OneWingedBird
Beloved of Ra
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- Aug 3, 2003
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- 15,431
Purity Balls
- Thread starter rynner2
- Start date
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Has US abstinence policy failed?
By Jane O'Brien
BBC News, Washington
US lawmakers are investigating whether to cut government funding for health education programmes that promote sexual abstinence until marriage.
The move follows a report earlier this year from America's leading health agency, the Center for Disease Control, which revealed one in four teenage girls has a sexually transmitted disease.
Opponents of abstinence education say the approach ignores the fact that teenagers are sexually active and fails to give them accurate medical information or advice on safer sex.
"We get sex-ed classes in school and that should be where teens get the right information - but that isn't happening," says 15-year-old Mildred, from Arizona, who volunteers as a peer educator with the pro-choice organisation Planned Parenthood.
"They don't touch on subjects like sexuality, STDs (sexually transmitted diseases), birth control - it's not allowed because of abstinence-only education. It leaves you on a cliff-hanger - and a lot of teenagers become sexually active in their middle school years."
"Teens are curious and they want to experiment and if they know what's out there and they have the correct information, they're going to know how to protect themselves and prevent an unwanted pregnancy and an STD," adds Maryland high school student Melissa.
"Putting up a wall and saying 'don't have sex' makes them more curious and wanting to know what it is. But if you tell them the straight facts they're going to know how to protect themselves. It's about taking care of yourself."
Teen pregnancy
Planned Parenthood estimates that two thirds of teenagers will have experienced sexual intercourse by the time they leave school.
And with some 750,000 teenage pregnancies a year, America has one of the highest teen birth rates in the developed world.
"This national programme which has wasted $1.5bn (£750m) of tax money is a failure and our teens are paying the price," says Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood.
"We've been wasting money on programmes that don't work and we're seeing the consequences every single day."
State governments receive federal money they must match to fund abstinence programmes.
At least 17 states have opted out of the system and others have suspended funding while Congress investigates whether such programmes work.
Critics say there is no evidence that they delay sexual activity and teenagers who have taken a vow of virginity are less likely to use protection if they break their promise.
Religious right
Roger Norman, a Texas lawyer, describes himself as being part of the religious right.
He runs an organization called Wonderful Days which does not receive government funding but teaches abstinence as part of the health curriculum in some local schools.
"I am convinced that abstinence is the only way for kids," he says. "You begin by teaching the consequences of bad behaviour and the benefits of proper behaviour and you do that in a way that a child can grasp.
"Self control leads to a happy, joyful life. If we can learn to control the most basic of drives - the sex drive - for good, then we can control drugs, gangs, alcohol and abusive anger."
His lessons promote marriage and virginity - for both partners - as an ideal.
They emphasise disease as a consequence of sex before marriage.
Some of his former students say that sexual abstinence is sensible and beneficial.
Eighteen-year-old Ashley says she believes teenagers who experiment with sex are laying the foundations for troubled relationships later in life.
"At some point everybody ends up getting married. Everybody wants commitment at some point and nobody likes to be cheated on.
"But a lot of the young people I know who go around have experiences with lots of different people are just preparing themselves for not knowing how to be committed to somebody.
"Once you get into the practice of doing whatever you want, it's hard to change when you're older."
Sixteen-year-old Josh says he relies on friends to help him stay abstinent.
"I have a lot of close friends and we pretty much agree on the same thing so we keep each other in line most of the time. Yes, it's difficult, but my friends are there and I'm there for them, and it gets easier if you have friends who agree with you."
"I'm pretty confident I can keep my abstinence vows," says 15-year-old Kirsten. "It was pretty hard reaching that decision, because living in this world today, it's almost expected of you to 'do it.' But with my religious upbringing and convictions and commonsense, it's really not that hard."
"Secondary virgins"
Teenagers who do have sex before marriage are given another chance by becoming "secondary virgins".
"Of course, if you view virginity as number one, and you've slept with someone, of course it's going to be different and you can never go back - but that doesn't mean there's no tomorrow," explains Ashley.
"Every day is a new decision and abstinence is not one you make once. You're going to have to make this decision over and over again. So if you fail once, you get back up and you try again."
The row over abstinence education is part of a much wider debate in the US about "family values".
Many conservatives are concerned that "American values" are being eroded.
But their opponents believe that the conservatives have an overly influential political voice, particularly within the current Bush administration.
For liberals, the campaign to roll back the abstinence programmes is part of a broader struggle against what they regard as reactionary elements in the US government.
Pro-abstinence campaigners say it is unfair to blame abstinence programmes for America's teenage health crisis.
Valerie Huber, chief executive of the National Abstinence Education Association, says only one in four schools teaches abstinence - the vast majority use comprehensive sex education.
That, she says is the real reason for the rise in STDs and teenage pregnancies.
"We would argue that abstinence education is not an ideological approach. We know that in the area of teen sexual activity, abstinence is the optimal approach.
"Compare this with healthful eating. We know that obesity is rising in America. That doesn't mean though that we minimise the optimal health message."
"We still stress good eating habits, we still stress exercise, knowing that, unfortunately, many Americans are not going to listen."
If Congress does decide to cut government funding for abstinence programmes, they will still continue.
Many enjoy public support and will likely find money elsewhere.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7368219.stm
By Jane O'Brien
BBC News, Washington
US lawmakers are investigating whether to cut government funding for health education programmes that promote sexual abstinence until marriage.
The move follows a report earlier this year from America's leading health agency, the Center for Disease Control, which revealed one in four teenage girls has a sexually transmitted disease.
Opponents of abstinence education say the approach ignores the fact that teenagers are sexually active and fails to give them accurate medical information or advice on safer sex.
"We get sex-ed classes in school and that should be where teens get the right information - but that isn't happening," says 15-year-old Mildred, from Arizona, who volunteers as a peer educator with the pro-choice organisation Planned Parenthood.
"They don't touch on subjects like sexuality, STDs (sexually transmitted diseases), birth control - it's not allowed because of abstinence-only education. It leaves you on a cliff-hanger - and a lot of teenagers become sexually active in their middle school years."
"Teens are curious and they want to experiment and if they know what's out there and they have the correct information, they're going to know how to protect themselves and prevent an unwanted pregnancy and an STD," adds Maryland high school student Melissa.
"Putting up a wall and saying 'don't have sex' makes them more curious and wanting to know what it is. But if you tell them the straight facts they're going to know how to protect themselves. It's about taking care of yourself."
Teen pregnancy
Planned Parenthood estimates that two thirds of teenagers will have experienced sexual intercourse by the time they leave school.
And with some 750,000 teenage pregnancies a year, America has one of the highest teen birth rates in the developed world.
"This national programme which has wasted $1.5bn (£750m) of tax money is a failure and our teens are paying the price," says Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood.
"We've been wasting money on programmes that don't work and we're seeing the consequences every single day."
State governments receive federal money they must match to fund abstinence programmes.
At least 17 states have opted out of the system and others have suspended funding while Congress investigates whether such programmes work.
Critics say there is no evidence that they delay sexual activity and teenagers who have taken a vow of virginity are less likely to use protection if they break their promise.
Religious right
Roger Norman, a Texas lawyer, describes himself as being part of the religious right.
He runs an organization called Wonderful Days which does not receive government funding but teaches abstinence as part of the health curriculum in some local schools.
"I am convinced that abstinence is the only way for kids," he says. "You begin by teaching the consequences of bad behaviour and the benefits of proper behaviour and you do that in a way that a child can grasp.
"Self control leads to a happy, joyful life. If we can learn to control the most basic of drives - the sex drive - for good, then we can control drugs, gangs, alcohol and abusive anger."
His lessons promote marriage and virginity - for both partners - as an ideal.
They emphasise disease as a consequence of sex before marriage.
Some of his former students say that sexual abstinence is sensible and beneficial.
Eighteen-year-old Ashley says she believes teenagers who experiment with sex are laying the foundations for troubled relationships later in life.
"At some point everybody ends up getting married. Everybody wants commitment at some point and nobody likes to be cheated on.
"But a lot of the young people I know who go around have experiences with lots of different people are just preparing themselves for not knowing how to be committed to somebody.
"Once you get into the practice of doing whatever you want, it's hard to change when you're older."
Sixteen-year-old Josh says he relies on friends to help him stay abstinent.
"I have a lot of close friends and we pretty much agree on the same thing so we keep each other in line most of the time. Yes, it's difficult, but my friends are there and I'm there for them, and it gets easier if you have friends who agree with you."
"I'm pretty confident I can keep my abstinence vows," says 15-year-old Kirsten. "It was pretty hard reaching that decision, because living in this world today, it's almost expected of you to 'do it.' But with my religious upbringing and convictions and commonsense, it's really not that hard."
"Secondary virgins"
Teenagers who do have sex before marriage are given another chance by becoming "secondary virgins".
"Of course, if you view virginity as number one, and you've slept with someone, of course it's going to be different and you can never go back - but that doesn't mean there's no tomorrow," explains Ashley.
"Every day is a new decision and abstinence is not one you make once. You're going to have to make this decision over and over again. So if you fail once, you get back up and you try again."
The row over abstinence education is part of a much wider debate in the US about "family values".
Many conservatives are concerned that "American values" are being eroded.
But their opponents believe that the conservatives have an overly influential political voice, particularly within the current Bush administration.
For liberals, the campaign to roll back the abstinence programmes is part of a broader struggle against what they regard as reactionary elements in the US government.
Pro-abstinence campaigners say it is unfair to blame abstinence programmes for America's teenage health crisis.
Valerie Huber, chief executive of the National Abstinence Education Association, says only one in four schools teaches abstinence - the vast majority use comprehensive sex education.
That, she says is the real reason for the rise in STDs and teenage pregnancies.
"We would argue that abstinence education is not an ideological approach. We know that in the area of teen sexual activity, abstinence is the optimal approach.
"Compare this with healthful eating. We know that obesity is rising in America. That doesn't mean though that we minimise the optimal health message."
"We still stress good eating habits, we still stress exercise, knowing that, unfortunately, many Americans are not going to listen."
If Congress does decide to cut government funding for abstinence programmes, they will still continue.
Many enjoy public support and will likely find money elsewhere.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7368219.stm
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
They're still going strong:
A virgin army proclaiming the thrill of the chaste
The American ‘purity movement’ is growing fast. Meets the girls who won’t even kiss before marriage and their highly protective fathers
...
One can only imagine what the good people of Colorado Springs think of Bristol Palin, the pregnant 17-year-old daughter of John McCain’s running mate – but their sympathy will definitely be with the girl’s parents. Even the purity movement’s rituals – I witnessed one father giving solemn blessings to five daughters in turn – hark back to another age. I’d gone to Colorado Springs in May for Channel 4 to film a group of girls, one of them aged just five, as they prepared for the annual Father-Daughter Purity Ball at the Broad-moor hotel.
This ball is considered the apogee of the purity movement. Dressed in elegant gowns, the girls arrived with their dates – their fathers. Then, to the accompaniment of Hollywood film scores, they gathered round a large wooden cross to pledge their troth to remain pure.
Taking a leading role was Randy Wilson, the father of Lauren and Khrystian, who believes that the key to a girl’s purity – and future happiness – lies in the quality of her relationship with her dad. As a father of five girls ranging from five to 22, he reckons he knows a thing or two about raising women.
“There is a core question that women have in their being, and that is: ‘Am I beauti-ful? Am I worthy of being pursued?’ ” he explained. “It must be enforced by the father, the man in their life. If they do not get that reinforced by the father, they will go outside the home to get the answer to that question.”
It was Randy and his wife, Lisa, who came up with the idea of the ball – now in its ninth year and attended by about 130 girls. Mothers are also invited, but often don’t come, and there is usually a smattering of brothers.
A three-course dinner, without alcohol, is followed by the signing of a covenant: each dad intones: “I choose before God to cover my daughter as her authority and protection in the area of purity.”
etc...
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life ... 793419.ece
A virgin army proclaiming the thrill of the chaste
The American ‘purity movement’ is growing fast. Meets the girls who won’t even kiss before marriage and their highly protective fathers
...
One can only imagine what the good people of Colorado Springs think of Bristol Palin, the pregnant 17-year-old daughter of John McCain’s running mate – but their sympathy will definitely be with the girl’s parents. Even the purity movement’s rituals – I witnessed one father giving solemn blessings to five daughters in turn – hark back to another age. I’d gone to Colorado Springs in May for Channel 4 to film a group of girls, one of them aged just five, as they prepared for the annual Father-Daughter Purity Ball at the Broad-moor hotel.
This ball is considered the apogee of the purity movement. Dressed in elegant gowns, the girls arrived with their dates – their fathers. Then, to the accompaniment of Hollywood film scores, they gathered round a large wooden cross to pledge their troth to remain pure.
Taking a leading role was Randy Wilson, the father of Lauren and Khrystian, who believes that the key to a girl’s purity – and future happiness – lies in the quality of her relationship with her dad. As a father of five girls ranging from five to 22, he reckons he knows a thing or two about raising women.
“There is a core question that women have in their being, and that is: ‘Am I beauti-ful? Am I worthy of being pursued?’ ” he explained. “It must be enforced by the father, the man in their life. If they do not get that reinforced by the father, they will go outside the home to get the answer to that question.”
It was Randy and his wife, Lisa, who came up with the idea of the ball – now in its ninth year and attended by about 130 girls. Mothers are also invited, but often don’t come, and there is usually a smattering of brothers.
A three-course dinner, without alcohol, is followed by the signing of a covenant: each dad intones: “I choose before God to cover my daughter as her authority and protection in the area of purity.”
etc...
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life ... 793419.ece
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2003
- Messages
- 672
I just don't get it. How do you get through your teenage years not knowing what sex is? I knew what it was at 10 years old and not because of some paedophile or sex education class but because of magazines.
Do these people not read, or watch TV, or look out their windows?
Do they look at the vending machines in toilets and think they're selling balloons?
Do they think IUDs are some kind of whisk?
Do these people not read, or watch TV, or look out their windows?
Do they look at the vending machines in toilets and think they're selling balloons?
Do they think IUDs are some kind of whisk?
PeniG
Justified & Ancient
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2003
- Messages
- 2,434
Although it is true that bad sex education is an integral part of the "purity" movement, the decision to abstain does not require ignorance of sex. One could make a well-informed personal decision against sex out of wedlock, for sex out of wedlock, for or against birth control, etc. The capacity of a human being to remain ignorant even when presented with educational opportunities should not be underestimated. And girls do not accidentally see birth control devices. I'm pushing 50 and don't know what an IUD looks like. Condoms are not for sale in most women's restrooms.
In practice, most Americans-for-abstinence are very much against the public disemination of accurate reproductive information, and do not trust their daughters to make their own decisions. One result is an increased teen pregnancy rate.
Mr. Wilson does have hold of one important principle which should be more widely known and more intelligently implemented - girls who feel loved within their families don't have the drive to go out and fill the gap in their chests in the back seats of cars or by deliberately getting pregnant because babies will love them. A good relationship with your parents is a powerful counterweight against all sorts of potentially destructive behavior, from intoxication to unwise sexual practices. In San Antonio, programs that address the mother-daughter bond have had good success in keeping girls from high-risk demographics in school, out of gangs, and pregnancy/STD free.
What I object to in a purity ball is the emphasis on sex, the infantilization of daughters, and the unrealistic standards to which the teens are being held. Absolute monogamy is an ideal. In real life, it is seldom achieved, and the attempt to do so causes considerable practical misery. Sexual and romantic relationships take skill; most of us have to practice before we get it right, and your first love is usually a jerk.
In practice, most Americans-for-abstinence are very much against the public disemination of accurate reproductive information, and do not trust their daughters to make their own decisions. One result is an increased teen pregnancy rate.
Mr. Wilson does have hold of one important principle which should be more widely known and more intelligently implemented - girls who feel loved within their families don't have the drive to go out and fill the gap in their chests in the back seats of cars or by deliberately getting pregnant because babies will love them. A good relationship with your parents is a powerful counterweight against all sorts of potentially destructive behavior, from intoxication to unwise sexual practices. In San Antonio, programs that address the mother-daughter bond have had good success in keeping girls from high-risk demographics in school, out of gangs, and pregnancy/STD free.
What I object to in a purity ball is the emphasis on sex, the infantilization of daughters, and the unrealistic standards to which the teens are being held. Absolute monogamy is an ideal. In real life, it is seldom achieved, and the attempt to do so causes considerable practical misery. Sexual and romantic relationships take skill; most of us have to practice before we get it right, and your first love is usually a jerk.
Kondoru
Beloved of Ra
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2003
- Messages
- 10,645
Dammit, I missed my chance.
I should have married my father just after my mother died and not waited for `her` to come along...
But Penis right, a good father daughter relationship is healthy.
Unfortunatley not many girls seem to have a male role model these days.
I should have married my father just after my mother died and not waited for `her` to come along...
But Penis right, a good father daughter relationship is healthy.
Unfortunatley not many girls seem to have a male role model these days.
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2003
- Messages
- 672
PeniG said:
I was referring to someone earlier comment about girls getting pregnant because they don't know what sex is. I should have quoted the post sorry, it does seem out of place now that I look at it
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2002
- Messages
- 1,523
How I love the "Freudian slip" :lol: .Kondoru said:
ramonmercado
CyberPunk
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2003
- Messages
- 58,223
- Location
- Eblana
ArthurASCII said:
I can never get one one to fit me.
Why don't they make those slips in xxl? :?:- Joined
- Aug 23, 2001
- Messages
- 1,587
I always prefer to say 'Freudian slit'.
PeniG
Justified & Ancient
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2003
- Messages
- 2,434
Now you know why I'm anal about the use of apostrophes. I had to take all the possessive forms of my name off my website because search engines were returning unpunctuate results and it disturbed teachers googling me.
In the game of Munchkin Bites, one of the treasures you can get is the "Schadenfreudian Slip," a garment which gives the possessor benefits when Bad Stuff happens to other players.
In the game of Munchkin Bites, one of the treasures you can get is the "Schadenfreudian Slip," a garment which gives the possessor benefits when Bad Stuff happens to other players.
GNC
King-Sized Canary
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2001
- Messages
- 33,634
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... 8381.story
I'm surprised they recognised each other at the altar. What if they find out they don't like each other after all that not getting to know one another?
I'm surprised they recognised each other at the altar. What if they find out they don't like each other after all that not getting to know one another?
JamesWhitehead
Piffle Prospector
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2001
- Messages
- 14,199
"He found other ways to show LaLuz his passion—like by cleaning her car. And washing the dishes"
That Loft Conversion so far . . .
"Hello, I've come about your conversion."
"Yes but no sex, is that OK?"
"Three thousand quid sound right?"
"Make it four and I'll throw in a good hiding!" :shock:
That Loft Conversion so far . . .
"Hello, I've come about your conversion."
"Yes but no sex, is that OK?"
"Three thousand quid sound right?"
"Make it four and I'll throw in a good hiding!" :shock:
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Why chastity pledges by U.S. teenagers don't always ring true
By Paul Thompson
Last updated at 8:22 AM on 30th December 2008
Teenagers who vow to remain virgins until they marry are just as likely to have pre-marital sex as other young people, a study has found.
But they are less likely to use birth control when they do sleep with a partner.
The idea of abstaining from sex until marriage has gained wider popularity in the U.S. in the last decade. The Jonas Brothers, a three-piece boy band, are among those vowing to wait until they are married.
Teenagers taking such a pledge often wear a ring, part of a movement known as The Silver Ring Thing.
But the American study of almost 1,000 14-18 year olds found very few of those who promised to abstain from sex were able to keep their word.
Researchers compared students who had taken a virginity pledge with those who hadn't.
There was no difference in the rates of pre-marital sex, the number of sexual partners or even the age when they started having sex.
However the virginity pledgers were 10 per cent less likely to use a condom and overall less likely to use any form of contraception.
'Taking a pledge doesn't seem to make any difference at all in any sexual behaviour,' said researcher Janet Rosenbaum of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland.
'But it does seem to make a striking difference in condom use and other forms of birth control.'
Miss Rosenbaum, whose results will be published in the journal Pediatrics, said religious teenagers tended to delay having sex but that had nothing to do with virginity pledges or sex education.
'Sex education programmes for teens who take pledges tend to be very negative and inaccurate about condom and birth control information,' Rosenbaum added.
A spokesman from The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy said youngsters should be encouraged to delay having sex but also needed the facts about safe sex.
'When pledgers fell off the wagon, they fell off hard,' he said.
'What have we gained if we encourage young people only to delay sex until they are older but when they do become sexually active, they don't protect themselves or their partners?'
The U.S. Government pays out almost £90million a year in grants to groups that promote abstinence among teens.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldne ... -true.html
By Paul Thompson
Last updated at 8:22 AM on 30th December 2008
Teenagers who vow to remain virgins until they marry are just as likely to have pre-marital sex as other young people, a study has found.
But they are less likely to use birth control when they do sleep with a partner.
The idea of abstaining from sex until marriage has gained wider popularity in the U.S. in the last decade. The Jonas Brothers, a three-piece boy band, are among those vowing to wait until they are married.
Teenagers taking such a pledge often wear a ring, part of a movement known as The Silver Ring Thing.
But the American study of almost 1,000 14-18 year olds found very few of those who promised to abstain from sex were able to keep their word.
Researchers compared students who had taken a virginity pledge with those who hadn't.
There was no difference in the rates of pre-marital sex, the number of sexual partners or even the age when they started having sex.
However the virginity pledgers were 10 per cent less likely to use a condom and overall less likely to use any form of contraception.
'Taking a pledge doesn't seem to make any difference at all in any sexual behaviour,' said researcher Janet Rosenbaum of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland.
'But it does seem to make a striking difference in condom use and other forms of birth control.'
Miss Rosenbaum, whose results will be published in the journal Pediatrics, said religious teenagers tended to delay having sex but that had nothing to do with virginity pledges or sex education.
'Sex education programmes for teens who take pledges tend to be very negative and inaccurate about condom and birth control information,' Rosenbaum added.
A spokesman from The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy said youngsters should be encouraged to delay having sex but also needed the facts about safe sex.
'When pledgers fell off the wagon, they fell off hard,' he said.
'What have we gained if we encourage young people only to delay sex until they are older but when they do become sexually active, they don't protect themselves or their partners?'
The U.S. Government pays out almost £90million a year in grants to groups that promote abstinence among teens.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldne ... -true.html
JamesWhitehead
Piffle Prospector
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2001
- Messages
- 14,199
'When pledgers fell off the wagon, they fell off hard,'
Quite a visual metaphor in the circumstances!
Quite a visual metaphor in the circumstances!
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2005
- Messages
- 170
I recently watched that show about the "ultimate" Purity Ball, including the dad with five daughters. (They have girls as young as four years old there taking virginity pledges!!! :shock: How many 4-year-olds do you know who even know what "virginity" is, much less are capable of forming such a decision?!)
The eldest daughter of the man with these 5 daughters had recently married---apparently with blissful consequences.
Get this: The happy couple had their first ever kiss at the ALTAR on their wedding day!!!
And something that tops even that:
Before the wedding, they had not even held hands! Not even once!
Somebody is crazy here--and I don't think it's any of us!!!
Yes, I guess mandatory burkas will be next.
I just hope I can choose one in some color other than black.
I have a pale complexion, you see, and black makes me look kind of washed-out.
Oh, but wait! That's okay after all---nobody will notice with the veil on!
All is well after all! :tongue:
The eldest daughter of the man with these 5 daughters had recently married---apparently with blissful consequences.
Get this: The happy couple had their first ever kiss at the ALTAR on their wedding day!!!
And something that tops even that:
Before the wedding, they had not even held hands!
Not even once!Somebody is crazy here--and I don't think it's any of us!!!
Yes, I guess mandatory burkas will be next.
I just hope I can choose one in some color other than black.
I have a pale complexion, you see, and black makes me look kind of washed-out.
Oh, but wait! That's okay after all---nobody will notice with the veil on!
All is well after all! :tongue:
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2002
- Messages
- 13,692
This made my day - from Graham Linehan's excellent site, Why That's Delightful: Religious types reach unheard of comedy heights.
Strewth.
Strewth.
Mythopoeika
I am a meat popsicle
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2001
- Messages
- 51,661
- Location
- Inside a starship, watching puny humans from afar
Oh, that made me laugh so hard my ribs hurt. :lol:
Would someone tell me why religious types think masturbation is wrong? To paraphrase Woody Allen, 'at least it's sex with someone you love'. :lol:
Would someone tell me why religious types think masturbation is wrong? To paraphrase Woody Allen, 'at least it's sex with someone you love'. :lol:
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2005
- Messages
- 11,990
Ah! The 'Sin of Onan'.Mythopoeika said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onanism
I hope that clears up any points of dubiety, that you might have had.
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Now you can 'not do it' electronically!
Purity ring iPhone App goes on sale
Young people are now able to take a vow of abstinence on their mobiles with the launch of a purity ring iPhone App by Apple.
By Matthew Moore
Published: 1:45AM BST 15 Jul 2009
The rings are widely worn by Christian students in the United States as public commitments against premarital sex, but this is believed to be the first digital version.
Users of the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch who buy the application take a "purity pledge" on their device, after which a spinning silver ring is displayed on the screen.
The makers hope that it will attract tech-savvy young people to the benefits of refraining from sex until marriage, although it is intended to complement rather than replace existing purity ceremonies at churches.
The application, which was released on Tuesday, is available for $0.99 from the official App Store. It features settings for both genders.
The PurityRing iPhone App is the brainchild of Island Wall Entertainment, which describes itself as the leading Christian iPhone App development agency.
"This is an exciting opportunity to reach a whole new generation of people, on a platform that has never been used to spread this important message," said Henry E Bennett, director of the firm.
Famous wearers of purity rings include US boy band the Jonas Brothers, whose commitment to chastity was mocked by comedian Russell Brand during his notorious presenting appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards last year.
The rings have been slower to catch on in Britain. In 2007 a 16-year-old girl from West Sussex unsuccessfully sued her school for banning her from wearing a purity ring on the grounds that it breached no-jewellery rules.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandte ... -sale.html
Purity ring iPhone App goes on sale
Young people are now able to take a vow of abstinence on their mobiles with the launch of a purity ring iPhone App by Apple.
By Matthew Moore
Published: 1:45AM BST 15 Jul 2009
The rings are widely worn by Christian students in the United States as public commitments against premarital sex, but this is believed to be the first digital version.
Users of the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch who buy the application take a "purity pledge" on their device, after which a spinning silver ring is displayed on the screen.
The makers hope that it will attract tech-savvy young people to the benefits of refraining from sex until marriage, although it is intended to complement rather than replace existing purity ceremonies at churches.
The application, which was released on Tuesday, is available for $0.99 from the official App Store. It features settings for both genders.
The PurityRing iPhone App is the brainchild of Island Wall Entertainment, which describes itself as the leading Christian iPhone App development agency.
"This is an exciting opportunity to reach a whole new generation of people, on a platform that has never been used to spread this important message," said Henry E Bennett, director of the firm.
Famous wearers of purity rings include US boy band the Jonas Brothers, whose commitment to chastity was mocked by comedian Russell Brand during his notorious presenting appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards last year.
The rings have been slower to catch on in Britain. In 2007 a 16-year-old girl from West Sussex unsuccessfully sued her school for banning her from wearing a purity ring on the grounds that it breached no-jewellery rules.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandte ... -sale.html
ramonmercado
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Ginando said:gncxx said:
At the end of the day, there's only two types of men. Wa.kers and liars.
The polite trm now a days is Auto-Eroticist.
So you can call people:
A chronologically enhanced Auto-Eroticist.
A vertically challenged Auto-Eroticist.
A follically challenged Auto-Eroticist.
ramonmercado
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Conservative Christians Are on a Mission in Public Schools
How anti-bullying, sex ed, and even science programs aim to convert students.
Chastity Project, says the key to a happy life is for girls to dress modestly and abstain from sexual intimacy until marriage. He holds a number of inaccurate beliefs about sexually transmitted infections and has a habit of misrepresenting studies in the social sciences. What makes his story interesting is that he is paid to present his views on sexuality and relationships to public school students.
Evert is far from alone. Religious groups keen on getting their messages to teenagers have found an effective way to do it at public expense. They come into public schools under the banner of substance abuse programs, character education, anti-bullying education, or sex education. Then they set aside the education and get down to the business of promoting a religious message, sometimes along with a partisan political agenda.
The problem of faith-based assemblies in public schools is not new, but they are occurring under new guises, and their frequency appears to be growing. These publicly supported proselytizers take advantage of two key trends. Under relentless budgetary pressure, public schools increasingly allow outside groups to develop and manage courses that previously originated inside the school. At the same time, theSupreme Court has set a very high threshold for concerns related to the Establishment Clause, or the separation of church and state—or, in this case, church and school.
Evert is an engaging speaker. At a lecture this fall, an assembly of approximately 800 students in ninth and tenth grade at Canutillo High School in El Paso, Texas, listened to him closely and laughed at his jokes. The lecture cost the school $1,000, which it paid to the crisis pregnancy center House of Hope, which arranged for Evert’s travel to El Paso. The program was titled “Love or Lust: Empowerment, Self-Worth, and the True Meaning of Love.”
When the laughter dies down, however, what the students are left with is a stark view of intimate relationships that is grounded in Evert’s religious convictions and an endorsement of entrenched gender hierarchies. In Evert’s worldview, girls and women are either “pure as snow, all chastity” or “disrespecting themselves.” Men and boys are lustful cads who can’t be blamed for treating “unworthy” girls without respect or dignity.
Evert regularly cites “studies” that support his worldview. Actually, he doesn’t cite studies—he just refers to them. When you locate the studies to which he is most likely referring, they are either of dubious quality or misrepresented. ...
http://www.slate.com/articles/healt...in_public_schools.html?wpsrc=sh_all_dt_tw_bot
How anti-bullying, sex ed, and even science programs aim to convert students.
Chastity Project, says the key to a happy life is for girls to dress modestly and abstain from sexual intimacy until marriage. He holds a number of inaccurate beliefs about sexually transmitted infections and has a habit of misrepresenting studies in the social sciences. What makes his story interesting is that he is paid to present his views on sexuality and relationships to public school students.
Evert is far from alone. Religious groups keen on getting their messages to teenagers have found an effective way to do it at public expense. They come into public schools under the banner of substance abuse programs, character education, anti-bullying education, or sex education. Then they set aside the education and get down to the business of promoting a religious message, sometimes along with a partisan political agenda.
The problem of faith-based assemblies in public schools is not new, but they are occurring under new guises, and their frequency appears to be growing. These publicly supported proselytizers take advantage of two key trends. Under relentless budgetary pressure, public schools increasingly allow outside groups to develop and manage courses that previously originated inside the school. At the same time, theSupreme Court has set a very high threshold for concerns related to the Establishment Clause, or the separation of church and state—or, in this case, church and school.
Evert is an engaging speaker. At a lecture this fall, an assembly of approximately 800 students in ninth and tenth grade at Canutillo High School in El Paso, Texas, listened to him closely and laughed at his jokes. The lecture cost the school $1,000, which it paid to the crisis pregnancy center House of Hope, which arranged for Evert’s travel to El Paso. The program was titled “Love or Lust: Empowerment, Self-Worth, and the True Meaning of Love.”
When the laughter dies down, however, what the students are left with is a stark view of intimate relationships that is grounded in Evert’s religious convictions and an endorsement of entrenched gender hierarchies. In Evert’s worldview, girls and women are either “pure as snow, all chastity” or “disrespecting themselves.” Men and boys are lustful cads who can’t be blamed for treating “unworthy” girls without respect or dignity.
Evert regularly cites “studies” that support his worldview. Actually, he doesn’t cite studies—he just refers to them. When you locate the studies to which he is most likely referring, they are either of dubious quality or misrepresented. ...
http://www.slate.com/articles/healt...in_public_schools.html?wpsrc=sh_all_dt_tw_bot