Some people are not sexually attracted to anyone, and describe themselves as asexual. This may be viewed as a form of sexual orientation in itself, although it is sometimes claimed that it is a psycho-sexual problem.
Several religions or religious sects believe that asexuality is a spiritually superior condition. One example is the Roman-Catholic[?] ideal that sex is a sin and that sexual abstinence or chastity is to be preferred. Consequently, people who live as asexuals are the only people who can become priests in the Catholic Church. This idea that asexuality is the higher way is sometimes referred to as asexism.
In other creeds, children are often considered a gift of God that should not be refused, and/or a means of spreading religion.
In fiction, John Braine's novel The Jealous God (1964) is a good example of sex mainly seen as a sin. On the other hand, in his science fiction novel Distress[?] (1995), Greg Egan imagines a world where "asex" is one out of five or seven acknowledged gender settings.
Asexuality is not to be confused with asexual reproduction.
