twistedsketch said:
Purity is also a relative term though.
True, which was partly the point of the second part of my other reply. Both words are kind of squirrelly.
Where I grew up, virginity meant having never been sexually active. It was never a technical thing. In high school (and in college too) virgins were usually the girls who avoided their sexuality to the point of not dating, and the geeky guys who never had girlfriends. The very idea that a virgin could even get close to oral or anal sex ran contrary to the whole notion of what a virgin is. Talk about a contradiction. I never attended a Christian school, so at least among the secular folks, virginity didn't seem to be much of a technical thing. While I haven't seen the movie, all that I've heard about "The 40 Year Old Virgin" stays true to the idea of virginity as I understand it.
Sadly, within our campus fellowship, in some Christian books I read, and hearing about what "Catholic school girls did" (as perhaps mispresented in popular culture), I began to notice that there were many Christians who claimed to be virgins despite doing everything in a sex instruction book except old-fashioned, missionary-position, reproductive genitalia connected sex. And they still considered themselves to be virgins! I was flabbergasted. Their sexual activities were totally at odds with not just the definition, but the spirit of what virginity is all about. The idea of "virgins" having anal sex was one of the most bizarre things I'd ever heard. Over the years I've come to the realization that this type of rationalization is mostly within the Christian community.
I suppose purity has risen to fill the role that Virginity used to play, but I think purity can also be an entirely different matter. Someone who has made mistakes in the past is certainly made pure by God's grace. However, this is not to be confused with being a virgin (perhaps an awkward guy who's effectively terrified of getting to know girls that way)... and this is where things get really confusing. What about a virgin with a mind that dwells on impure thoughts? Is it not godly and wise for them to resist their impure impulses, for the sake of God and their future husband or wife... rather than become sexually involved? Many do abstain, and are blessed for their selfless restraint. However, these people hardly conjure up images of purity in my mind... and yet they can certainly be virgins. I believe they show a great strength of character by abstaining for such noble purposes. So, what is purity exactly?
