New International Version, Genesis 2:24

That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

Contemporary English Version, Genesis 2:24

That's why a man will leave his own father and mother. He marries a woman, and the two of them become like one person.

I included two translations. For too long this beautiful quote has been sexualized and used as the example that recreational sex is evil. I love the two translations together because they describe my marriage. I am united with my husband and we behave happily like one person.

Every morning I wake up and I know that we share this unbreakable bond and that without question I trust him and he trusts me. While some have accused me of living in a fairy tale, I did get it wrong the first time I dipped my toe into the marriage waters. It ended in an ugly divorce that drove me out of Catholicism. And when I found this love, I was dating but not looking for love. On a blind date in a snow storm, I discovered this love and it has endured and will continue to endure.

So I realize that this doesn't answer your post directly. Chances are, there isn't an answer. There are approximately 40,000 Christian doctrines at play in the world. Doctrine is man's interpretation of how to worship Christ and behave as a Christian. And while there may be a doctrine out there that encourages recreational sex, I have yet to find it. And your view of Christianity is based on a doctrine or doctrines that you have been taught or exposed to.

Doctrines are made by congregations for the benefit of congregations based on the specific views of how that Church defines Christianity.

The answer to your question is insanely complicated. Christianity "grew up" amongst hundreds of other religions and hundreds of different Christian and non-Christian doctrines. From Bacchic rites that would degenerated into sexual orgies to Men owning their Wives as property, Christianity was unique because Christian discipleship was offered and was framed equally. It didn't matter if you were Jew or Greek, a slave or free person, man or woman, king or peasant, Christ set the bar to a place where everyone who would simply believe could step over it.

So to the point...

I love, honor, cherish and am faithful to my husband and he to I. We have shared sex during courtship, sex as love, sex to procreate, and we have had recreational sex for pleasure (and sometimes some amazing stress relief). I will never have sex for courtship again, I am past the procreation phase, we still have sex for love, but the majority of our sex is now "recreational". And that gift of recreational sex we have chosen to share with others. Recreational sex has enhanced our lives with new friends, new pleasures (you can learn a lot about sex and I am still learning!) and many interesting dinners. I cannot say that it has enhanced our marriage, it hasn't. But it has not hurt it either. But it has enriched our lives with new friends, new experiences, fun travel, and some highly entertaining stories.

For me Recreational Sex on our date night is outstanding and I don't have to sit through another Marvel Comics movie - though I did enjoy Ironman -- I would really enjoy riding Mr. Stark! He wants pizza, I want sushi. He wants beer, I want Chardonnay. Sex is always something we can find as common ground on date night.