[adiaireton8]

That is a very uncharitable and misleading distortion of Augustine's position, who believed that marriage and sex in marriage were goods created by God. He affirmed that unrestrained or disordered sexual desire is wrong, but not ordered and properly directed sexual desire. Read again his treatise De bono conjugali ("On the Good of Marriage").

The person who chooses the life of consecrated celibacy over the life of marriage, has indeed chosen the better part. But that does not make marriage or the marital act sinful. As St. Paul says, "If you have married, you have not sinned, and if a virgin marries, she does not sin." (1 Cor 7:28)

-A8

[redgolum]

St. Augustine went between the extremes as it were. And yes, he did say that martial sex was a sin. He also changed that view. But the view that even martial sex is a sin was pretty widespread for quite awhile.