John_in_Oz:
I've heard the "health code" explanations before, and indeed there is some merit in that as an explanation of how this got started, and why virgin women were so highly priced when their owner/father sold them. It does not explain the continued cherry-picking of Leviticus concerning these behaviors, unless some gain was to be had.
A. Guilt
Sexual repression is a recipe for failure. The Catholic church thrives on guilt, and even chastises "impure thoughts". Telling young people not to think about sex is like my telling you not to think about a white elephant, only more so.
B. Sublimation of sexual ecstasy into religious ecstasy and fervor (insanity).
There are brain studies and psychological studies to support this substitution theory, as well as anecdotal evidence from convents and monasteries, and cult behavior. I apologize for not being able to cite my sources. The "God spot" theory has been partially debunked, nevertheless, "religious experiences" have been electrically triggered in volunteers by stimulating the brain in an area adjacent to one of the sexual centers.
C. Testosterone-based violence*.
Works in women too, just not as dramatically. They call it being "Testy" for a reason. One source among many citing data supporting this is a 1967(?) Playboy Magazine article titled, "But Coach, it Helps Me Relax!"
D. Minding the business of others due to repressed feelings of jealousy (self-policing prison population).
Puritans, 17th Century New England. Need I say more?
E. All of the above.
* Desirable because it causes more guilt, perceived failure and dependency on "guidance", and can be molded into battlefield rationalizations for killing.
Sectarianism, and aiding the manipulation of populations against one another is one of the last true purposes of religion. Cue the bar chart showing the direct proportion between religious belief and violence in countries world-wide.