Chastity

Allegory of chastity by Hans Memling.

Chastity, in many religious and cultural contexts, is a virtue concerning the state of purity of the mind and body. The term is most often associated with refraining from sexual intimacy, especially outside of marriage. Chastity is often taken to be synonymous with virginity or abstention from all sexual activity. However, sexually active married couples are also considered to practice chastity if they remain faithful to their marital vows.

Due to the prohibitions of sexual intimacy outside of marriage in Abrahamic religions, deriving from the Ten Commandments and Mosaic law, the term has become closely associated with premarital sexual abstinence in Western culture. however, in the context of religion, the term remains applicable to persons in all states, single or married, clerical or lay, and has implications beyond sexual temperance.

Chastity is one of the Seven holy virtues of Catholic teaching, opposing the deadly sin of lust. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that "chastity" is the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of a human person in his or her bodily and spiritual being.

Classical origin

The word derives, via the French chasteté, from the Latin castitas, which is the abstract of castus (the root of chaste), which originally meant a `pure' state of conformity with the Greco-Roman religion, rather the practical counterpart of a pious (Latin pius) state of mind, in no way limited to the sexual sphere. As the etymological link suggests, castigation or chastisement is originally the use of (harsh) means to preserve or restore this state as a form of catharsis. This meaning is preserved fully in the parallel term "chastening."

In ancient times the value of chastity was highly debated in both the homosexual and heterosexual spheres. In particular, Socrates was an advocate of chaste pederastic relations between men and boys, in opposition to the sexually expressed pedagogic relationships prevalent in his time. Plato, having transmitted many of these teachings, has become the eponym for this type of chastity, known today as Platonic love (as opposed to romantic love, parental love, sibling love, etc.)

Abrahamic religions

Traditionally, acts of sexual nature are prohibited outside of marriage in Islamic and Judeo-Christian ethical contexts and are considered sinful. Since offenses against the virtue of chastity are most often perceived as fornication or adultery, the term has become closely associated with sexual abstinence in common usage throughout most of the English-speaking world.

According to Jewish law, sex and other acts that may lead to sex are only allowed within the context of a marriage. Sex is not only a means of physical gratification, but an important act that requires commitment and responsibility. The requirement of marriage before sex ensures that sense of commitment and responsibility.

The Qur'an states, "the believers are...those who protect their sexual organs except from their spouses... Therefore, whosoever seeks more beyond that [in sexual gratification], then they are the transgressors." (23:5-6). Muslim scholars say this statement makes it very clear that any sexual gratification outside marriage is considered a transgression of the law of God.

Not all ethical systems proscribe all of the following, but among those acts considered as offenses against chastity are: Adultery, Anal sex, Birth control, Fornication, Lust, Masturbation, Oral sex, Pornography, Prostitution, Rape, Sexual intimacy during or shortly after menstruation, and Sexual intimacy for a period of time after the birth of a child

The state of chastity may include not only sexual abstinence but also: Coitus within the context of marital fidelity, Natural family planning, and yet, as above, the particular ethical system may not prescribe each of these.

For example, within the scope of Christian ethic, Roman Catholics view sex within marriage as chaste, but prohibit the use of artificial contraception as an offense against chastity, seeing contraception as contrary to God's will and design of human sexuality. Many Anglican churches allow for artificial contraception, seeing the restriction of family size as possibly not contrary to God's will. A stricter view is held by the Shakers, who prohibit marriage (and indeed sexual intercourse under any circumstances) as a violation of chastity.

The Catholic Church teaches that situations where sex occurs outside of marriage offend against the dignity of marriage; they destroy the very idea of the family; they weaken the sense of fidelity. They are contrary to the moral law. The sexual act must take place exclusively within marriage. Outside of marriage it always constitutes a grave sin and excludes one from sacramental communion.

Other religious viewpoints on chastity

Jainism: If we study Jainism in some depth, we find that even reproduction is not a goal in Jainism. The real goal is to be free of suffering and attain the ultimate bliss or ultimate happiness called Moksha or Nirvana. This ultimate happiness is an unconditioned state. The whole idea is not about not indulging in pleasurable acts but to see the shallowness, the impermanence, and the unrealness of the pleasure derived through the sense objects. Most Jain followers, who go about their worldly business and have wife and children, do indulge in pleasures of the five senses to a certain extent but with wisdom. Wisdom in this context would mean to follow the general Jain Code of ethics and making sure that they do not harm in any way, any living being in the process.

Buddhists: Buddhists believe that sex before marriage is not immoral if there is love and consent between the two parties involved. According to Buddhist precepts, as long as the act of sex does not cause harm to you or another person in any way, it is permissible.

Paganism: According to WitchVox.com, pagans have no set rules against homosexuality, nudity, or premarital sex. However, sex is viewed as the generative force in nature and is seen by most pagans as something utterly sacred. The physical act of love is to be approached with great respect and responsibility.

Hinduism: Hinduism's received moral traditions about premarital sex are rooted in its concept of the stages of life. One of these stages is the life of the celibate student, which precedes the stage of the married householder. Celibacy is considered the appropriate behavior for both male and female students (or unmarried singles who have left school). Hinduism holds this view not because it regards sex as inherently sinful, but because of this belief in certain life stages.

American Baptists: According to the American Baptists, Christian disciples choices about singleness, marriage, parenthood, and living in covenantal, intentional family arrangements are to be made soberly, with prayer, and as integral parts of the Christian's response to God's call in Jesus Christ. We affirm the competence of the individual soul to determine God's will in such matters through the reading and interpreting of Scripture, through dialogue with God, by considering the teaching and counsel of the Christian community, and by seeking and testing the wisdom of sisters and brothers in Christ.

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America: According to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, the Orthodox Church remains faithful to the biblical and traditional norms regarding premarital sexual relations between men and women. The only appropriate and morally fitting place for the exercise of sexual relations, according to the teachings of the Church, is marriage.

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America church's position on promiscuity states that having casual sexual relations is sinful because this does not proceed from or contribute to respect, intimacy, and care of the other. Promiscuity is inconsistent with our identity as Christians (1 Cor. 6:12-20). Being sexually active in order to be popular or only to gratify sexual desire is morally wrong.

Church of the Latter Day Saints: Mormons believe that sexual relations are permitted only with one's spouse of legal marriage. In addition, chastity encompasses more than sex itself. According to Mormon policy statements, the most common sexual sins our young people commit are necking and petting. Not only do these improper relations often lead to fornication, [unwed] pregnancy, and abortions—all ugly sins—but in and of themselves they are pernicious evils, and it is often difficult for youth to distinguish where one ends and another begins.

Presbyterian Church (USA): The teachings of Presbyterian Church (USA) state that total intimacy should happen in a relationship of total commitment, which marriage is intended to be. We advocate responsible behavior, understood as sexual expression that matches the seriousness and permanence of the relationship.

Southern Baptist Convention: According to the Southern Baptist Convention's Faith and Message, Procreation is a gift from God, a precious trust reserved for marriage.

United Methodist Church: The United Methodist Church's policy on sexuality states that sexual relations are only clearly affirmed in the marriage bond. Sex may become exploitative within as well as outside marriage. We reject all sexual expressions that damage or destroy the humanity God has given us as birthright, and we affirm only that sexual expression that enhances that same humanity.

Vocational expressions of chastity

Marriage

In the context of traditional marriage, the spouses commit to a lifelong relationship which excludes the possibility of sexual intimacy with other persons. The Roman Catholic Church also forbids masturbation, and non-procreative sexuality within the confines of marriage while most Protestant Christian denominations disagree. Some see prohibition of unitive, non-procreative marriage as a heretical position, similar to that of the Apostoloci. Many in the Catholic church seek to reform this position on Chastity, for example, see the Winnipeg Statement.

Marriage may also carry the following rights and obligations, although no society has all, and none are universal: establishing the legal father of a woman's child; establishing the legal mother of a man's child; giving the husband or his family control over the wife's sexual services, labor, and/or property; giving the wife or her family control over the husband's sexual services, labor, and/or property; establishes a joint fund of property for the benefit of children; and establishing a relationship between the families of the husband and wife.

Marriage has traditionally been a prerequisite for starting a family, which usually serves as the building block of a community and society. Thus, marriage not only serves the interests of the two individuals, but also the interests of their children and the society of which they are a part.

In most of the world's major religions, marriage is traditionally a prerequisite for sexual intercourse. Unmarried people are not supposed to have sex, which is then called fornication and is socially discouraged or even criminalized. Sex with a married person other than one's spouse, called adultery, is even less acceptable and has also often been considered a crime, especially in the case of a person who is a representative of the government (e.g. president, prime minister, political representative, school teacher, or military officer).

Virginity

Virginity, the physical state of innocent sexual purity, has often been a requirement for certain religious functions, especially as priests and priestesses. For example, Vestal Virgins in Ancient Rome were required to be virgins, and remain so until they left office at about age 40.

The status of virginity is respected and valued in certain societies, particularly when there are religious views regarding sexual conduct before marriage. A woman who is a virgin is also sometimes referred to as a maiden.

Female virginity is closely interwoven with personal or even family honor in many cultures. Traditionally in some cultures, there has been a widespread belief that the loss of virginity before marriage is a matter of deep shame. In some cultures (for example the Bantu of South Africa), virginity testing or even surgical procedures guaranteeing premarital abstinence (infibulation) are commonplace. This would typically involve personal inspection by a female elder.

In Western marriage ceremonies, brides traditionally wear veils and white wedding dresses, which are inaccurately believed by many people to be symbols of virginity. In fact, wearing white is a comparatively recent custom among western brides, who previously wore whatever colors they wished or simply their "best dress." Wearing white became a matter first of trendy fashion and then of custom and tradition only over the course of the nineteenth century.

Celibacy

Celibacy refers to an individual having decided to refrain from sexual activity (sexual abstinence), or to remain unmarried. Also known as "consecrated virginity," celebacy usually refers to ordained clergy or persons in religious orders, and is an avowed way of living in which the person forsakes all sexual gratification.

Common reasons to deliberately abstain from the physical expression of sexual desire include religious or philosophical reasons (such as chastity), material reasons (to prevent undesired pregnancy or Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) transmission), or to conform to legal injunctions.

Some religions require celibacy of their priests, regarding sexual purity as essential in order to perform the rites and rituals that connect the people to heaven. Others regard the priestly function more in terms of ministering to the people, and thus a healthy marriage is considered as good if not better than celibacy. In monastic orders, a vow of sexual abstinence is often viewed as essential in order to align one's mind and spirit to the path of spiritual growth, renouncing cares of the physical world, which include sexual relationships. Philosophers, too, have taken this path.

The Roman Catholic Church requires a promise of celibacy prior to ordination to the diaconate by both secular clerics and religious in perpetual vows. Married men can be ordained only by dispensation of the Holy See. Currently, this dispensation is given only to married men, ordained in another denomination, who convert. Widowers with children can be ordained. By contrast, marriage is accepted or even encouraged for priests in the Anglican and many Protestant churches.

Vows of chastity can also be taken by laypersons, either as part of an organized religious life (such as Roman Catholic Beguines and Beghardss) or on an individual basis, as a voluntary act of devotion and/or as part of an ascetic lifestyle, often devoted to contemplation. The voluntary aspect has led it to being included among the counsels of perfection.

In the Eastern Orthodox Church traditions, celibacy is not required of secular priests but is required in monastic orders, from which bishops are selected. In all three traditions, celibacy is almost always required of monastics—monks, nuns, and friars—even in a rare system of double cloisters, in which husbands could enter the (men's) monastery while their wives entered a (women's) sister monastery.

Anglicanism does not require celibacy of its heterosexual clergy, and rather favors married clergy—the vicar's wife is considered part of a typical parish. Most Protestant traditions allow clergy to marry; the Mormons even used to encourage polygamy, and certain subsects still do.

In some religions, celibate monastic life is commonly practiced as a temporary phase, as by many men in Buddhism.

For many, however, celibacy is seen as unnatural, even unhealthy. While debate persists on this issue, religious teachings maintain that fidelity within marriage is vital to the sacrament and to the health of the marriage and ensuing family. Beliefs in the sacredness of marriage and human sexuality provide reasons for abstinence prior to marriage, fidelity to one's spouse after marriage, and lifelong abstinence if a person does not marry.

Chastity in contemporary culture

Popular culture in the Western world takes sexual activity outside of marriage as a given. Whether it is the steamy love scenes in the movie Titanic or the provocative images on the latest music videos, young teenagers are increasingly immersed in an erotic world. The results are quite evident if you just look around the campuses of most American middle schools. Many young girls, barely into their teens, look and act like prostitutes. While civil libertarians would be outraged at the idea of Bibles being given away to teenagers in such a venue, the fact that condoms and abortions should be made available without parental knowledge or consent seems normal to them.

Teenage promiscuity still causes some concerns in our society, but adult promiscuity, on the other hand, hardly raises an eyebrow anymore. As late as the 1950s and 1960s, it was called "living in sin" and was actually illegal in virtually every state of the Union. Today, according to American Demographics magazine, the most common household composition in the United States (32 percent) consists of an unmarried couple without children (December 2000, p. 59). Meanwhile, premarital sexual activity is something that most churches do not talk about anymore.

What are the consequences of these attitudes and behaviors? All of the hippie-era talk of "free love" has proven to be quite a misnomer. It was not real love, and it has been anything but free. Many social ills have resulted, including growing numbers of illegitimate births, single-parent households, abortions, and sexually transmitted diseases. But that is not all. Both domestic violence and child abuse occur with far greater frequency in households where the partners are not married to one another, but are merely "shacking up." Further, contemporary culture's attack on "modesty" has led to other problems, like sexual harassment, date rape, young women who suffer from eating disorders and report feeling a lack of control over their bodies. What once was called "making love," and then "having sex," is now "hooking up," an impersonal act like airplanes refueling in flight.

The point is that this world does not offer a very healthy set of values and attitudes to children. Some parents, when looking at the influence of school, media, and peer groups, are ready to give up and conclude that it is a lost cause. Many "baby boomers," looking back on the excesses of their own youth, have lacked both the moral certainty and the courage to give their own children strong values. Without moral certainty, it is impossible to have firm values to convey. As the twentieth century progressed, the Bible was increasingly ignored, and belief in a sovereign Creator gave way to belief in evolution, with moral ambiguity replacing moral certainty in the process.

Abstinence education

Chastity and purity are guardians of the sanctity of marriage and the family. The family is the basic building block of society. No nation can be stronger than its homes. Chastity and purity are qualities that can only be passed on to the next generation if they are not only deeply valued and cherished, but also actively taught and encouraged. Sexual-abstenence education is based on the premise that it is possible to teach chastity in an unchaste world.

Sexual abstinence is the practice of voluntarily refraining from some or all aspects of sexual activity. Common reasons to deliberately abstain from the physical expression of sexual desire include religious or philosophical reasons (e.g. chastity); material reasons (to prevent an undesired pregnancy or STD transmission); psycho-sociological reasons (e.g. clinical depression, social anxiety disorder); negative past experiences' or to conform to legal injunctions.

Federal funding for abstinence education is on the rise: a proposed $191 million dollars for 2008, up $28 million from 2007. But recent studies are raising questions, finding no difference in sexual activity between kids with abstinence education and those without.

Proponents of abstinence say the studies are not reflective of the nearly 700 abstinence programs in progress. And muddying the waters further is the fact that before the big push for abstinence, and since 1991, teenage pregnancy and birth rates have been falling. Abstinence advocates recommend it as a way to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Without sexual contact, it is virtually impossible to conceive a child (other than through artificial insemination). By avoiding exposure of the sexual organs to other people, one will also avoid the sexual transmission of many diseases (STDs). Note, however, that many STDs can also be transmitted non-sexually.

Abstinence advocates also claim other benefits, such as the freedom from teenage pregnancy and resulting ability to focus on education and preparing for their future.

Many critics of abstinence promotion programs claim that these programs are not an effective way to decrease the occurrence of diseases and unwanted pregnancies. While supporters claim that abstinence is the only 100-percent successful birth-control method, detractors point out that abstinence is 100-percent effective only with perfect use. Detractors further claim that human nature leads to a high failure rate in practice.

While some teens may have weak sexual desire or few sexual opportunities and thus be able to maintain abstinence successfully, others will have stronger desires, more opportunities or act under the influence of drugs, and will in these situations not be prepared to take precautions (using condoms or other contraceptives). Worse, they may consider the independent acquisition of information about precautionary measures shameful and avoid it altogether.

Organizations such as SIECUS have called abstinence-only programs "fear-based," "designed to control young people’s sexual behavior by instilling fear, shame, and guilt." Author Judith Levine has argued that there might be a natural tendency of abstinence educators to escalate their messages: "Like advertising, which must continually jack up its seduction just to stay visible as other advertising proliferates, abstinence education had to make sex scarier and scarier and, at the same time, chastity sweeter." (Harmful to Minors, p.108)

In spite of these criticisms, abstinence has become the de facto focus of sex education in the United States, so that opponents frequently adopt the line that abstinence education is acceptable only if it is combined with other methods, such as instruction in the use of condoms and their easy availability. Most nations of Western Europe use more comprehensive measures, and in sharp contrast to the heated discussion in the United States, abstinence is hardly discussed as an educational measure.

The U.S. federal government has promoted an abstinence-only program aimed at teens since 1981 in order to discourage premarital sexual behavior and unwanted pregnancies. However, recent studies have shown the ineffectiveness of this program. The Responsible Education About Life Act was introduced by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Representatives Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Christopher Shays (R-CT) to support age-appropriate sexual education. This program is focused to provide teenagers with science-based information on sexual health so that they could make a sound decision regarding their sex life.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Evert, Jason. If You Really Love Me: 100 Questions on Dating, Relationships, and Sexual Purity, Catholic Answers, 2003. ISBN 978-1569553695
• Krishnamurti, J. The Mirror of Relationship: Love, Sex, and Chastity, Krishnamurti Publications of America, 2007. ISBN 978-1888004908
• Levine, Judith. Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children from Sex, Thunder's Mouth Press, 2003. ISBN 978-1560255161
• Padgett, Chris, & Padgett, Linda. Not Ready for Marriage, Not Ready for Sex: One Couple's Return to Chastity, Servant Publications, 2006. ISBN 978-0867167450
• Panzer, Richard. Relationship Training: A Course in Character and Relationships, Center For Educational Media, 2000. ISBN 978-1888933130
• Suell, Tamara A. The Single Man's Guide to Chastity, PublishAmerica, 2006. ISBN 978-1424104840

External links

• Catechism of the Catholic Church (III.2.I)
• Early Shaker Writings Relating to Sexual Abstinence

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