In one of my favorite webcomics, the chaplain in a mercenary army explains that his religious order doesn't believe in celibacy, but rather chastity. So basically, no sex outside of marriage. Seem a bit strict? I've had friends express that expecting teens to abstain from sex is extremely naive. They figure that the only celibate teens are those that can't attract the opposite sex. My experience has been quite different.
Mormon parents typically expect their children to be chaste, and a surprisingly high percentage of Mormon teens comply with this expectation. That doesn't mean that the hormones stop flowing. Just that self-control and propriety are the norm.
What about gay teens? I think that the same expectations apply. The only difference is that parents might hope that their child still ends up happily married to someone of the opposite gender in the temple, which would seem to be in conflict with their orientation. But sometimes it happens (like to me), so parents may keep hoping. Either way, though, the expectation is still chastity. The problem comes when teens might think that since they are gay, the normal rules do not apply. But that line of thinking can be dangerous.
I can see that if parents expect their children to have sexual encounters, if they have gay children, they would expect their gay children to also have sexual encounters. But according to Mormon teachings, parents should expect their children, regardless of orientation, to follow the law of chastity.
I think that even among the general population, teen sexual activity, while it does exist, is not as prevalent as people think. Someone told me about a study in which a group of teens were asked if they had been sexually active. Many said yes, perhaps from fear that stating the alternative would be uncool (it is actually pretty disturbing that that would be a standard of coolness). However, when questioned privately, those same teenagers said that actually, they had never been sexually involved with anyone.
ReplyDeleteP.S. It is actually quite important that children be in an atmosphere of chastity-for-the-sake-of-obedience-to-God, not only because that will make it easier to be celibate, but also because that will give their celibacy it's true meaning, it's meaning of closeness to God's Will and of true chastity, as opposed to being celibate merely out of shyness, or whatever.
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