Details

Category: NW Essay Contest 2009

Published: 29 September 2016

Abstinence

Latrice Johnson

                To start off, I believe every person on earth should wait until they are married to have sex. There are multiple reasons why I strongly believe this. First of all, God would like me to be abstinent. Secondly, I am less likely to get diseases. Lastly, my virginity is important to me.

                Have you ever wondered why God wants you to save yourself until marriage? Well, he wants you to because in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, he says, “I am your body, therefore honor God with your body.” This tells you when you sexually sin against your body, you are also sinning against God. Also, you should respect God and all he wants. God made sex for a husband and wife to enjoy, not for others to play with it.

                Secondly, when you have sex with a man (not your husband), you may catch a disease. When you are married, you know if your husband has a disease. But when you are not, you don’t know. Even though you use a condom, a condom protects only 99% of diseases. Once you get a disease you have to tell every guy/ man you are ever going to be with. Who would want to marry someone with a disease?

                Thirdly, virginity should be prided. When you lose your virginity, you are losing something special. You don’t know if you have met the right person until you know them. Your husband should be your first and last. Also, the only person you are intimate with should be your husband. My virginity is sacred to me and only my husband should be able to have it.

                In conclusion, now that you know why you should save yourself, start now. You don’t have to do what everyone else is doing to be cool. In a few years, the people who had sex unmarried will be pregnant, have diseases, and may be living a life unpleasing to God. Hopefully this essay takes effect on you and you will now wait until you are married.

Details

Category: NW Essay Contest 2009

Published: 29 September 2016

Essay by Akalia Woods /age 13, grade 8th/ Middle School Topic#1. How can choosing abstinence impact your present and future life? Wow…that’s a pretty big question. How to start? To begin with, nearly every person who practiced abstinence that I know has (or has had) a very happy marriage. Most of the people out there who are getting divorced did not choose abstinence, and are reaping the sad benefits of their early decision. So, how can abstinence impact my future life? Well, for one thing, it’ll certainly help my marriage in many ways. Then how will abstinence impact my present life? Will it make it difficult to keep friends at school? Will it prevent me from watching TV? What about a book that has inappropriate material in it? Will abstinence keep me from that as well? I believe that any true friends that you have won’t care about whether or not you practice this ideal, and won’t pressure you either. If a friend dumps you because you don’t want to hear about the last date she went on, or the hottest movie star, then she wasn’t really a friend. If a friend just says “Okay, sure, whatever,” then you know that she will never really care too much about any of it. And if a friend says “Gee, that sounds kind of smart, actually…I think you should go ahead.” then you know that she will always be your avid supporter. So choosing abstinence will probably get rid of any “weird” friends that you have. As for TV, there is a lot of junk out there that is inappropriate, no matter what. But the first thing before you watch that R rated adult swim show, check why you are watching it. If it’s for all of the gross humor, you probably should go back to Spongebob. If it’s because you think you can ignore all of that and try to glean whatever value you might gain from it, go ahead. It means that you are looking for the silver lining in that very ugly little rain cloud. So choosing abstinence will also help you to stop and review your current lifestyle. The same should be said for books, really. If you are reading for the bad parts, don’t read it. If you just want to see the good guys prevail and get married, then you should be fine. In other words, abstinence doesn’t just mean not going on dates and stuff before marriage. It also means living in a pure, aware sort of way, so that you aren’t caught off guard and fall into the general cesspool of modern times by accident. I know that that has happened to a lot of people. So choosing abstinence will keep you away from bad influences, including television, books, music, and certain parts of the internet. So, to return to the main point, abstinence will not only affect your future by improving your marriage, it will also change your lifestyle. It’s not always easy, and it might be annoying sometimes, but in the end, it’s definitely worth it. At least you shouldn’t reap any bad influences in your later life from it.

Details

Category: NW Essay Contest 2009

Published: 29 September 2016

Amy McCready /age 14 grade 9th/ Topic # 1. How can choosing abstinence impact your present and future life? In their teen years, 1 in 3 minors will choose a life of sex and drugs over abstinence. In America this has lead to a worrisome increase in higher divorce rates, drug addiction, growing criminal rates, and other issues that appear on the newspaper or on any TV news channel everyday. These teens, ignorant of the real world, unable to support themselves but wanting to be free of their parent’s rules, thrive off the support of family and friends. Those who choose abstinence as their way of life are given a freedom from regret. They don’t depend on drugs, have no fear of contracting an STD or pregnancy, don’t suffer from a conditional love relationship, have less future health issues, and have a clear chance of establishing an ideal family of unconditional love; a world of open opportunity. Teens like me go through an emotional phase of wanting a sense of belonging. We look for acceptance, happiness, and most importantly, love. Teens are also lazy so we tend to look for these feelings in a rushed way and we may look in the wrong places. Drugs are seen as an instant release from pain and stress, when “high” one feels giddy and relaxed. Eventually the persons body adjusts to the drug high and it takes higher levels of the drugs to get a high, and the person gets completely hooked and risk getting caught by the police, put in jail with a criminal record, and incur future health problems. Alcohol is a depressant that also gets people in a state of mental relaxation and giddy happiness that turns into loss of self control. This can result in drunken driving accidents that are 45% of the crashes that are the greatest cause of death for people from ages 6-33. Alcohol is the most commonly used drug among young people; it can rip families apart with domestic violence and accidental pregnancy, completely altering the lives of its consumers. The last impact that abstinence can bring is the affect of love. Wanting love is a natural part of human nature, especially wanting to receive love. People in high school and also older people often enter into a relationship based on physical attraction which leads to dating. When fallen people enter into a relationship, they always want to receive love, like they see in movies. Eventually all they care about is if the person they are with makes them happy, totally forgetting that to be in a successful relationship, there must be two people striving to make the other happy unconditionally. Also in these relationships, people want frequent proof of love and satisfaction and enter into a sexual relationship to receive it. 63% of teens who have had sexual intercourse wish they had waited. Sex is a beautiful act, created by God as a way to bring life in a natural and loving way, and to nourish closeness between committed partners. However without commitment people use sex to fill their emotional needs and insecurities. Engaging in sexual relationships outside of a committed and monogamous relationship often leads to STD’s and pregnancy. STD’s are seriously dangerous to both genders and quite embarrassing to admit to. They can spread like wildfire in free sex communities, causing havoc. Pregnancy is supposed to be a celebrated and joyous welcoming of new life made from committed love. But without the support of a seriously committed (married) couple, pregnancy is seen as a negative shift in life that closes many opportunities. A baby is a responsibility that must be cared for at all times. This affects ones opportunities and cuts out future goals and dreams, time for a job, and time for personal fun; evidently leading to an unhappy family of conditional love that was started by an accident. Abstinence is the door of freedom, life, and opportunity. It has no downside. It protects one from regret over bad decisions, dependence on drugs or alcohol, remaining health problems or fatal incidents caused by drugs or alcohol, and preserves a clear mind and record for success in a career, and a happy family of unconditional love. True love is worth the wait.

Details

Category: NW Essay Contest 2009

Published: 29 September 2016

Mikako Ishii /age 15 grade 9th/ Topic #4. How can one maintain purity when surrounded by a culture that does not recognize that value/ Purity. Abstinence. Teens hear these words so many times that it now seems like an everyday catch phrase. With today’s society sending out mixed messages as it is, it’s no wonder that a question such as whether or not abstinence is worth waiting for would come up. The values of today as opposed to that of 50 years ago for example, are so drastically different that questions are only expected. When it comes to purity, the main factor that people focus on is that of the physical. To each their own, but for me, it’s meaning delves much deeper. Not only does abstinence mean not having sex, but mentally and spiritually, it’s a pledge to myself to stay pure in all ways; a person’s thoughts are just as guilty as their actions. By choosing the road of abstinence, you’re saying that you’re willing to wait for your future spouse. Many decades ago, this would have been the norm, but nowadays, does it still hold the same value? Religion, being one of the major advocates for abstinence, has different ways of showing it. Whether a person may be Christian, Catholic, or Muslim, purity is shown through methods such as promise rings, workshops/church, arranged marriages, and fasts. With the majority of Americans being religious, one would think that everything would be fine if they followed the “guidelines” of their religion. However, with the number of pregnancies going up in the US, it’s no wonder that people would wonder if abstinence actually means something, regardless of religious beliefs. With today’s society as is, staying pure is one of the hardest decisions that could be made as a teen, as well as an irreversible one. Friends, school, internet, and parties; all four being everyday circumstances that teens comes across, and all equally full of temptations. No matter how many promises you’ve made to yourself and God, temptation will always exist. Words are words until you back them up with evidence, and in this case, if as many teenagers are participating in sexual activity as studies show, the fact that people are questioning abstinence is not surprising at all. In my opinion however, it doesn’t matter who says it or how many times it is said, it comes down to the individual. Personally, I’ve taken part in workshops, signed a pledge, and possess a promise ring. Does this necessarily mean that I’ll wait until after marriage? With all other distractions taken out of the picture, one comes to see that a promise is made to be fulfilled, not only until you meet a boy or girl that you’ve come to like. Regardless of the age, or “time” that we are living in, purity will always be important. Hearing these words regarding abstinence in what seems like daily life, and still having so many people fall from their original plans of waiting, is abstinence in fact, an outdated idea? My answer is a simple “no.” Regardless of race and religion, all that matters is that we are human, and saving yourself for your future spouse is an important decision that needs to be made. To have people of different age, ethnicity, and religion encouraging absolute purity, ignoring the wise and age-old advice would be the mistake of a lifetime.