Premarital Sex and Religion
The Catholic Church teaches that premarital sex is wrong, yet it is still widely practiced around the world. The reason marriage was created was to join two people of the opposite sex together in a holy sacrament that would make the couple one. God's reason for marriage is quoted in the bible when he said, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." The Sacrament of marriage is one of the most sacred Sacraments in the Catholic Religion. By performing premarital sex, the couple is breaking a covenant with God and is performing a sin.
Marriage is the joining of a couple in the eyes of God and in the eyes of the State. When two people are joined into marriage they become on in flesh and one spirit. Sexual intercourse within marriage is for this reason good and of great blessing both to the couple, to the family and to the church. However, outside of marriage it creates a conflict of body and soul. This conflict may not at first be evident but later it can result it real soul damage occurring between the two people involved. God tells us that we should control out bodies and our lusting, "It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in a passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God"1. By performing premarital sex we are abusing our bodies and our souls.
The pain that premarital sex puts on us is very evident. Physically premarital sex can lead to many things, such as pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and other things that accompany premarital sex. Mentall...
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...sin more often with serious lack of guilt from hurting their relationship with God. I feel that the day will come when premarital sex is widely accepted by all people, and God will be put to the side when deciding whether or not to wait till marriage to have sex.
Bibliography:
Bibliography
4. DeLamater, J. and MacCorquadale, P. "Premarital Sexuality" Madison University, of Wisconsin Press 1979.
2. Ira L. Reiss, "Premarital sexual standards in America" 1960 The Free Press: New York.
6. Mark 7:21; Ephesians 5:5; Hebrew 13:4
5. Menken, Jane "Teenage sexuality, Pregnancy, and child bearing" New York Press, New York 1981
1. Saint Joseph Edition, "The New American Bible" Catholic Book Publishing Co. New York: 1996
3. Zelnik, Melvin "Sex and pregnancy in adolescence" Sage Publishing INC Beverly Hills, California 1981
The Bible does not forbid premarital sex. There is no passage of the Bible that references premarital sex as a sin against God. The association between sin and premarital sex is a new Christian idea. The only possible reference to premarital sex being a sin in the Bible is in the New Testament. This premise although, is generally dismissed by theologians because the Greek word pornei, or sexual immorality is commonly incorrectly translated into the English word fornication.
Reimer, Susan. "Case Closed: Teen Pregnancy Is Poverty's Offspring." Baltimore Sun. N.p., 16 Apr. 2012. Web. 26 Dec. 2013.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation. “The Facts of Teen Pregnancy: An Overview.” Teens and Sex.
Hubbard, Ruth. "The Social Construction of Sexualtiy." JSTOR. Duke University Press, 1996. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. (Class Source)
From the book of Proverbs, we are also told that God designed marriage and sex not only as a means for bringing children into this world, but also as God's appointed means for a man to find pleasure in his wife. In the New Testament, we are told that Jesus attended a wedding in Cana of Galilee and miraculously provided wine when their supplies were exhausted. The Apostle Paul also had a great deal to say about the covenant that God ordained between man and woman. Paul assumed that elders and deacons would be married and have bare children. Paul also encouraged younger widows to marry and he claimed the right as an apostle to lead a wife.
...ndard that puts sex within the fidelity and security of marriage is the most responsible code that has ever been developed. You are justified in following it without apology as the best standard for protecting human, moral, and religious values that has been devised.
When a man and a woman come together and bind in holy matrimony, two people become one. In marriage, two people come before the pastor and under God with their partner, to recite promises that are vows. In many religions such as Christianity and Catholicism, sex should be for left only for marriage. Sex is an emotional experience that is for married people to enjoy sexual pleasure together. Love and trust are sacred for the foundation of marriage.
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)
Sex before marriage has always been a major issue. Teen pregnancy seems to double yearly: with no sign of stopping. Some teens use contraceptives and birth control incorrectly. They think pregnancy just can’t happen to them. In a lot of cases their embarrassed to buy protection or just simply unsure of how to use them. Many unplanned pregnancies happen beca...
The Catholic marriage is set apart from all other relationships because Catholic marriages are a sacramental path to sanctity. Paul wrote that marriage is a true sacrament and the sign of the conjugal union of Christ and his Bride, the Church.(Matrimony 2). At Lateran Council II in 1139, it was first defined as infallibly true that matrimony is as true a sacrament as Eucharist and baptism and at The Council of Lyons II in 1274, it was included among the list of seven sacraments.
In the first few readings of the Bible, we are introduced to God, a spiritual being, that made sex a core unit of humanity. In fact, it was his orders to Adam and Eve to “Be fruitful and multiply,” (Genesis 1:28). In this same book of Christian teachings we also see in the book of Songs of Solomon, many poems and singings celebrating sex and the union it creates. According to Christianity, sex is not something to be demonized. Sex is not a sinful act. In fact, God created sex for man to enjoy. It is the union between two people to bring them to a higher spiritual level. For example, in the book of Genesis chapter two verse 24 it says, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and...
Sex out of wedlock, divorces, childbirth out of wedlock, etc. are all seen as normal circumstances currently. Marriage is an indissoluble bond which means it cannot be broken for the rest of the life after the bond is made. The Church wants to stress the importance of marriage to a relationship and the significance of marriage in reference to Jesus’ loving sacrifice to all. Marriage is a symbol of the sacrifice Jesus made of himself out of love for mankind. Through marriage, the Lord allows us to experience that love with one another as Jesus loves us. Conjugal love can reach that extent of love which all married people are called
Turner, Matthew Paul. What You Didn't Learn from Your Parents about Sex: A Guide to a Touchy Subject. Colorado Springs, CO: TH1NK, 2006. Print.
The fourth and final step of the marriage process is to become one flesh. According to free dictionary.com, become means “to grow or come to be,” or “to be appropriate or suitable; to develop or grow into; to be appropriate; befit.” Becoming is a process that takes time and work. Tim Keller states that in order to call a union marriage, “sex is understood as both a sign of that personal, legal union and a means to accomplish it. The Bible says don’t unite with someone physically unless you are also willing to unite with the person emotionally, personally, socially, economically, and legally. Don’t become physically naked and vulnerable to the another person without becoming vulnerable in every other way, because you have given up your freedom and bound yourself in marriage.” (Keller pg. 215) God’s design is supposed to occur on the wedding night as they complete their marriage vows by having sex. It is clear that “they will become one flesh” is a indirect term for sex but it is also more than sex. The become one is to be on the same page, mind and accord. It is correct to compare it to one brain, making one decision and taking one action. Together one path, and they share one authority, one heart, one body, one mind, one thought, one church, and one God. The spouses become one flesh in every sense of the word. All these areas of oneness are important because division in any of them will cause them to stumble.
Since the beginning of creation, marriage has been a vitally important role in a Christian’s life. From Adam and Eve to current times, marriage has been seen as a turning point in one’s life. God created this relationship between humans in order to fulfill our needs. The first important role of marriage in a Christian’s life is listed in Genesis 2:18, which says, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” This verse displays that it is important for humans to have companions. In this verse, God states that a part of his creation is not good, which was the first time he thought this about an aspect of creation. God saw marriage as a way to reflect His image in us. Genesis 1:26-27 shows this reflection, “Let us make