Be proud of your lust!
Since ancient times, lust has been condemned as one of the deadly sins.
But now a Cambridge University professor is trying to take away the guilt by turning it into a virtue.
Philosopher Simon Blackburn, who has spent four years researching the subject, said sex should be celebrated and pointed out that reciprocated lust can lead to pleasure.
'The important thing is that generally anything that gives pleasure has a presumption to its favour,' he said. 'The question is how we control it.
Professor Blackburn blamed 'old men of the deserts' such as the early Christian preachers St Jerome and St Thomas Aquinas for making the masses feel guilty for desiring sex.
The research was part of a project launched by Oxford University Press to determine whether the seven deadly sins have any relevance to modern-day society.
Several other academics and thinkers who were involved also called for a rethink in the way we see so-called sins. American playwright Wendy Wasserstein said slothfulness should be considered a virtue because of the need to wind down from our hectic lives.
Author Francine Prose said gluttony should be removed from the list of sins to make us more relaxed about what we eat. The move to free sexual desire of its stigma was welcomed by former Tory minister Edwina Currie, who had a long affair with John Major before he became prime minister.
'Oh yes, I'm all in favour of lust,' she said. 'I'm not sure it's a vice - it's a natural part of healthy human life.'
