Did you know . . . ?

Kristin Thiele looks at some of the stats and facts relating to the potential risks involved with sexual activity.

Many Christian young people are getting excited about the abstinence movement. It’s a movement that has been going for some time now. It encourages people to wait until marriage before having sex. This decision is usually based heavily on the theological realm but there are some great reasons to wait that aren’t based solely on the Bible.

Did you know there are more than 20 different types of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)?1 This isn’t even counting the variety of parasites you can pick up. While most of these infections are not life threatening (if treated), they can be quite uncomfortable and even embarrassing.

Did you know that in 2005, the most common STI in Australia was Chlamydia?2 There were more than 41,000 reported cases.

Those who contract Chlamydia are five times more susceptible to contracting HIV.3 If you are female, Chlamydia can cause difficulties getting pregnant or having a healthy pregnancy.

Did you know that most teenagers want to get married and have children? Did you know that teens who have children outside of wedlock have a significantly higher chance of splitting up with their partners before they are 40, than those who wait until marriage to have children?4 Did you know that a child born to an unwed, teenage mother who did not finish high school has a nine times greater chance of living in poverty?5 Did you know that none of these statistics are going to keep you from having sex? It’s true.

Statistics are not going to be of any use to you. The only thing that is going to keep you from having sex, is you. No-one else can do that.
No amount of information is going to scare you into sexual purity.

You have to make the decision for yourself. And before you start thinking you’ll just let your boyfriend or girlfriend hold the sexual purity line, realise it is a lot of pressure to put on one person.

You cannot have one person in the relationship be in charge of the sexual boundaries because sooner or later, the pressure is going to get too great and they will snap. If that means you suddenly go a lot further than you were anticipating, or whether that means you suddenly break up, depends a lot on the person you are dating.

It’s a scary thought that you can’t rely on someone else to make this decision for you. But it should be of some comfort that you can find people who are willing to make this decision with you.
A good relationship is fun and exciting.

A great relationship is built on trust with two people working together for mutual goals. In relationships, be frank and honest with your partner about how comfortable you are with your physical relationship. Listen to where they are comfortable. Then choose a line that you are both comfortable with.
Don’t ever pressure someone to go further. Don’t ever let someone encourage you to do more than you are ready to do. You are responsible for your body. Don’t let others dictate it to you.

The internet is full of information. If information alone could make us do "the right thing,” we’d have much simpler lives. But lives are complicated. Decisions are often made with misinformation or no information at all. You now have all the information.

What are you going to do with it? Do you know?

The Bible on sex:

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number” (Genesis 1: 27, 28, NIV).
"May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer—may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love” (Proverbs 5:18-19 ).
"How beautiful you are and how pleasing, O love, with your delights!” (Song of Solomon 7:6) (Song of Solomon, also known as the Song of Songs in some Bibles, is the most sexual book of the Bible. Scholars throughout history have attempted to explain or understand the book as an allegory, representing God’s love of Israel, the love of Jesus for the church or even battles. Modern scholars have generally dismissed these interpretations and say Song of Solomon celebrates erotic love between a man and a woman in a mutual relationship.) "The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body” (1 Corinthians 6:13) (1 Corinthians contains around 17 sex-related topics).

"Marriage should be honoured by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral” (Hebrews 13:4).
"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 honourable” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4).
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.

And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
"Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22).

"For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality” (1 Thesalonians 4:2,3).

"Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry. But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. The husband should fulfil his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control” (1 Corinthians 7:1-5).
 

1. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexually_transmitted_disease#Types_and_their_pathogenic_causes>.
2. Year Book Australia 2007 (Health > Communicable Diseases), Australian Bureau of Statistics, <http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/productsbytitle/65A89846FE2C 68B3CA2572360002E3D4?opendocument>.
3. STD Facts—Chlamydia, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USA), <http://www.cdc.gov/std/chlamydia/STDFact-Chlamydia.htm#complications>.
4. Teen Pregnancy, Out-of-Wedlock Births, Healthy Relationships, and Marriage, The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy (USA), <http://www.teenpregnancy. org/wim/pdf/marriage.pdf>.
5. Linking Teen Pregnancy Prevention to Other Critical Social Issues, The National Campaign to Prevent