Why do people have sex before marriage?

[QUOTE][b]And since Mary Magdalen was a prosititute I guess Jesus didn't really have a problem with the idea.[/QUOTE][/b]Harlotry was not something looked upon favorably in the Jewish world or the Bible. Isaiah compares Jerusalem to a harlot. In fact comparison with a prostitute is frequently used to admonish people. See Hosea 4:14 for an example.God doesn't really like prostitution either, have a look at Jeremiah 5:7.But most of the references to "adultery" are in the context of one of the participants being married to someone else. Matthew 15:19 mentions both "adultery" and "sexual immorality" together. Matthew 5:28 says that he who even looks at a woman lustfully commits adultery (does she have to be married? it doesn't specify).

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Originally posted by Godismyfather:
Why do people have sex before marriage? Not only is it a sin, you risk getting STD's and getting or making some one pregnant! There is NO SUCH THING AS SAFE SEX!!!!!!! They did a study a while ago in which they took a sperm and a AIDs virus and lined them up next to each other. They kept making the image bigger and bigger until the sperm was about a couple inches long and the virus was about the size of a pencil point! STD's wouldn't be so epidimical if everyone saved sex. It's worth the wait! God made it to be special! Think about when you ask or are asked to be married, what do you say? Oh, by the way, I have Genital Herpies and you'll probably get it too? How romantic. Save it!

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----As a self-proclaimed intellectual Catholic (although most of the atheists, agnostics, etc. would contend that "intellectual Catholic" is an oxymoron /kidding/), I literally cringed at your post. Although you have good intentions and there is undeniable validity in your proclamations that there is "no such thing as safe sex" and "STD's wouldn't be so epidimical if everyone saved sex", you have to realize that not everyone agrees with your particular beliefs when it comes to sex before marriage as mandated by your faith and/or the bible. Your post only serves as fodder to others who label those with a "religious perspective" as quacks, kooks, etc. I can reasonably assume your belief in God as you noted "Not only is it a sin" and your name is Godismyfather.Fixed UBB quote code - Adminnemooseus[This message has been edited by Adminnemooseus, 10-16-2002]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by leekim:
[b][QUOTE]As a self-proclaimed intellectual Catholic (although most of the atheists, agnostics, etc. would contend that "intellectual Catholic" is an oxymoron /kidding/)...[/b][/QUOTE]I wouldn`t, at least not if there was any chance of the wife finding out.....

You people look at it all wrong. The only bases for sex being bad is from the bible. Have you ever read the thing? I don't know anyone who really has. To this day there has been a huge decline in religion among teenagers. Of course, there are youth groups and stuff, but that is more social than anything else. There are also two other reasons. One would be to rebel against parents, the other it's just sinning. If you think about it, just about anything is sinning. Have you ever lied or tried smoking. Many things such as body peircings could be considered defilement of the body. Whats one more thing on a huge list of rules people ignore.

Umm bud I don`t think the bible explicitly mentions smoking or tatoos as sins just a small purely pedantic point....

Surely the concept of marriage is a biblical one. I've never really understood why a non-Christian would get married in the first place. There are plenty of other ways of showing commitment without the need for a ring. To a non-Christian what is the REAL difference between marriage and cohabiting with a life partner?! A piece of paper that makes it more difficult to break up?! To a non-Christian the idea of not having sex before marriage appears equally ludicruous. Why should they follow the moral code of someone they don't even believe in?! I believe that the main answers to the original question are (a) Because they enjoy it - obvious answer! and (b) Many people convince themselves that sex will keep the relationship together. To use the analogy of a building - I think sex makes an awful foundation for a relationship, but an excellent roof! Having said all that, as a Christian I think that it is always best to follow the Maker's instructions!! lol

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Originally posted by GregP618:
Surely the concept of marriage is a biblical one. I've never really understood why a non-Christian would get married in the first place. There are plenty of other ways of showing commitment without the need for a ring. To a non-Christian what is the REAL difference between marriage and cohabiting with a life partner?!

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Well personally its because they won`t let me and my american "life partner" live in the same counttry unless we are married....Of course thats more of a problem with immigration laws than anything else....Oh and also her whole family are Irish catholic and being married means I don`t have to sleep out in the barn if we go visiting.....

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Originally posted by joz:
Well personally its because they won`t let me and my american "life partner" live in the same counttry unless we are married....

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Of course thats more of a problem with immigration laws than anything else....

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Oh and also her whole family are Irish catholic and being married means I don`t have to sleep out in the barn if we go visiting.....

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Fair comment! Of course, the original laws were all based on Biblical principles. The constitution was set up around the moral code of the Bible.

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To a non-Christian what is the REAL difference between marriage and cohabiting with a life partner?!

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Tax breaks and insurance.

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[This message has been edited by schrafinator, 03-20-2002]

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Originally posted by schrafinator:
Tax breaks and insurance.

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[This message has been edited by schrafinator, 03-20-2002]

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In the UK even tax breaks have been removed! I now have no basis whatsoever to marry my partner. Financial reward WOULD have been a reason.Mark------------------
Occam's razor is not for shaving with.

1.) The .0001% of people who do get pregnant despite contraceptives, normally used them incorrectly.
2.) Last I checked, marriage didn't magically cure a person of AIDS.
3.) Also last I checked, you could get a partner TESTED for AIDS, before you have sex with them.
4.) Marriage doesn't magically make two people stay together, or begin loving each other. They love each other before hand, and can still get divorced. Welcome to the real world.Just because you made the dumb mistake of either using contraceptives incorrectly, or not using them at all, or not making sure your partner was clean of STD's, doesn't mean other people will do the same.

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Originally posted by gene90:

Harlotry was not something looked upon favorably in the Jewish world or the Bible. Isaiah compares Jerusalem to a harlot. In fact comparison with a prostitute is frequently used to admonish people. See Hosea 4:14 for an example.

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God doesn't really like prostitution either, have a look at Jeremiah 5:7.

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... but Jesus wasn't that bothered ... unless there's a bit I missed
about him giving Mary M. a good telling off.

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Originally posted by gene90:

But most of the references to "adultery" are in the context of one of the participants being married to someone else. Matthew 15:19 mentions both "adultery" and "sexual immorality" together. Matthew 5:28 says that he who even looks at a woman lustfully commits adultery (does she have to be married? it doesn't specify).

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Could be evolution of ideas in motion.In OT there's really only a problem with other people's wives and
that evolved over time into some bizarro puritanity (if you'll
forgive the anachronism).

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Originally posted by GregP618:
Surely the concept of marriage is a biblical one. I've never really understood why a non-Christian would get married in the first place.

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I don't think it's a christain thing, or intrinsically biblical.Marriage pre-dates the bible (summerians etc. got married),
and cultures which arose out of very non-jewish backgrounds
still had marriage (Egyptians, Babylonians, Summerians (oh
I already mentioned them )I believe the likely origins of marriage are more related to
property than anything else ... and down through the ages they
have been formalised into the modern marriage ceremonies (and
non-jewish/non-christains still get married!!).I married my wife, as a sign of committment, and I feel it is
an even stronger sign of commitment BECAUSE it's not really
necesary (barring strange local laws )

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Originally posted by Godismyfather:
Why do people have sex before marriage?

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For the same basic reasons as they have sex after
marriage ... because it is quite often enormously
good fun.

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Originally posted by GregP618:
I've never really understood why a non-Christian would get married in the first place. There are plenty of other ways of showing commitment without the need for a ring. To a non-Christian what is the REAL difference between marriage and cohabiting with a life partner?! A piece of paper that makes it more difficult to break up?! To a non-Christian the idea of not having sex before marriage appears equally ludicruous. Why should they follow the moral code of someone they don't even believe in

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I have lived with my life partner now for 14 years. We don't need a piece of paper to tell us we love each other, and we don't need the approval of any god to love one another in any way we see fit. However, under the laws of the land we live in, unless we DO get married, if something were to happen to either of us, the other would not be entitled to certain monetary compensations. Also in our society, unless you are married, or have legal documents drafted for protection, the law basically gives you no rights in cases of death of a partner or a breakup, where marriage automatically bestows certain rights to property and financial resources.My partner and I really have no real desire or need to get married, but we will, mainly so that if he dies (he is considerably older than I am), I am ensured of receiving enough money to avoid having to sell our home and move, and be able to keep myself fed.