Abstinence Still Relevant

Abstinence is still relevant in the Christian society in which we live, says Reverend Chris Archibald of the St. George’s Anglican Church.

The Reverend was weighing in on the issue following an Abstinence Workshop held here last week at the International University of Nursing. The workshop aimed to assist young ladies in St. Kitts with recognising their worth.

Reverend Archibald said that the church upholds its promotion of the message, ‘Abstinence until Marriage’, saying that though people may not be listening to the message, it “doesn’t change the message.”

He further said that the church also promotes faithfulness to one’s partner after marriage.

Reverend Archibald persisted, mentioning that history has shown that when one does not abide by God and the laws of the church with regards to sexual purity, one encounters problems which may include becoming pregnant and contracting and spreading HIV/Aids and other STDs.

He said that the issue is more complex than just abstaining from sex and that people, especially teenagers, should have a holistic lifestyle that involves being disciplined and abstaining from sex and drugs.

He concluded by saying that though the church adapts to meet the relevant needs of its congregation and society, there are certain teachings of the church that must remain steadfast.

The abstinence workshop last week aimed to promote abstinence until marriage. It covered topics such as self-esteem, remaining abstinent, communication skills, assertiveness and risks related to sex.

Some of the young ladies who attended the workshop last week made a vow to abstain from sex until marriage. The vow went: “Believing that true love is worth the wait, I make the following commitment to God, myself, my friends, my future mate and my future children to be sexually pure from this day until the day I enter a biblical marriage relationship.”