In today's mainstream society, especially with college students, the controversy surrounding premarital sex appears to has all but fizzled. A recent study from the Princeton Religion Research Center showed that 46 percent of 18- to 21-year-olds believe premarital sex is wrong.
While some students around Grounds may hear of hook-ups "going all the way," one must re-examine why there are such divergent beliefs on premarital sex: Why do some choose to wait until marriage while others don't?
One of the main concerns of engaging in premarital sex is the potential negative consequences, such as sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. Monogamy decreases the chances of spreading and acquiring sexually transmitted diseases.
Fourth-year College student Candice Ng said she believes "there is a certain degree of risk concerning health issues in premarital sex and it just seems to lack a sense of commitment."
However, she also said she believes there are precautions one can take that make premarital sex safer -- mainly the use of condoms. She said she feels that the legally sanctified relationship of marriage helps to prepare one for the repercussions of unprotected sex.
Others, still, choose to abstain for religious purposes.
"Sex is a good thing, within its designed context and purpose -- one man committed to one woman," third-year Nursing student Laura Czarnik said. "Marriage, and all that it encompasses, is a godly institution."
Czarnik cited Genesis 2:24, which reads, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh."
Czarnik also believes in waiting until marriage "because of the nature of sex -- two people physically and emotionally tied to one another because of such an intimate experience that it is made to be a permanent bond."
For her, Czarnik said, sex should meet not onlyphysical, but even more importantly, deep emotional need for truly knowing and loving someone while being known and loved ourselves.
She said she is convinced that this only happens in a monogamous relationship.
There are various reasons some people wait until marriage to consummate their love for each other. Czarnik said she believes some people do not wait solely for religious reasons, but because "that is what they have always been told is right, and others just for personal choice because they want sex to be special."
However, there are a number of reasons why many do not many wait for marriage. Some would argue that it does not take a marriage to make sex special.
Fourth-year College student Mike Blackmore is one such individual. He said he did not wait until marriage because he fell in love. For him religious guidelines on premarital sex never played a role in his decision.
"It had more to do with passion and intensity than with religion and any archaic guidelines on sexual behavior," he said.
Blackmore added that he knew he would not wait until marriage, but he also knew "it would have to be the right person at the right time; it would never be a random person, a random fling."
After having addressed the health implications of sex, the biggest concern for Blackmore was the emotional consequences.
"If people are consensual, premarital sex is a beautiful thing that you shouldn't feel guilty about," he said. "But at the same time, it's important to think about any emotional repercussions. With physical intimacy, it's difficult to avoid some sort of emotional consequences. When you love someone, sex transcends the physical intercourse and is about the emotional intimacy."
Blackmore said he does not believe in having sex unless he is in love, but he also thinks that he does not represent the average University student.
One issue surrounding premarital sex is the lack of communication between this generation and their parents regarding beliefs and opinions on sexuality. Czarnik eluded to this concern saying she suspects some people abstain because "that is what thy have always been told is right."
Blackmore said he felt part of the problem is the way people discuss sex with their parents.
"With our generation, most parents are miserably uncomfortable addressing the topic," Blackmore said. "They avoid open discussion. The worst sex talk is to just say to wait until marriage and not explain why. They lack the sensitivity and patience for such a talk."
While opinions on premarital sex vary today, the students interviewed seemed to agree: whether or not one chooses to wait, they are, inadvertently or not, reconciling their behavior with their moral and religious beliefs regarding sexuality.
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