Abstinence pledge

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Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) abstinence pledge card in which one promises a lifestyle of teetotalism. Maine WCTU.jpg
Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) abstinence pledge card in which one promises a lifestyle of teetotalism.

Abstinence pledges are commitments made by people, often though not always teenagers and young adults, to practice abstinence, usually in the case of practicing teetotalism with respect to abstaining from alcohol and other drugs, or chastity, with respect to abstaining from sexual intercourse until marriage; in the case of sexual abstinence, they are sometimes also known as purity pledges or virginity pledges. [1] [2] [3] They are most common in the United States among Catholic and Evangelical Christian denominations, while others are nonsectarian. [1] [4]

Contents

History

The temperance movement arose in the 18th century and spread throughout Christians of the Methodist, Presbyterian, Quaker, and Roman Catholic denominations, among others. [1] The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), has encouraged people in their communities to sign abstinence pledges with the undersigned promising to not use alcohol or other drugs; the following is an example of wording that may appear on such abstinence pledge cards: "I hereby promise, by the help of God, to abstain from the use of all intoxicating liquors, including wine, beer, and cider as a beverage." [5] Taking the abstinence pledge enrolls those signing the cards as members in the temperance organization that is distributing them, such as the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, Independent Order of Rechabites and International Organisation of Good Templars, among others. [2] The Catholic Total Abstinence League of the Cross, founded by Cardinal Henry Manning in 1873, had the following pledge: "I promise to you, reverend father, and to the League of the Holy Cross, by the help of God's grace, to abstain from all intoxicating drinks." [6] A similar organisation, the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association, continues distributing abstinence pledges today and Pope Pius X instated an plenary indulgence of 100 days for those promoting it. [7] In Ireland, it is common for school children to take the pledge of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association after which they receive a lapel pin. [8]

Signing a teetotal pledge, USA, 1846 Signing the pledge LCCN2003680827.jpg
Signing a teetotal pledge, USA, 1846

The first program encouraging individuals to sign a pledge encouraging abstinence from sexual intercourse until marriage is True Love Waits, started in 1993 by the Southern Baptist Convention, which now claims over 2.5 million pledgers worldwide in dozens of countries. [9] [10] A torrent of abstinence pledge programs encouraging people to save sexual intercourse for marriage followed; one such program is the Silver Ring Thing (SRT), which started in 1995 has been featured in hundreds of media reports worldwide. In 2005, the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services because it believed SRT used tax dollars to promote Christianity. [11] SRT presented a two-part program, the first part about abstinence; the second about how the Christian faith fits into an abstinence commitment. The ACLU claimed federal funding given to this program violated their interpretation of separation of church and state.

On August 22, 2005, the department suspended SRT's $75,000 federal grant until it submitted a "corrective action plan." [12] In 2006, a corrective action plan was accepted by the department, the lawsuit was dismissed and SRT received its federal funding.

Abstinence pledge programs take a variety of stances on the role of religion in the pledge: some use religion to motivate the pledge, putting Biblical quotes on the cards, while others use statistics and arguments to motivate the pledge. Advocacy of virginity pledges is often coupled with support for abstinence-only sex education in public schools. Advocates argue that any other type of sexual education would promote sex outside of marriage, which they hold to be immoral and risky. [3]

Independent Order of Rechabites (IOR) 1900 abstinence pledge: [13]

I promise to abstain from all intoxicating liquors as beverages and to discountenance their use by others. [13]

Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) current abstinence pledge: [14]

I hereby solemnly promise, God helping me, to abstain from all distilled, fermented and malt liquors, including wine beer and hard cider, and to employ all proper means to discourage the use of and traffic in the same. [14]

Pioneer Total Abstinence Association abstinence pledge and prayer (recited twice daily by members):

For your greater glory and consolation, O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for your sake to give good example, to practice self-denial, to make reparation to you for the sins of intemperance and for the conversion of excessive drinkers, I will abstain for life from all intoxicating drinks. Amen. [15]

True Love Waits 1993 abstinence pledge read as follows: [16]

"Believing that true love waits, I make a commitment to God, myself, my family, those I date, and my future mate to be sexually pure until the day I enter marriage."

True Love Waits more recent abstinence pledge reads: [17] [18]

"Believing that true love waits, I make a commitment to God, myself, my family, my friends, my future mate, and my future children to a lifetime of purity including sexual abstinence from this day until the day I enter a Biblical marriage relationship."

True Love Waits recent abstinence pledge (2009):

"I am making a commitment to myself, my family, and my Creator, that I will abstain from sexual activity of any kind before marriage. I will keep my body and my thoughts pure as I trust in God's perfect plan for my life."
(quote on card) "It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his/her own body in a way that is holy and honorable." 1 Thess 4:3-4

Studies

There have been numerous peer-reviewed studies on those who have taken abstinence pledges promising to maintain chastity until marriage, with varying results. Four of the five peer-reviewed virginity pledge studies and the non-peer-reviewed study discussed below use the same federal data, the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), in which 13,000 adolescents were interviewed in 1995, 1996, and 2000. The other peer-reviewed study used a study of virginity pledges in California.

The first peer-reviewed study of virginity pledgers (by sociologists Peter Bearman of Columbia and Hannah Brueckner of Yale) found that in the year following their pledge, some virginity pledgers are more likely to delay sex than non-pledgers; when virginity pledgers do have sex, they are less likely to use contraception than non-pledgers. [19] This study found, however, that virginity pledges are only effective in high schools in which about 30% of the students had taken the pledge, meaning that they are not effective as a universal measure. Their analysis was that identity movements work when there is a critical mass of members: too few members, and people do not have each other for social support, and too many members, and people do not feel distinctive for having taken the pledge. This study was criticized for not being able to conclude causality, only correlation, a criticism which applies to all studies of virginity pledges thus far. [20]

A second peer-reviewed study, also by Bearman and Brueckner, looked at virginity pledgers five years after their pledge, and found that the pledgers have similar proportions of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and at least as high proportions of anal and oral sex as those who have not made a virginity pledge. They deduced that there was substitution of oral and anal sex for vaginal sex among the pledgers, although the data for anal sex without vaginal sex reported by males did not reflect this directly. [19] [21] This study also estimated that male pledgers were 4.1 times more likely to remain virgins by age 25 than those who did not pledge (25% vs. 6%), and estimated that female pledgers were 3.5 times more likely to remain virgins by age 25 than those who did not pledge (21% vs. 6%). The study also noted that those who pledge yet became sexually active reported fewer partners and were not exposed to STI risk for as long as nonpledgers. [19] [21]

A third peer-reviewed study — by Melina Bersamin and others at Prevention Research Center, in Berkeley, California — found that adolescents who make an informal promise to themselves not to have sex will delay sex, but adolescents who take a formal virginity pledge do not delay sex. [22]

A fourth peer-reviewed study — by Harvard public health researcher Janet Rosenbaum published in the American Journal of Public Health in June 2006 — found that over half of adolescents who took virginity pledges said the following year that they had never taken a pledge. [23] This study showed that those who make the pledge but have sex are likely to deny ever pledging; and many who were sexually active prior to taking the pledge deny their sexual history, which, it is speculated, may cause them to underestimate their risk of having STIs.

A fifth peer-reviewed study, also by Janet Rosenbaum published in the journal Pediatrics in 2009, [24] found no difference in sexual behavior of pledgers and similar non-pledgers five years after pledging, but found pledgers were 10 percentage points less likely to use condoms and 6 percentage points less likely to use birth control than similar non-pledgers. Rosenbaum's study was innovative for using Rubin causal model matching, instead of relying on regression analysis, which makes potentially untrue parametric assumptions. According to Rosenbaum, past research findings that virginity pledgers delayed sex may have been affected by their statistical method's inability to adjust fully for pre-existing differences between pledgers and non-pledgers: pledgers are much more negative towards premarital sex prior to even taking the pledge, so would be predicted to delay sex even if they had not taken the pledge. Comparing pledgers with similar non-pledgers is the only way to be certain that the effect comes from the pledge rather than the pre-existing greater beliefs of pledgers that sexuality should be restrained to the matrimonial context. [25] When examining the dynamics of abstinence pledges in the purity culture, it becomes clear that these pledges exist on the boundary between intentional and unintentional, as articulated by Muskrat (2024)https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13558358.2024.2332980. It is not uncommon for purity culture to create a space where teens are even encouraged to promise themselves no sex before marriage, the stage that society heavily stresses on temperature. Nevertheless, during the period of purity culture, when there is no restriction on physical intimacy, abstinence supporters often harbor doubts about the conformity of sexual behavior among the younger generation. g generation. The liminality (Muskrat, 2024), as with the whole nuance of the transition period from adolescence to adulthood, is the underlying necessity for learning to surmount the restraint that comes with a strict moral pattern.

On the other hand, Ray (2023) will talk in depth about virginity checking (VCT) and hymnography (HTG)https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=40DkEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=RA1-PT21&dq=virginity+pledges+journal+taylor+and+francis&ots=2dLjGWntYS&sig=qD_PuMtzeiQ6CCQJctuD--p40xc&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=virginity%20pledges%20journal%20taylor%20and%20francis&f=false. He will also talk about the larger cultural norms that led to these practices. These norms show us how much society (especially women) values and expects people to uphold the traditions and customs of purity and righteousness. Indeed, such pledges can be perceived as a source of protection against the trend that modern civilization transmission and changing social norms are causing, undermining classical beliefs. On the other hand, Ray's (2023) work on the campaign to make harmful cultural practices unacceptable exposes this approach as not up-to-date, rather ineffective, and even dangerous when promoting sexual health and well-being, and in general when taking into account the complexity of nowadays's varied cultural, gender, and sexual development.

Criticism

The efficacy of virginity pledges has been extensively studied. Some studies have found that virginity pledges may be effective at delaying vaginal intercourse, but that they are ineffective in reducing the incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) because pledgers may replace vaginal intercourse with other sexual activities, such as oral sex and anal sex; [19] [21] other research, however, has suggested no such substitution among pledgers, though pledgers may partake in vaginal or oral sex. [24] Virginity pledges may also reduce the likelihood of contraceptive use once pledgers decide to engage in sex. [19] Though studies have reported this and found that pledgers are more likely to remain virgins by age 25 than those who do not pledge and that those who do become sexually active report fewer sexual partners, [19] [21] at least one study found no difference in the sexual behavior of pledgers and non-pledgers after controlling for pre-existing differences between the groups. [24] According to a study published in 2014 from the University of Washington, Evangelical men who made an abstinence pledge and got married would like more conversations about the place of sex in marriage in their churches. [26]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chastity</span> Ethic concept of temperance related to sexuality

Chastity, also known as purity, is a virtue related to temperance. Someone who is chaste refrains either from sexual activity that is considered immoral or from any sexual activity, according to their state of life. In some contexts, for example when making a vow of chastity, chastity means celibacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fellatio</span> Oral sex on the penis by a sexual partner

Fellatio is an oral sex act involving a person stimulating the penis of another by using the mouth. Oral stimulation of the scrotum may also be termed fellatio, or colloquially as teabagging.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sexual intercourse</span> Penetrative sexual activity for reproduction or sexual pleasure

Sexual intercourse is sexual activity involving the insertion and thrusting of the male penis inside the female vagina for sexual pleasure, reproduction, or both. This is also known as vaginal intercourse or vaginal sex. Sexual penetration has been known by humans since the dawn of time, and has been an instinctive form of sexual behaviour and psychology among humans. Other forms of penetrative sexual intercourse include anal sex, oral sex, fingering and penetration by use of a dildo, and vibrators. These activities involve physical intimacy between two or more people and are usually used among humans solely for physical or emotional pleasure. They can contribute to human bonding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sexual abstinence</span> Act of refraining from sexual activity

Sexual abstinence or sexual restraint is the practice of refraining from some or all aspects of sexual activity for medical, psychological, legal, social, philosophical, moral, religious or other reasons. Sexual abstinence is distinct from asexuality, which is a sexual orientation where people feel little or no sexual attraction. Celibacy is sexual abstinence generally motivated by factors such as an individual's personal or religious beliefs. Sexual abstinence before marriage is required in some societies by social norms, or by law in some countries. It is a part of chastity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hymen</span> Membrane that surrounds or partially covers the vaginal opening

The hymen is a thin piece of mucosal tissue that surrounds or partially covers the vaginal opening. A small percentage are born with hymens that are imperforate and completely obstruct the vaginal canal. It forms part of the vulva and is similar in structure to the vagina. The term comes straight from the Greek, for 'membrane'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginity</span> State of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse

Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term virgin originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern and ethical concepts. Heterosexual individuals may or may not consider loss of virginity to occur only through penile-vaginal penetration, while people of other sexual orientations often include oral sex, anal sex, or manual sex in their definitions of losing one's virginity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Premarital sex</span> Sexual activity before marriage

Premarital sex is sexual activity which is practiced by people before they are married. Premarital sex is considered a sin by a number of religions and also considered a moral issue which is taboo in many cultures. Since the Sexual Revolution of the 1960s, it has become accepted by certain liberal movements, especially in Western countries. A 2014 Pew study on global morality found that premarital sex was considered particularly unacceptable in "Muslim Majority Countries", such as Malaysia, Jordan and Pakistan, each having over 90% disapproval, while people in Western European countries were the most accepting, with Spain, Germany, and France expressing less than 10% disapproval.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oral sex</span> Sexual activity involving stimulation of the genitalia by use of the mouth

Oral sex, sometimes referred to as oral intercourse, is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a person by another person using the mouth. Cunnilingus is oral sex performed on the vulva while fellatio is oral sex performed on the penis. Anilingus, another form of oral sex, is oral stimulation of the anus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purity ring</span> Ring worn to signal chastity

Purity rings are rings worn as a sign of chastity. Since the 1990s, Christian organizations in the United States used the purity ring as a symbol of commitment. In particular, Catholic and evangelical Christian groups which promoted virginity pledges and virginity before marriage, such as True Love Waits and Silver Ring Thing. Wearing a purity ring is typically accompanied by a religious vow to practice abstinence until marriage. Chastity rings are part of the abstinence-only sex education movement and are intended to act as a physical reminder of the wearer's chastity vow.

A purity ball is a formal dance event typically practiced by some conservative Christian groups in the United States. The events are attended by fathers and their teenage daughters in order to promote virginity until marriage. Typically, daughters who attend a purity ball make a virginity pledge to remain sexually abstinent until marriage. Fathers who attend a purity ball make a promise to protect their young daughters' "purity of mind, body, and soul." The balls are considered a part of purity culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abstinence-only sex education</span> Form of sex education

Abstinence-only sex education is a form of sex education that teaches not having sex outside of marriage. It often excludes other types of sexual and reproductive health education, such as birth control and safe sex. In contrast, comprehensive sex education covers the use of birth control and sexual abstinence.

Adolescent sexuality is a stage of human development in which adolescents experience and explore sexual feelings. Interest in sexuality intensifies during the onset of puberty, and sexuality is often a vital aspect of teenagers' lives. Sexual interest may be expressed in a number of ways, such as flirting, kissing, masturbation, or having sex with a partner. Sexual interest among adolescents, as among adults, can vary greatly, and is influenced by cultural norms and mores, sex education, as well as comprehensive sexuality education provided, sexual orientation, and social controls such as age-of-consent laws.

The sexuality of US adolescents includes their feelings, behaviors and development, and the place adolescent sexuality has in American society, including the response of the government, educators, parents, and other interested groups.

A virginity test is the pseudoscientific practice and process of determining whether a woman or girl is a virgin; i.e., to determine that she has never engaged in, or been subjected to, vaginal intercourse. The test typically involves a check for the presence of an intact hymen, typically on the flawed assumption that it can only be, and will always be torn as a result of vaginal intercourse. It has been practiced since ancient times but its recent use in the United Kingdom dates back to the 1970s. It is still legal for doctors in the United States to perform virginity tests.

A born-again virgin is a person who, after having engaged in sexual intercourse, makes some type of commitment not to be sexually active again until marriage. The term has been used among evangelical and fundamentalist Christians, who place a strong emphasis on abstinence from premarital and extramarital relations.

In the United States, sex education is taught in two main forms: comprehensive sex education and abstinence-only as part of the Adolescent Family Life Act, or AFLA. Comprehensive sex education is also called abstinence-based, abstinence-plus, abstinence-plus-risk-reduction, and sexual risk reduction sex education. This approach covers abstinence as a choice option, but also informs adolescents about age of consent and the availability of contraception and techniques to avoid contraction of sexually transmitted infections. Every state within the U.S. has a mandated AIDS Education Program.

Uganda is one of the few Sub-Saharan African countries that has adopted abstinence-only sex education as an approach of sexual education that emphasizes abstinence from sexual intercourse until marriage as the only option. Abstinence-only sex education does not include joint curriculum covering other options including safe sex practices, family planning, and is espoused as the only sure way to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Uganda is commonly recognized as an exemplary case of lowering the rate of HIV prevalence. Prevalence figures may have also been distorted by the lack of treatment, meaning that the percentage of infected is decreased by disproportionately early deaths. Abstinence-only sex education has been implemented and supported for this cause to a large degree in Uganda, to some controversy. Critics have questioned its effectiveness in lowering HIV/AIDS transmission. They have also highlighted discrimination, gender inequality and social stigma as the outcomes of the program in Uganda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fornication</span> Name for pre-marital sexual intercourse

Fornication is generally consensual sexual intercourse between two people not married to each other. When one or more of the partners having consensual sexual intercourse is married to another person, it is called adultery. John Calvin viewed adultery to be any sexual act that is outside the divine model for sexual intercourse, which includes fornication.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teetotalism</span> Abstinence from the consumption of alcohol

Teetotalism is the practice or promotion of total personal abstinence from the consumption of alcohol, specifically in alcoholic drinks. A person who practices teetotalism is called a teetotaler or teetotaller, or is simply said to be teetotal. Globally, almost half of adults do not drink alcohol. A number of temperance organisations have been founded in order to promote teetotalism and provide spaces for non-drinkers to socialise.

Purity culture was a movement in the 1990s within Christianity which emphasized sexual abstinence.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Taking the pledge gave impetus to historic religious movement". The Irish Times . 29 December 1998. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  2. 1 2 Vermont History, Volumes 52-53. Vermont Historical Society. 1984. p. 155. Woman's Christian Temperance Union PLEDGE Conditions of membership: Signing total abstinence pledge and paying annual dues of $ 1.00. "I hereby solemnly promise, God helping me, to abstain from all distilled, fermented, and malt...
  3. 1 2 Donaldson, Susan James (29 September 2008). "Virginity Pledges Can Work for Some". American Broadcasting Company . Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  4. ↑ Franko, John (18 February 2005). "Silver Ring Thing offers lessons in sexual purity". Pittsburgh Catholic Publishing Associates. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  5. ↑ Smith, Barbara (14 May 2019). The Famous Five: Canada's Crusaders for Women's Rights. Heritage House Publishing. p. 14. ISBN   978-1-77203-234-5.
  6. ↑ Hanson, David J. (15 June 2016). "Catholic Total Abstinence League of the Cross". Alcohol Problems and Solutions. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  7. ↑ The Irish Ecclesiastical Record. Browne and Nolan. 1913. p. 636.
  8. ↑ White, Robert W. (5 May 2020). Ruairí Ó Brádaigh: The Life and Politics of an Irish Revolutionary. Indiana University Press. p. 33. ISBN   978-0-253-04830-1.
  9. ↑ Anne Bolin, Patricia Whelehan, Human Sexuality: Biological, Psychological, and Cultural Perspectives, Routledge, UK, 2009, p. 248
  10. ↑ "Baptist Press - True Love Waits launches community-wide initiative - News with a Christian Perspective". Archived from the original on 5 June 2007. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  11. ↑ "ACLU of Massachusetts v. Secretary of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services" . Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  12. ↑ American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts (August 1, 2017). "settlement agreement" (PDF). American Civil Liberties Union. pp. 2, 6, 7. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  13. 1 2 "Certificate - Independent Order of Rechabites, 1910". Museums Victoria . Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  14. 1 2 "Join Us". Woman's Christian Temperance Union . Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  15. ↑ Hamilton, Andrew Hamilton (2016). Understanding Jesus: 50 Reasons Why Jesus Matters. Paulist Press. ISBN   978-0-8091-4962-9.
  16. ↑ Robinson, B.A. (2005-03-20). "Virginity/sexual abstinence pledges". Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. Retrieved 2005-03-29.
  17. ↑ "True Love Waits Commitment Card". LifeWay Christian Resources. 2007. Archived from the original on 2009-05-08. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
  18. ↑ "The TLW Pledge". LifeWay Christian Resources. 2007. pp. PDF. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Virginity Pledges Don't Cut STD Rates". WebMD.com.
  20. ↑ "Appraising Evidence on Program Effectiveness: Do Virginity Pledges Cause Virginity?". Public Health Institute Center for Research on Adolescent Health and Development. Archived from the original on 2004-10-14. Retrieved 2004-11-29.
  21. 1 2 3 4 Brückner and Bearman; Bearman, Peter (April 2005). "After the promise: The STD consequences of adolescent virginity pledges". Journal of Adolescent Health. 36 (4): 271–278. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2005.01.005 . PMID   15780782. S2CID   10150529.
  22. ↑ Bersamin MM, Walker S, Waiters ED, Fisher DA, Grube JW (May 2005). "Promising to wait: virginity pledges and adolescent sexual behavior". J Adolesc Health. 36 (5): 428–36. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2004.09.016. PMC   1949026 . PMID   15837347.
  23. ↑ Elizabeth Mehren (2006-05-08). "Some may play fast and loose with virginity pledge, study finds". San Francisco Chronicle.
  24. 1 2 3 Rosenbaum, J. E. (2009). "Patient Teenagers? A Comparison of the Sexual Behavior of Virginity Pledgers and Matched Nonpledgers". Pediatrics. 123 (1): e110–e120. doi:10.1542/peds.2008-0407. PMC   2768056 . PMID   19117832.
  25. ↑ Stein, Rob (29 December 2008). "Premarital Abstinence Pledges Ineffective, Study Finds" . Retrieved 29 May 2017– via washingtonpost.com.
  26. ↑ Molly McElroy, Virginity pledges for men can lead to sexual confusion — even after the wedding day, washington.edu, USA, October 9, 2015
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