The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released today the first comprehensive study of sexually transmitted diseases among adolescents (HT: The Dallas Morning News). News agencies are releasing the story with the headline "At least 1 in 4 teen girls has a sexually transmitted disease." Digging into the figures, we learn that the rate of infection among teen girls who admit to being sexually active is actually over 40 percent.
The infection rate for sexually transmitted diseases among abstinent teen girls: 0%.
The infection rate for sexually transmitted diseases among fornicating teen girls: 40%
It is too wild a ride to go from 0 to 40 in one careless moment. No matter how the world lampoons us for doing so, if we care at all about people we will continue to preach abstinence and advocate it as public healthy policy.
Wow! You posted on something that wasn't on the OutPost first. Way to go Bart!
ReplyDelete;)
Sorry, I could not help myself with this one. I suppose the first to let out gossipy tidbits are to be commended by some in the SBC.
Bart,
ReplyDeleteIt has been way too long since I have said this, and I say it with every ounce of sincerity in me:
This is your best post ever!
I have half-a mind to go over and link to this at the Outpost, though recently I've been told that Ben is in charge. If you don't see it there you'll know why. ;-)
As a personal policy, we should preach abstinence to our kids.
ReplyDeleteBut perhaps we should support a public policy that serves the common good which teaches both abstinence and birth control.
I'm not sure generally how effective abstinence-only education is.
I am curious as to what the infection rate is for teen males...
BDW...please, say you didn't say "But perhaps we should support a public policy that serves the common good which teaches both abstinence and birth control."
ReplyDeleteNever ever ever in your wildest dreams will I ever "support a public policy that teaches both abstinence and birth control." As a Christian, there is no "common good in supporting public policy" that teaches or condones sexual immorality outside of marriage. Show me one place in Scripture where we are to teach birth control that subsequently teaches immorality and fornication. As it is, the state of Texas is pushing the vaccine to curb the papilloma virus that causes cervical cancer and that virus can ONLY be gotten by ill-gotten copulation.
Sorry, BDW, this one is not even close in getting a pass. selahV
I don't want your pass, SelahV.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm not condoning anything.
All Christians want to reduce teen pregnancy (which ultimately will reduce the abortion rate) and sexually transmitted diseases. And all Christians agree that abstinence would do just that.
But a policy that will serve best the common good should provide young people with all of the information that tey need to make and carry out informed, responsible decisions. The reality is - SelahV - that over 50% of high school kids are having sex. Withholding factually correct education and simply telling those kids not to have sex probably isn't the best policy. Yes, my approach is quite pragmatic. But I believe comprehensive sex education to be the best public policy if we're truly interested in reducing teen pregnancy, transmission of STDs/HIV, and the abortion rate among our public school students.
According to one poll, 73% of pro-life voters, 73% of Catholics, 57% of Baptists, and 67% of evangelicals and fundamentalists favor the teaching of comprehensive sex education in schools. You shouldn't be surprised by my public policy positions. It's not the Bush position but its obviously a commonly held position among Christians in America.
And by the way, just because a student is educated on sex doesn't mean that that same student is being taught that sexual immorality is acceptable. Students are provided with facts. If you have sex at any point in your life and don't use contraception, the girl may very well get pregnant. That's a fact. What's so scary about teaching kids facts?
BDW...what's so scary about teaching kids God's Word?
ReplyDeleteWhat's so scary about teenagers having sex without contraception? Aborted babies.
ReplyDeleteSelahV, your plan is a good one in a culture that no longer exists.
Are you really advocating the devotional teaching of God's Word IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS?!?
ReplyDeleteI'm with SelahV,
ReplyDeleteJudged on its ideological effectiveness (which is the best idea), abstinence is the most effective approach.
Judged on its pragmatic effectiveness, NO approach to sexual education by public schools has shown much merit. Parental insistence upon abstinence is my favored plan.
Abstinence is the preferred public health plan because not all STDs are the so-called "discharge diseases." HPV and the genital ulcer diseases can spread via contact close to but outside the area affected by condoms and other means of birth control.
I've had one and only one sexual partner in my life. She's had one and only one sexual partner in hers. We have zero fear of STDs. There's one and only one way to have that kind of peace. And they don't sell it at the drugstore.
bart,
ReplyDeletethey sure dont sell it at the drugstore. very good and wise words.
your best post ever. :)
david
I am a public school teacher (Biology) and just this morning I was teaching about viruses. We sidetracked to STDs and I shared these same statistics with three classes filled with 16 year-olds. I also told them that the only way to prevent these diseases is with abstinence! Nothing else!
ReplyDeleteDear teacher,
ReplyDeleteThank you for all that you do...and this service in particular.
BDW...we have been on a downward spiral ever since prayer and the ten commandments were removed from the public school system. In fact, I'd go so far as to say had we continued using the Bible as a Reader as it once was years ago, we wouldn't be having half the problems we have in America.
ReplyDeleteYou're the lawyer, Aaron. Tell me when the laws were put in place to take away Biblical influence in the public schools because atheistic minds were scared to have the Biblical view pitted against evolution?
When the government and educational gurus began teaching tolerance instead of Arithmetic and English, we failed our children and future generations. selahV
Hello r. grannemann: I clicked on your name but you weren't there. :)
ReplyDeleteYou say my "plan is a good one in a culture that no longer exists."
Sorry, but my plan is the one I find in God's Word and His plan is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Culture has NOTHING to do with this. Apathetic Christianity and impotent faith is the reason we have the culture we have. Had there been but one righteous man, God would not have destroyed Sodom and Gommorah.
If men as intelligent as BDW, were to speak as boldly as he does with the conviction of John the Baptist, and the fire of Elijah, we would be in a revival in America today, instead of a den of fornication and licentiousness. Watered down faith and milktoast sermons to tickle the chords of society's emotions has created the mess we face today. selahV
SelahV,
ReplyDelete"Tell me when the laws were put in place to take away Biblical influence in the public schools because atheistic minds were scared to have the Biblical view pitted against evolution?"
I hate to tell you this, but the Ten Commandment monument was moved from the Alabama judicial building. I'm afraid the laws are in place.
I you think the culture is "afraid" to have the Biblical view pitted against evolution, just read Richard Dawkins, Kurt Vonnegut or the editorial page of Scientific American.
Well SelahV, I and most everyone else don't believe that our Constitution under the First Amendment affords the right of states to sponsor prayer and devotional Bible study. But don't blame me and don't blame those darned atheists, blame the Founding Fathers who drafted and ratified a secular document that has served our nation well. Welcome to a world where pluralism is a reality!
ReplyDeleteEven your Southern Baptist religious liberty guru isn't calling for the return of state-sponsored prayer and state-sponsored Bible study to the public schools!
As a side note, bright, intelligent, bold men and women need not be against culture. Nor should we necessarily embrace culture. Instead, we should strive to transform culture by speaking prophetically to a thoroughly pluralistic society.
Self-described "Southern Baptist ethicist" David Gushee has a new book out titled "The Future of Faith in American Politics" which closely aligns with my view of Christian political engagement. I am dialoguing with Gushee's book this week and next over at my blog.
BDW...you have effectively evaded the question I asked. :) But that's okay. I'll try again in another way. When the forefathers who wrote the Constitution were teaching children in schools, from what did they teach children to read? Today we are privileged to have tolerant friendly, gender neutral propaganda being fed our children to the detriment of Biblical standards and principles.
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying we have to teach devotional Bible studies in school. I'm saying that the removal of prayer in school and the advancement of atheism, Darwinism and post-modern agendas has been part and parcel of the downfall of society's culture. The constant barrage of anything of faith being taboo in schools has added to the stigma of Christianity being the new evil.
It is a scientific fact that if a person does not engage in sexual relations with another person who has been sexually active that they will not contract diseases. Some scientists have established that prayer and faith help in the healing of one's body. Is that taught in phys ed classes?
Aaron, I know you and I will not agree on the government butting out of faith and freedom of religion. We see it from two very different perspectives. I see it from a 59-year-old woman who lived in the days when the Ten Commandments were recited along with the Pledge of Allegiance. I see it from the perspective of children being made to mind and that rules were rules and consequence followed the breaking of those rules. So when I recited the Ten Commandments, I saw them as something valuable to my life. Something which would protect me from consequences. Unfortunately, that is not what people see them as today. Some liberal folks see the Ten Commandments as needless, archaic laws written by a spaced-out old man on a drug-induced magic carpet ride upon Mount Sinai.
And we have multiple religious-left individuals who will hop on that ride right along with them. We have people who see sin as wrong but not wrong for Christians in Christ because Christ has set them free from law. We have jets that temporarily break the laws of gravity, but gravity remains and what goes up will come down eventually.
The more we discard the Word of God, the more licentious, fornication and sexual deviance there will be. And sooner or later we will all get what we deserve. The end. And I'm so glad I won't be here when that happens. selahV