Recently blogger Rachel Held Evans posed an interesting question—do Christians idolize virginity? In her piece Evans includes excerpts from three different articles written by women on the over-emphasis of the “virgin ideal” and the harm they report it has caused many women—both virgins and non-virgins alike.
If you’ve been around The Church for any amount of time, then you’re probably familiar with the teaching of remaining sexually abstinent until marriage. You’ve probably heard the terms “purity” and “chastity” being used, sometimes in ambiguous ways. There is a feeling among many that people, especially women, who have sex before marriage are “damaged goods.” Evans includes this excerpt from Christian blogger Elizabeth Esther:
“We start by making ridiculous promises to our daughters. We tell them that “sexual purity” is a guarantor of a more intimate married sex life. We tell them that if they “lose” their purity, they will never really get it back. Oh, yes. They can be forgiven. But. You know. They’re damaged goods.”
Esther goes on to state, “Christians say that the world objectifies women through immodest dress and a permissive sexual ethic. However, by idolizing sexual purity and preoccupying ourselves with female modesty and an emphasis on hyper-purity, Christians actually engage in reverse objectivization.”
The ideas presented in each article are worth a read. Check it out by clicking here.