Thursday, April 30, 2009
Proverbs 5...Sex and Evil
I will start this look at a very profound chapter of proverbs from a single guy's perspective...Proverbs 5...by saying that in my own experiences...I have never gone through with giving in to the temptations of a "seductress". To put it in perspective....here is wikipedia's take on "adultery"...It is the voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and another person who is not his or her spouse, though in many places it is only considered adultery when a married woman has sexual relations with someone who is not her husband and in others it is only considered adultery when a married woman has sexual relations with someone without the permission of her husband. In most cases, in Western countries(such as the USA), only the married party is said to have committed adultery, and if both parties are married (but not to each other) then they both commit separate acts of adultery. In other countries, both parties to the adultery are considered guilty, while in others again only the woman is able to commit adultery and to be considered guilty.
So, as you can see...there is a broad spectrum when it comes to married people alone...but what about people who are single? In many cases "cohabitation" is also going against the moral teachings of christianity. In 2005, the U.S. Census Bureau reported 4.85 million cohabiting couples, up more than 1,000 percent from 1960, when there were 439,000 such couples. A 2000 study found that more than half of newlyweds have lived together, at least briefly, before walking down the aisle. In one study, Jay Teachman, a researcher at Western Washington University, studied premarital cohabitation of women who are in a monogamous relationship. Teachman’s study showed "women who are committed to one relationship, who have both premarital sex and cohabit only with the man they eventually marry, have no higher incidence of divorce than women who abstain from premarital sex and cohabitation. For women in this category, premarital sex and cohabitation with their eventual husband are just two more steps in developing a committed, long-term relationship." Teachman's findings report instead that "It is only women who have more than one intimate premarital relationship who have an elevated risk of marital disruption. This effect is strongest for women who have multiple premarital coresidental unions."
Apparantly, some people have claimed that those who live together before marriage can report having less satisfying marriages and have a higher chance of separating. A possible explanation for this trend could be that people who cohabit prior to marriage did so because of apprehension towards commitment, and when, following marriage, marital problems arose (or, for that matter, before marriage, when relationship problems arose during the cohabitation arrangement), this apprehension was more likely to translate into an eventual separation.
Without going into many personal details, when it comes to christianity and cohabitation...I was saved!...and I will leave this analysis of verses 21 through 23...As a single man, I see plenty of temptation put before me...how I keep on the chastity belt time and time again is beyond my power...it is with god, and with god only that I choose a path that is righteous. I couldn't even begin to count how many times a day I am tempted by some crazy blurb on television with a sexual innuendo, or seeing a beautiful woman at the mall, walking down the sidewalk, or what/where ever...But it is the belief in the sanctity of marriage and how awesome it will be as described in verses 18 through 20 that keeps me going down the right path. It is one victory I hope I will be able to celebrate if and when I am blessed by the lord to find my partner and helper for the rest of my earthly life!(of course....you all are NOT invited to witness anything beyond a reception and such...LOL)
So, as you can see...there is a broad spectrum when it comes to married people alone...but what about people who are single? In many cases "cohabitation" is also going against the moral teachings of christianity. In 2005, the U.S. Census Bureau reported 4.85 million cohabiting couples, up more than 1,000 percent from 1960, when there were 439,000 such couples. A 2000 study found that more than half of newlyweds have lived together, at least briefly, before walking down the aisle. In one study, Jay Teachman, a researcher at Western Washington University, studied premarital cohabitation of women who are in a monogamous relationship. Teachman’s study showed "women who are committed to one relationship, who have both premarital sex and cohabit only with the man they eventually marry, have no higher incidence of divorce than women who abstain from premarital sex and cohabitation. For women in this category, premarital sex and cohabitation with their eventual husband are just two more steps in developing a committed, long-term relationship." Teachman's findings report instead that "It is only women who have more than one intimate premarital relationship who have an elevated risk of marital disruption. This effect is strongest for women who have multiple premarital coresidental unions."
Apparantly, some people have claimed that those who live together before marriage can report having less satisfying marriages and have a higher chance of separating. A possible explanation for this trend could be that people who cohabit prior to marriage did so because of apprehension towards commitment, and when, following marriage, marital problems arose (or, for that matter, before marriage, when relationship problems arose during the cohabitation arrangement), this apprehension was more likely to translate into an eventual separation.
Without going into many personal details, when it comes to christianity and cohabitation...I was saved!...and I will leave this analysis of verses 21 through 23...As a single man, I see plenty of temptation put before me...how I keep on the chastity belt time and time again is beyond my power...it is with god, and with god only that I choose a path that is righteous. I couldn't even begin to count how many times a day I am tempted by some crazy blurb on television with a sexual innuendo, or seeing a beautiful woman at the mall, walking down the sidewalk, or what/where ever...But it is the belief in the sanctity of marriage and how awesome it will be as described in verses 18 through 20 that keeps me going down the right path. It is one victory I hope I will be able to celebrate if and when I am blessed by the lord to find my partner and helper for the rest of my earthly life!(of course....you all are NOT invited to witness anything beyond a reception and such...LOL)
