On Abstinence, Bristol Palin Vs. Focus on the Family
By Dan Gilgoff, God & Country
New mom Bristol Palin tells Greta Van Susteren that premarital abstinence is a tough sell:
But I think abstinence is like...I don't know how to put it, like...the main...Everyone should be abstinent, but it's not realistic at all.
How will this go over with the Christian right groups that were so supportive of Sarah Palin's vice presidential candidacy (and are key to a Palin future in national politics), which lavishly praised the 17-year-old Bristol's decision to see her pregnancy through? Here's what Focus on the Family's James Dobson said about the Bristol pregnancy announcement last September:
We have always encouraged the parents to love and support their children and always advised the girls to see their pregnancies through, even though there will of course be challenges along the way. That is what the Palins are doing, and they should be commended once again for not just talking about their pro-life and pro-family values, but living them out even in the midst of trying circumstances.
And here's what Focus on the Family's website says about sex before marriage:
As Christians, the concept of reserving sex for marriage is a part of God's original plan.... If the act of sex is meant for marriage, it begs the question: What is the practical application for those who are not married? We are to remain celibate and to offer ourselves completely up to God for His service, something that's very difficult when married.
Bristol's remarks totally buck that line. So, what does Focus and its Christian right brethren do now—keep quiet or embrace Bristol's remarks as a teachable moment on abstinence, even if it means rebuking a member of their beloved Palin clan?
- Read more by Dan Gilgoff.
- Read more about Sarah Palin.
Tags: sex education | religion | sex | teen pregnancy | Sarah Palin
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my God, i thought you were going to chip in with some decisive insght at the end there, not leave it with ‘we leave it to you to decide’.
Topic is abstinence but Bible tells of unwed parents
Marriage usually means the "recognized right" to have sex with the mate. But Lot wasn't wed to his daughters when he impregnated them. Was the Holy Spirit wed to Mary when he impregnated her? No, Joseph later married her. Scripture doesn't mention marriage vows between Adam & Eve. Abraham was wed to Sarah, not her servant who bore Isaac to him. After the Flood, when the male mating pool was only Noah and 3 sons, all matings had to be between blood relatives-for example Ham and a niece. He couldn't marry the niece. He was already wed to his black Ethiopian wife. It would be the same with Shem and a relative because
Shem had a wife before the Flood. There are many contradictions in all holy books. It may sound cynical, but I was surprised to learn that parents of "special needs children" are eligible to collect millions of tax dollars toward their care as long as they live. Former Gov. Palin seems to believe she did something praiseworthy to carry her Downs Syndrome conception to completion--saying "it teaches the family something." I can't figure out what she may mean, but it all seems to be based on her faith.
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