My, how times change. When I was a teenager, virginity was important. It was important because God Himself said sexual relations would be confined to marriage (e.g., Gen 2:24; 1 Corinthians 7). Sex before or outside of marriage is a violation of God’s Creation mandate.
I read an article today (June 20, 2023) by Nia Tipton at Yahoo.com entitled, “Mom Brags About Her Husband Threatening Their Teen Daughter’s New Boyfriend & People Are Accusing Them Of Being ‘Weirdos’” (see here). The girl’s mother wrote this in a tweet: “My husband told the young man: you can call me Sir. I have 4 guns, my daughter’s chastity is important, and you’ll have to see me if you do anything to disturb it.”
Tipton was very bothered by the father’s remarks:
A father’s view on his daughter’s sexuality and virginity can have a significant impact on how she views her body and can potentially harm both her self-esteem and body image. Not to mention that the idea of “virginity” is simply a social construct and doesn’t determine the “purity” of a woman.
Telling a young man or woman that they should remain a virgin until marriage “can potentially harm [their] self-esteem and body image”? Since God Himself calls for people to remain virgins until marriage, it is hard to understand how that could be harmful.
It is possible to see that the sexual revolution has done tremendous harm to young people and to our culture. Violating God’s commands is bad for a person and a culture.
The day has come when many things are “simply social constructs”: gender, sexuality, property rights, liberty, everlasting life, and justice. No longer do we seek out what God has to say. Instead, we come up with our own ideas, even–and especially–when they contradict God’s Word.
I’m not suggesting that threatening to kill someone is a good idea. But I am saying that moms and dads should teach their children the value of waiting until marriage for sexual relations. They should teach their kids to date only mature believers in Jesus Christ. They should teach their kids the Bible, not the socially-accepted norms of today.
Is virginity simply a social construct? No. It is God’s desire until marriage.
