma which makes them feel guilty or ashamed of something which is as natural as eating or sleeping - both of which are done out of necessity as well as for pleasure. Many will say that it is up to the parent to teach a child about sex. Raelians don't contest that parents should be part of this education they however outline that most parents are not teaching children anything realistic about sex. The problem is that the parents are teaching what they were taught when in actuality, science is showing us that there is a much different reality. Our grandparents did not have access to this science but we do. And when science shows us something different than what religious/social dogma teaches, then we have the obligation to change our views. The parents who are afraid of this type of sex education were themselves brought up by parents whose parents taught them (and whose parents taught them...) that sex was only for procreation, something for a woman to endure in order to satisfy her husband and other such primitive nonsense. Ouf...what nonsense! If you are a woman reading this, remember that this is the same logic which kept women from voting for centuries. (and still does) Sticking to their old ways, parents and religious leaders tout the same old dogma which makes billions of people feel shame or fear about sex. Eliminating this fear and guilt surrounding sex would massively decrease unwanted pregnancy, thus abortion and the spread of STD's. So what the U.N. is doing here is fantastic. They are following science instead of tradition and religious dogma.

Teaching children that it's something dirty, sacred, perverse, for procreation only...only compounds the problem. Ignoring the reality that we are all wired for sex second only to eating and surviving is actually what twists and perverts our perceptions of sex. It makes us feel guilt for something which is wwwonderful. This lack of education is also the main cause of unwanted pregnancy as well as the transmission of STDs. This very "burying of the head in the sand" approach is what leads to the AIDS epidemic in Africa because the Pope and other religious leaders ignore scientific data and cling to old, inaccurate dogma which is killing millions of people. :(

If it were not pleasurable, none of us would exist. None of our parents would have conceived us if it would have not been pleasurable. So to argue that pleasure for pleasure's sake is not a very good one, don't you think?

There are also growing statistics which show a direct correlation between sexual repression and violence. The less sex a person has - or the more they maintain that sex is dirty, perverse etc, the more likely they are to act out violent or perverse acts. Enter Pedophile Priests...

On the topic of pedophilia: Many people will claim that such extensive sex education would lead to this terrible act. On the contrary, it would help to dramatically reverse this illness in people! When we are raised in an environment which is in harmony with what a human being is programmed for, we no longer seek out secret fulfillment. Terrible acts like rape and pedophilia would be greatly reduced if the perpetrators of these crimes had been raised with a healthy view on sex. But in most societies, sex is considered something taboo, dirty, a sin - or only ok if with a husband/wife of the opposite sex, only for procreation, no birth control, bla bla... By addressing the causes of pedophilia and not the symptoms, we can all but eliminate this terrible act. What are the causes? Recognizing the fact that we were created for pleasure is the first step in understanding this - and that changes everything. Because everything we do is for pleasure. Everything. Fine cuisine, a beautiful sunset, the smell of a rose, laughing, the feel of a cool breeze on our face, even paying our taxes in order to avoid the displeasure of going to jail or being fined....everything. There are soooo many pleasures available all around us! And certainly sex is certainly one of the most amazing pleasures we can partake in! Science is realizing, thanks to studies like which prompted the U.N. to make their recommendations, that sexual repression leads to perverse acts, not the other way around.

To close with the words of The Elohim Themselves, here is a beautiful passage from the messages They gave to Rael 35 years ago. The advice given here deals specifically with the topic at hand - a topic which has the potential to help humanity reach more of our potential and become more than we are - happier. And happy people are never, ever violent, are they? :-) As you can see from these words from Our true Creators, sensuality and sexuality (which are linked but not synonymous) are profoundly spiritual in nature since mind and body are - one.

You can download this book and others for free from this site. But for now, enjoy this beautiful passage. :)

"Sensual education is one of the most important things, and yet at the moment, it scarcely exists at all.
You will awaken the mind of your child, but you will also awaken his or her body, for the awakening of the body is linked to the awakening of the mind. All those who seek to numb the body are also numbing the mind.
Our creators have given us our senses so that we use them. The nose is meant for smelling, the eyes for seeing, the ears for hearing, the mouth for tasting, and the fingers for touching. We must develop our senses so as to get more enjoyment from all the things around us, which our creators put here for us to enjoy.
A sensual individual is far more likely to be in harmony with infinity, because such a person can feel it without having to meditate or reflect.
Meditation and reflection will enable that individual to understand this harmony better and to radiate it all around himself or herself by teaching it.
To be sensual means to let your environment give you pleasure.
Sexual education is very important as well, but it only teaches the technical functions and uses of the organs. Sensual education, on the other hand, teaches us how to gain pleasure from our organs purely for pleasure’s sake, without necessarily seeking to use them for their utilitarian purposes.
To say nothing to your children about their sexual organs is wrong, and although it is better to explain what they are for, this is still not enough. You must explain how they can gain pleasure from them.
To explain only their function would be like telling them that music is for marching to, that knowing how to write is helpful only for penning letters of complaint, or that movies are useful only for giving audio visual courses, and other such nonsense. Fortunately, thanks to artists and through the awakening of our senses, we can obtain pleasure from listening, reading or looking at works of art that were made for no other reason than to give pleasure. The same goes for the sexual organs. They are not just for satisfying our natural needs or for ensuring reproduction, but also for giving pleasure to others and ourselves. Thanks to science, we have finally emerged from the days when showing one’s body was a “sin”, and when sexual intercourse brought its own punishment - the conception of a child.
Now thanks to contraceptive techniques, sexual union is freely possible without it becoming a definitive commitment - or even a possible one. You will teach your child all this without shame, but on the contrary, with love, clearly explaining that he or she was made to be happy and blossom fully - that is to say, to enjoy life with all the senses and with their full force.
You must never be ashamed of your body or of your nakedness, for nothing displeases our creators more than to see those they created feeling ashamed of the appearance that has been given to them.
You will teach your children to love their bodies and every part of the Elohim’s creation, because in loving their creation, we love them as well.
Each one of our organs was created by our parents, the Elohim, so that we might use it feeling not shame, but happiness at using something for which it was designed. If the act of using one of our organs brings pleasure, it means that our creators wish us to have that pleasure.
Every individual is a garden that should not be left uncultivated. A life without pleasure is an uncultivated garden...."
From the book Intelligent Design - Message from the Designers. Download for free...here...and enjoy a life full of pleasure with no guilt so long as it is always with consenting adults, so long as we respect each others tastes and desires, and so long as we always seek the happiness of those we claim to love. Mmmmm...love. :-)
Ricky Roehr, Raelian Guide, responsible for North America