The scene is the same in Christian youth groups across denominational lines. The youth leader holds up the object of a purity--an unmangled rose, a paper clip with elegant and manufactured curves. Cue the entrance of sexual sin and shame--greedy fingers disfiguring the frail flower, violent grip bending the paper clip beyond repair. The leader explains that sexual sin is the one thing that harms you irreversibly, that makes you ‘damaged goods,’ that could ruin your relationships and spiritual journey for the rest of your life. Christendom is a key influencer in US culture surrounding sexuality of young people. The methods of educating youth in mainline protestant denominations on their spiritual obligations regarding sexuality are misguided and laced with weak theology, leading to risky sexual behavior and the fetishization of purity. Many illustrations described in curriculum for Christian youth to demonstrate the value of purity depict having sex as a form of ruining oneself. One in particular “indirectly compare[s teenagers who have had sex] to a glass of water every kid in the room had spit into” (McFarlan-Miller). This develops a culture that says the entire worth of a person depends on the preservation of their virginity. Live Different is a series of lessons published for youth groups. This youth curriculum teaches youth to only have sex in the “right place” and the “right time.” It answers its own questions by saying the right place and time are in the bounds of marriage, and when you’re older. One of the main scriptural points in the lesson is from Song of Solomon that expresses that the heart should not ‘arouse love until it so desires’ and argues that “this verse points to there being a right time for “love” to be aw... ... middle of paper ... ...Opposing Views And Continued Conflicts." Journal Of Religion & Health 51.1 (2012): 162-178. Academic Search Complete. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. Fahs, Breanne. "Daddy's Little Girls: On the Perils of Chastity Clubs, Purity Balls, and Ritualized Abstinence." Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies 31.3 (2010): 116-142. Project MUSE. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. . Harms, Luke. "On Modesty And Male Privilege." Mutuality 20.1 (2013): 15-1. Academic Search Complete. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. McFarlan Miller, Emily. "Virgin Territory: How the New Abstinence Movement is Trying To Shape Our Lives." Relevant. 1 11 2013: n. page. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. Warner, Michael. The Trouble with Normal: Sex, Politics, and the Ethics of Queer Life. New York: Free Press, 1999. Print. Youth Ministry 360, . Live Different: What The Bible Says About Sex and Holiness. Nashville: The Edge, 2010. eBook.
In today’s society religion is a life decision that influences the choices the people in that certain religion make. One major influence that stands in the way for a comprehensive sex education and hinders Shelby’s views is her strong devotion and beliefs to Christianity. Reverend Ed Ainsworth has been a key character within the film. He is a pastor that preaches and educates to upcoming teens and young adults in the approach of abstinence until marriage when it comes to sex. With his program, True Love Waits, he is able to use a religious tactic and quote from biblical contexts to influence these uneducated teens about sex that this method i...
"Fathers Should Not Exploit Their Daughters' Sexuality." Is Childhood Becoming Too Sexualized. Olivia Ferguson and Hayley Mitchell Haugen. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. At Issue. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 24 Jan. 2011.
Many different elements contribute to the controversy of abstinence vs. comprehensive, including the recent gay and lesbian equal rights controversy (in which the gay and lesbian community are fighting for and sometimes denied the right to marry), contradictory studies, and the religious beliefs of those involved. So what is the right way to teach teens about sex? As a huge factor in how teens see themselves, those around them, and intimate relationships, that is a question in need of an answer. Patrick Malone, director of communications for Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), and Monica Rodriguez, president and CEO of SIECUS, (2013) state that:
Reflective of the predominantly conservative mindset of the early to mid 1900s, the sex education programs in the Florida education system seem to focus primarily on “abstinence-only-until-marriage” (Support SIECUS). In other words, these programs preach that completely abstaining from any sexual activity is the only way to avoid potentially devastating consequences, such as teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Although this idea may be true, it is based on the faulty premise that all teens will adhere to such a policy, therefore, eliminating the need to educate them on other precautionary measures, such as contraceptives. Unfortunately, such hopes have proven to be unrealistic, resulting in the need for these programs to be readdressed.
Love can sometimes be seen as a counterintuitive and unconventional sense of life. The irony in it all is love could either be as warm as the Sunday morning sun or as cold as a New England winter when touched by the heart or the skin. As we grow up, if we believe we are cherished by the most respectful and admirable person, we give up the most vulnerable parts of ourselves: the body. However, throughout modern society, people tend to use sexual intercourse as a form of personal pleasure and gain without the obligations of emotions. Henceforth, stated in Sharon Olds’ “Sex Without Love”, premarital sex may be against God’s intentions to be pure but at the same time people love the priest more the teachings and are willing to go against the Lord
In 1961, Evangelist and pastor Tim LaHaye worked on informing and ridding public schools of sex education programs. In a letter that he wrote to parents at a school he said; “ As a parent, taxpayer, and a Christian, you need to be informed on the devastating Radical Sex Education Program now being advocated by some educators across America”(72). In this letter, LaHaye uses the word “devastating” to show how truly upset he was about this program. He went on to quote the bible in saying that sex was accepted in Christian beliefs and that that was not the problem. The problem was that the context, in which the education was coming from, was not coming from the Bible. LaHaye believed that because God create...
Chen, Grace. “Schools, Parents, and Communities Should Contribute to Educating Teens About Sex.” Teenage Sexuality. Ed. Aarti D. Stephens. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. From “Public Schools and Sex Education.” Public School Review. 2008. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.
In the end, the article explains most effective way to teach teens a sexual ethic through is through what the author calls plausibility structures. Plausibility structures are the networks by which beliefs held by individuals or groups are sustained. Because we live in a diverse age with many competing views on human sexuality, norms are kept alive by networks of people, organizations, and communities who tell and teach each other that some ideas, actions are worth doing or believing, and some are bad and ought to be resisted. Teenagers who are embedded in strong religious plausibility structures, usually through active religious involvement and strong religious commitments, are more likely to make sense of their developing sexuality in religious terms and using religious motivation.
A report published by the U.S Department of Health and Human Accommodations “suggests that as many as 50% of all adolescents are sexually active” (White, 2008, p. 349). A portion of those are puerile women who will become pregnant, adolescent men who will contract a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and teenagers who will suffer from emotional distress and regret. Albeit the majority concurs inculcation is the solution to this dilemma, one q...
Fahs, Breanne. "Daddy's Little Girls: On the Perils of Chastity Clubs, Purity Balls, and Ritualized
The government likes to pretend that if high school students get taught the “abstinence-only” method they would never think of taking part in sexual activities. Statistically this is incorrect. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “56 percent of high school students are virgins”(Martin). For the 56 percent abstinence only is doing them well, but there are still 44 percent of high school students engaging in sex without knowing the precau...
Wilton, Tamsin. "Which One's the Man? The Heterosexualisation of Lesbain Sex." Gender, Sex, and Sexuality. New York: Oxford University, 2009. 157-70. Print.
These questions arise from our own desires as Christians to reflect a biblically sound attitude towards sexuality and relationships. That same desire to act according to biblical scriptures is subject to opposition from today’s culture and views about sexual relationships, gender, and roles. A new definition of marriage, sexual orientation, and sexual practices is challenging our relationship with God and our view of human sexuality. Bishop John Spong defines sex and its impact on relationships: “Sex can be called at once the greatest gift to humanity and the greatest enigma of our lives. It is a gift in that is a singular joy for all beings and enigma in its destructive potential for people and their relationships.” (Spong, 1988)
Martinez, Gladys, Joyce Abma, and Casey Copen. “Educating Teenagers About Sex In The United States”. CDC.GOV. Center of Disease Control and Prevention, 15 Sept. 2010. Web. 09 Feb.2014
Many times as we go to the movie theater, listen to a song on the radio, or read a book, we are inundated with sexual themes and innuendos. It’s on billboards, commercials, and even in our daily conversations as we innocently joke about little Jane having her first boyfriend in kindergarten. Everywhere we look, we are barraged by sexual themes when what we need most are educational programs to deter young people from situations that they are ill prepared to deal with. The lack of educational programs can be affected by many factors. Maybe it’s a lack of funding for these type programs in our public school systems, or maybe they’re avoided due to religious or personal beliefs surrounding the subject. Many parents subscribe to the theories that they have taught abstinence, and that should be good enough, or that they want to educate the child concerning these matters as a family, and that it shouldn’t be taught in school. The truth is that sexually toned conversations can be hard to have at home, where there is often a judgmental undertone or a perceived punishment if the young person expresses an interest in birth control. According to the Centers for Disease Control, “46.8% of high school students admitted that they had ever had sex”, and “40.9% admitted that they did not use a condom the last time they had sex”. (Center for Disease Control) Many teenagers believe the common myth that