Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

James, Miami
I'm a 21 year old and I'm still a virgin, I am now with someone I truly love, but we are going wait until we get married to have sex and I can't imagine how we could regret this decsion because the best things are worth waiting for

Bruno
Sex before marriage is a personal decision. It has nothing to do with god, or saving yourself to someone especial. If you feel comfortable with someone and you both want it, why hold it on?? Just make sure you take the right precautions!

Steve, Bolton
Ultimately I struggle to see why it is not possible for "safer sex" to be promoted within this framework of staying celibate as a kind of safety net if a follower was to stray off the straight and narrow. However as a basic guide I feel that the Silver Ring Thing is on to something. The sad thing is that people are so unwilling to take responsibility for their actions (not just teenagers, but parents too), and coupled to slacker discipline in parenting and also in schools we have a teenage generation with less self-respect and less resistance against peer pressure. On top of this society is bombarded with TV programmes, adverts, even friends and relatives stating that the most important thing in life is to be attractive to the opposite sex. Call me boring, but living true to your beliefs and getting a sensible career seem more important to me. I'm 24 and am proud to be celibate as a symbol of self-discipline on my part.

Nina - USA
I am a 22 yr-old unmarried (Christian) virgin... and I can tell you that it's one heck of a wait!! But I can also hold fast to the belief that there is no greater gift that I can give to my future husband, on our wedding night, than my virginity. In addition, I can't even imagine "risking" having sex with someone - regardless of the "precautions". You can STILL get certain STDs while using a condom, and even with a condom there are still risks of getting pregnant/STDs if it breaks or has a LEAK. And finally - there is absolutely no condom on the market that prevents against a broken heart. I'd rather stick to the old saying, "it's better to be safe than sorry...."

Chris, Baguley
Let's face it.. we turn on the telly (especially Channel 4!) and SEX is promoted and paraded infront of us like it never has been before in our lifetimes. Even the most innocent peruser of the internet is no more than one click away from it (interested or not). Sex has become a un-ashamedly a 'cheap' commodity. At the Youth Club I help run in Eccles we've discovered sexual favours being given away with the same value that they lend & borrow each other's CDs. Teenagers (and younger) are often under immense peer pressure to conform to a general view of society.. "if it feels good do it". I think it is about time we took a reality check and stopped dis-connecting SEX from it's close partners: Love, Commitment, Mutual Respect and yes, like it or not, Marriage. It's refreshing to get a different perspective and an alternative view. Goodness knows it's about time. And, with it's own wholesome rewards - celibacy may become fashionable again who knows - go for it! Be a radical!

Adriane - Ohio
Kudos to David from Manchester and Jamie from America!!!! I glad to see that there are some young people out there who have made a decision to make God first and to keep His commandments. He will honor and bless you for it. "God is a rewarder of those who love Him and keep His commandments".

Lianne, Manchester
I was almost 19 but I could have waited longer. I disagree that you should wait until you're married though. Being sexually compatible is a huge part of any relationship and I don't think you should wait until after marriage to discover whether you actually 'enjoy each other(!)'. However having done a report at university on the incidence of STIs in young people: CONTRACEPTION IS KEY!!!!!

Mehran Nasralla
Buy a ring and remain celibate? sounds like a money making scheme to me.

sophie, warrington
I have recently turned 16. I started reading though these comments and I’m surprised at how serious this matter is. I’m still a virgin and hope to be for as long as possible, however since I was 12 I listened to most people in school talking about SEX, in fact most people I knew said that they had sex at sixteen or before, this made me worried because I thought that it was not normal to be a virgin at 17+ yrs of age and I though that I must have sex as soon as I get a boyfriend. I think differently now since I talked to my 17 year old sister last week. She was saying how cute it is that her 19yr old boyfriend is still a virgin. I started asking her questions and she gave me so much information basically saying that there is no rush. What a relief! Why did they not explain this in sex education??

Marygrace, America
It is a personal descision, but as a Christian teen, I am saving myself for my future husband. There are too many risks and too much hurt involved not to. I will celebrate my 16th birthday in a month, and my parents are giving me a purity ring as a symbol of my commitment. I know my husband will appreciate the fact that I thought he was worth waiting forwhen we get married.

Johnny, Manchester
This is not a christian problem it is a social problem. The kids aren't having sex to defy God or to get pregnant, they're having sex for the same reason the adult world does - because it is enjoyable and they are curious. The difference is that we used to live in a society bound by responsibility. Thanks to decades or eroding this sense we have scores of adults unwilling to take responsibility for their own actions - is it any surprise the kids are turning out the same? We must tackle this problem at a social level, not an ideological one. We have to look at the society these kids are being brought up in and find the problems. Are you seriously telling me that there is no-one in Manchester capable of doing this? I suggest the councillors take a walk around Longsight/Ordsall/Failsworth - in fact any historically working -class area decimated by unemployment and underinvestment. Oh yeah sorry they did that in Hulme, and moved everyone out to make way for posh flats... silly me.

Serena, Singapore
I agree that sex is not exclusive to married couples. It's a physical expression of an emotion and very much a part of a relationship. So long as someone is sure and is willing to take responsibility for his or her own actions and if he feels that he is mature enough to take any consequence, it is his own decision and no one should censure what he choose to do because he is not hurting anyone else.

Kat Manchester
I think that waiting for the right person is a good thing. I waited until i was 19 before having sex. BUt I think it is entirley irresponsable to not teach about safe sex.We should encourage young people to wait until in loving relationships but marrige dosnt protect against AIDS condoms do.

Alan manchester
to find the right person for you will take time when you do find the one then make it the happeist time for your life.

User, UK
Promoting celibacy at the expense of education is not a good idea - the way to reduce these problems is not through keeping people ignorant of options!

Sarah, Manchester
Ok, so teaching teenagers to be careful is all well and good, but really it's a personal decision and i dont agree with using the guilt of a promise to persuade a 12 yr old who has little or no real concept of sex or relationships, and expecting them to keep a promise they don't fully understand. At 12, did you really know your feelings on sex? Its called a condom.

Jamie, America
I think it definitly provides a stronger bond in marriage and is much healthier for you aswell. I've got a purity ring and thats a promise I intend to keep until I'm married but only with God's help without him I would fail.

Melissa, Manchester
Waiting until marriage is all fine and good but you're bound to find someone you love before marriage. Sex was meant for two people that love each other not just two people who are married, no matter what Christians say. I just say, do what you want. It's your body and your decision.

David - Manchester
My comment is that as a Christian, we know that our body is holy as the place where the Holy Spirit dwells in us. So we have to maintain the holiness of our body, in everything including in our sexual life. By having no sex before marriage, it means we honour God and keep our holiness according to His will. Thank you.

nick, lancs
the point is not whether we SHOULD all be virgins before marriage, but that our experience shows us that if we all WERE, none of these STI's would have developed. therefore the rule was right.

Sam, York
Can anything but drugs actually alter hormone levels? The only disadvantage I can think of in waiting to have sex is the feeling that you may be missing out. Does anyone who has waited regret it?