The purity ring

[bella_song]

My friend Evan wears a purity ring on his wedding finger. It seems that we should be trying to love all of our brothers and sisters in Christ and in doing so, we would learn what the ring on their finger symbolizes. We shouldn't just be scoping out the opposite sex to see if anybody is dateable. A guy should be friends with me long before he shows romantic interest in me. Am I the only one that feels this way?

 

[JPPT1974]

I would love to find a purity ring as well
Think that it would show people where I stand
On sex before marriage!

 

[sampa]

Just did a search on purity rings and found this, I guess this post is kind of old, but can we get it going again?

1. Are there bracelets that can be worn if your not a ring person, and avoid the marriage ring figner confussion?

2. What are people's thoughts on someone wearing it that didn't wait for whatever reason, but say they renewed their purity (or got convicted). Example 15-20 years have passed and although they are still single they've kept to that standard?

3. Does anyone think the rings or purity balls can be a discouragement to others? or that its too flashy like the pharisees? Or do you think it creates good witness. Would love to hear testimonies from anyone concerning these rings and if they brought about witness or opportunity to share your faith in Christ.

Thanks, Sampa

 

[Sketcher]

1. Are there bracelets that can be worn if your not a ring person, and avoid the marriage ring figner confussion?

Don't know.

2. What are people's thoughts on someone wearing it that didn't wait for whatever reason, but say they renewed their purity (or got convicted). Example 15-20 years have passed and although they are still single they've kept to that standard?

Whatever floats your boat I guess. Purity rings don't mean a whole lot to me. What they stand for can be forgotten about in a few years. What matters to me is the actual purity and an honest assessment of one's self.

3. Does anyone think the rings or purity balls can be a discouragement to others? or that its too flashy like the pharisees? Or do you think it creates good witness. Would love to hear testimonies from anyone concerning these rings and if they brought about witness or opportunity to share your faith in Christ.

It could be either, and I imagine it has been all three of them in different instances.

 

[Weasel7711]

I have an old one that is too small for me but i never got it resized because I dont really like to wear rings, other than my future wedding ring of course.

 

[AveMaria]

Honestly, I'm not a fan of purity rings in general.

I realize that they're helpful and inspiring to some people, and that's great, but I do have some issues with them:

1. As others have noted, there can be confusion, depending which finger they're worn on, with purity rings and engagement/wedding bands.

2. I disapprove of how in some circles, teens are pressured into wearing a purity ring and making the associated vows. Don't get me wrong, I think chastity is an excellent thing (and I personally distinguish between chastity and purity), but I also believe vows are meant to be taken seriously. I don't like the idea of a teen or young adult being pressured into taking a vow they don't mean to keep. And let's face it, in those certain circles, for a teen to say "Nope, sorry, I'm not doing the purity ring thing" would be very ill advised.

3. The "Purity Balls" can be kind of creepy, IMHO. There some patriarchal baggage underlying them that makes me very uncomfortable. (Your mileage may vary!)

That said, I do have a ring set that I bought secondhand, that looks like an engagement/wedding band. With my job and some of the situations I have to navigate, it's often much easier to let people assume I'm married.

I don't wear it socially, though, and I don't see a problem with wearing it at work, if it reduces the amount of unwanted attention I receive. At work, I prefer to avoid both men making passes at me and people making assumptions about the reasons I'm unmarried at my age - such as what my sexual orientation might be.

 

[Riis]

I wear a purity ring my parents gave it to me for my 20th - we actually call it a promise ring but it is exactly the same thing.... a promise of purity body, heart, mind and spirit. I do wear it on my ring finger and actually appreciate the fact that it puts some guys off to tell you the truth because well I have an hour train ride each way to uni and if guys think I'm married I get left alone. My promise ring isn't officially a promise ring cause they're a little hard to get a hold of in Australia (and also very rare I only know one other person who has one) but that is what my parents gave it to me as. It means a lot to me and it's something that I work hard at. As for what I'm going to do with it after I get married well I'm going to exchange it for my wedding ring I will give it to my husband as a symbol of everything I've saved for him and my wedding ring will then be a symbol of not only our love but also a symbol of the purity that I owe to myself and my husband. Some guys think I'm weird for that and thats all right because they're obviously not the sort I'm really interested in.

 

[CASEY82]

Well done...that was really well written! I dont have a purity ring as such, I have a ring that i wear now and i've had it since i was 9yrs old. I wore it occasionally before i became a christian but not alot. It's an irish wedding ring also known as a 'cladder' ring. It can be worn 2 ways - one saying that your taken and one saying that your available. A few months after i became a christian i felt that i wanted to make a committment of purity to god and so i prayed for a while and alot of what i said was in your vows, at the end of my prayer i put my ring on in the 'taken' way. I guess i kind of gave myself a 'ring ceremony' lol but it was more me wanting a moment where i really sat down and thought about purity and talked to god about it. I wanted to commit myself to him until he found me my husband. i love this ring cause it holds family value and now my committment to god.

 

[Keri]

I used to have a purity ring... from age 12-18... then... well, I decided not to wait until marriage. And so I stopped wearing it.

Do I regret my decision? No. I was well aware of the decision that I was making. I wouldn't be me if I had not experienced all that I have in my past relationships. I do respect those who do decide to wait. But I also understand why others have chosen not to wait.

 

[Pink Angel]

I wanna get one....lol maybe one day when i can get some extra cash

 

[Made4ChristDotCom]

You can only imagine why this thread has made me tear up. I'm so pleased with the youth in Christ these days and I made the same vows a long time ago before I started to live a life of emotion instead of a life of principle. Granted, whatever happen happened, I was made a better Christian by it. I just received today a Sterling silver ring with the I[SIZE=-1]chthus (Jesus Fish) symbol surrounding it in the mail. It is my way of expressing that I am fully covered by the Jesus. I walked away and he definitely came and rescued me! If I can say anything to the youth of today its that I was strong for 23 years and fell, but the Lord is still with me and is using me. Hold on to your purity! It was the hardest time of my life these past few weeks trying to regain a sense of where I am in Christ. In all these things I still praise God for having come into my life the way he did when I was 13.

Dont sell your inheritance (that which Jesus gave you) for a moment of emotional or physical indulgence. Repeat it to yourself "I AM NOT FOR SALE!" Dont be bought by the enemy but put the devil under you foot in Jesus Name.
[/SIZE]

 

[Pink Angel]

I remember with one of my exes (my longest relationship) i had a promise ring...lol but i dont think that counts, but i would like to look into getting a purity ring

 

[Pink Angel]

I just received today a Sterling silver ring with the I[SIZE=-1]chthus (Jesus Fish) symbol surrounding it in the mail. It is my way of expressing that I am fully covered by the Jesus.

[/SIZE]

I would say thats sayin something, ironic timing...God is truely awesome
[SIZE=-1][/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]

I walked away and he definitely came and rescued me! If I can say anything to the youth of today its that I was strong for 23 years and fell, but the Lord is still with me and is using me. Hold on to your purity! It was the hardest time of my life these past few weeks trying to regain a sense of where I am in Christ. In all these things I still praise God for having come into my life the way he did when I was 13.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=-1]Dont sell your inheritance (that which Jesus gave you) for a moment of emotional or physical indulgence. Repeat it to yourself "I AM NOT FOR SALE!" Dont be bought by the enemy but put the devil under you foot in Jesus Name. [/SIZE]

lol i wish i heard that a few years ago, but I feel I am being given a second chance...

 

[ValiantForTruth]

As you can see my character has one. I do not. I had never heard of purity rings up until last year. I would really like to get one. A plan silver band preferably and than exchange it for a gold one when I get married.(after all what is a wedding ring, but a purity ring for married people)

 

[KomissarSteve]

A couple months back I posted a study conducted by the fine folks at UC Berkeley, which found that kids who make public declarations of abstinence are just as likely to have premarital sex as kids who make no such pledges, while kids who make private pledges to themselves are more likely to save sex for marriage. I'm not entirely sure if the former group necessarily includes purity rings (I would imagine that some teens have public ceremonies and others don't), but if they don't really have an effect and give people false hope in the meantime (ie: the often-touted placebo effect), then I really can't, in good conscience, support them.

 

[sampa]

A couple months back I posted a study conducted by the fine folks at UC Berkeley, which found that kids who make public declarations of abstinence are just as likely to have premarital sex as kids who make no such pledges, while kids who make private pledges to themselves are more likely to save sex for marriage. I'm not entirely sure if the former group necessarily includes purity rings (I would imagine that some teens have public ceremonies and others don't), but if they don't really have an effect and give people false hope in the meantime (ie: the often-touted placebo effect), then I really can't, in good conscience, support them.

KomissarSteve, yeah, I kind of wondered if private pledges are better. For years I used to tell people of my dating standards but that changed after I went through some tough temptations. I've kissed one guy in 13 years, but have never worn the purity ring. I've been considering it as a witness, but my heart is telling me not to, I'm not sure why yet.
btw, I didn't wait and when I was 19yrs old commited to purity, not long after I got saved.

 

[Riis]

Mine was private - my parents gave me the ring after they knew I had made the decision for myself anyway. They wanted to give it to me as a sign of support and encouragement. I think that kid's are often pressured into it and that can make it a really negative thing. However for myself it's been very positive and the actual ring while unnecessary has served as a reminder to me that has helped on occasion.

 

[A Taffer]

Yup. Exactly.

That is what was meant by what I said earlier. Not poking fun at the purity ring, I think its a good thing. It can be confused with a wedding/engagement ring from a quick glance, which is all most people are going to get in most situations.

Me personally, if I see any ring on a womans left ring finger, I steer clear of her.

 

[sampa]

Mine was private - my parents gave me the ring after they knew I had made the decision for myself anyway. They wanted to give it to me as a sign of support and encouragement. I think that kid's are often pressured into it and that can make it a really negative thing. However for myself it's been very positive and the actual ring while unnecessary has served as a reminder to me that has helped on occasion.

Riis, awesome, it should be a mutual decision. Sounds like you have good family support.

 

[sampa]

Me personally, if I see any ring on a womans left ring finger, I steer clear of her.

A Taffer, I've heard this on more than one thread and am thinking about possibly a bracelet. I don't care so much for rings anyway. I feel like junk can get up in them when your trying to wash your hands or get dirty.