Abstain from playing high school football, and you may possibly enjoy the greater health of your knees than most football players you know. The risk of knee injury is much lower when abstaining from playing football on the JV or varsity teams at your local high school.
Once you reach college, the same rule applies. Even after college, if you don't play pro football, your risk of knee surgery or associated problems may remain low.
The above examples seem obvious, and not everyone is cut out to play football nor has the ability to develop into a football player. But everyone from age twelve and up wants to have sex; at least they know that sometime in their lifetime, they would wish to participate in the truly blessed "God's gift to women, (and men)." Sexual satisfaction may be possible in many contexts, but the best is the sexual attraction and the culmination of the relationship within the context of a devoted and spiritually- minded man who is married to a devoted woman; a couple who in all aspects, truly search one thing: the best they can give for their lover. Those who abstain from this world's weird ideas of sex at no cost, sex just for the "feel good" nature of it, and sex on demand, (which has its tendencies toward criminal actions, rape, incest, and murder), can leave all these unsatisfactory ways behind and have a rich marriage to build on for their future.
In this world's topsy-turvy mindset, we may want to examine why so many people can't recognize such a God given gift. Not recognizing God for who and what He is normally is the beginning of this explanation. And I caution all people, this is not about religion. Life is both physical and spiritual, and it is a mystery how they work together. I can also guarantee you that I DO NOT know everything about life yet, and it will take dying to get it done. Still, wouldn't it be best if we sought what was best for our neighbors and ourselves? Love is defined as seeking what is best for the one you love.
So, those of you who wish to separate love from sexual contact, tell me something: where do you slip on the "spiritual condom," to prevent any love feelings from crossing between sexual partners? It can't be done, and that raises a problem. Some will fall in love during the sex, some just before, some immediately after. A woman will internalize feelings that a man does not-hence the questions "Why doesn't he call me?" and "When will he call?" to finally, just, "Will he call?"
This "fun" existence can be put away through abstinence. Double standards produce death in relationships, because it's so hard to raise a spiritually dead man from his double standard existence, with its glowing appeal of no responsibilities, do as you may, and let the girl take care of any problems she may have. Those problems will not bother his conscience.
What about full disclosure? I'm all for that! Fully disclose the STDs that may be contracted, even without fully participating in intercourse, because there are so many places that they may enter the body. Fully disclose the pregnancy rates, and try to separate them down between the double standard studs flying around the world vs. the careless, or ignorant guys who think, "Well, I'll fulfill my responsibility by__________." Just know that when it's time to fill in the blank, he may be thinking abortion while she may be thinking family. Not filling in the blank before hand is not my idea of full disclosure. On the other hand, he may think of marrying her while she is not interested. Still again, fill in the blank first. Commitment, anyone? That's what we ask with abstinence. A commitment, not only to an idea, but to a lifestyle, one that says, "We wish to have a better marriage, so we should have a better courtship.
The give-up attitude of "They're going to do it anyway," is a loser's mentality, and you are welcome to it if you wish. Sure, educate your twelve-year-old about everything; perhaps he will prevent pregnancy altogether by choosing homosexuality. But wait, homosexuality is not chosen, it's inborn; at least, isn't that what we are told over and over by those in that community? Still, you could tolerate that, couldn't you? (I wonder if there are homosexual groups teaching abstinence before marriage? There seem to be two or three states available to travel to for the ceremony when necessary.) Anyway, your twelve-year-old now knows all he needs to know about sex. Should he start today? wait awhile? at least until he's sixteen? Or should we even be concerned? Will he remember it all? OF course not. We will have to constantly remind him of what to do, like any other kid. Don't you at least think sex is for grown adults and not kids, though?
So, for the results:
Abstain always: NO pregnancies or STDs noted. It works every time!
Use birth control: Few pregnancies or STDs, but there are some.
Use your head and pick the right person for yourself: An iffy proposition, at best. Pregnancy and STDs affect some.
Double Standard Studs: Try to teach your daughters how to avoid them. And WHY to avoid them. I'm sure they will listen to you. They always have in the past. (Hmmmm?) There will be very few pregnancies here to be carried full term; the rest, well how will we know?
Which of these groups do you think has the healthiest attitude toward sexual relations and all other states of arousal?
So many of these problems were exacerbated in the late sixties, not by the fight for abortion on demand, but by no-fault divorce. This was given so that it would be easier for women to get out of those horrible, abusive relationships that we wouldn't want anyone subjected to. But it made it easy for men, too. The unintended consequence caused a loosening of the mores of a society which once held marriage in high esteem. Now, it is practically a non-entity. "Look, there's that guy, the one that believes in marriage."
"Yeah, what a dweeb. But I gotta say, his wife looks SO good. I pity the fool that tries to touch her. The ridicule he would get from her could be worse than the beating he'd get from him."
"Sure, but these are rare circumstances. That is one rare couple over there. No one believes in marriage that strongly anymore."
So society is content to live within the dregs of their shifting mores. Teaching abstinence only, without teaching about all the gross mistakes of the world's way, is an error I don't think is good for anyone. Meanwhile, for those of you who teach that participation is inevitable, let the school handle all that education as they do, your irresponsibility is that you are teaching them to participate, in whatever fashion they choose. That is the shame of it.