Chastity refers to sexual behavior of a man or woman acceptable to the ethical norms and guidelines of a certain culture, civilization or religion. Human sexual behavior or different human sexual practices encompass a wide range of activities such as strategies to find or attract partners ( Mating and display Ethics is a major branch of Philosophy, encompassing right conduct and good life A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos
In the western world, the term has become closely associated (and is often used interchangeably) with sexual abstinence, especially before marriage, due to the restriction of sexual relations to marriage deriving from the Ten Commandments. Sexual abstinence is the practice of voluntarily refraining from some or all aspects of Sexual activity. Fornication, or simple fornication is a term which refers to voluntary Sexual intercourse between persons not married to each other The Ten Commandments, or Decalogue, are a list of religious and moral imperatives that according to Judeo-Christian tradition were authored by God and given However, the term remains applicable to persons in all states, single or married, clerical or lay, and has implications beyond sexual temperance.
Placed opposite the deadly sin of lust, Chastity has been classified as one of Seven virtues. The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, are a classification of Vices that were originally used in early Christian Literature In Dante's Inferno, the first Canticle of the Divine Comedy, the lustful are punished by being continuously The seven virtues are a set of seven cardinal virtues recognized in Christian Philosophy, especially Virtue ethics, and Theology.
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From Unmarried to Married
Assuming the observance of chastity, chastity is of particular relevance to the transition from unmarried to married status (here marriage is meant in the common heterosexual sense, not in the sense of spiritual marriage). Spiritual marriage comes from the idea of " Love without sex. Broadly, there are two approaches: courtship and arranged marriage. Courtship is the traditional dating period before engagement and marriage Arranged marriage (also called prearranged marriage) is a Marriage arranged by someone other than the persons getting married curtailing or avoiding the process
Different cultures have implemented chastity in different ways. From the weak to the strong: Some take no objection to courtship or even casual sexual relationships. Some have implemented chastity with a double standard. A double standard refers to one class of entities being treated differently from another class of entities and implies an unfair or unjustified differentiation Others have taken the view that marriages should be arranged and that any behavior which could be construed as courtship is taboo.
Antiquity
In ancient times the value of chastity was highly debated in both the homosexual and heterosexual spheres. Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. Heterosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the opposite sex or to a heterosexual orientation In particular, Socrates was an advocate of chaste pedagogic relations between men and boys, in opposition to the sexually expressed pederastic relations relationships prevalent in his time. SOCRATES is the European Community action programme in the field of Education. Pedagogy (ˈpɛdəgɒdʒi or paedagogy is the Art or Science of being a Teacher. Pederasty or paederasty refers to an erotic relationship sexually expressed or not between an adolescent boy and an adult male outside his immediate family Plato, having transmitted many of these teachings, has become the eponym for this type of chastity, known today as Platonic love (as opposed to romantic love, parental love, sibling love, etc. Biography Early life Birth and family Plato was born in Athens Greece Amor Platonicus The term amor platonicus was coined as early as the 15th century by the Florentine scholar Marsilio Ficino NOTICE TO WOULD-BE-ROMEOS*************** Parenting is the process of raising and educating a Child from birth, or before until Adulthood In the case of humans it is usually ).
"Grant me chastity and continence, but not yet. " (Da mihi castitatem et continentiam, sed noli modo. ) - Saint Augustine
In Abrahamic religions
In Jewish, Christian and Islamic ethical contexts, acts of sexual nature are restricted to the context of marriage. For unmarried persons therefore, chastity is identified with sexual abstinence. Sexual abstinence is the practice of voluntarily refraining from some or all aspects of Sexual activity. Sexual acts outside or apart from marriage, such as adultery, fornication and prostitution, are considered sinful. Adultery is the voluntary Sexual intercourse between a married person and another person who is not his or her Spouse, though in many places it is Fornication, or simple fornication is a term which refers to voluntary Sexual intercourse between persons not married to each other Prostitution is the act of performing Sexual activity in exchange for Money. Sin is a term used mainly in a religious context to describe an act that violates a moral Rule, or the state of having committed such a violation
In the context of marriage, the spouses commit to a lifelong relationship which excludes the possibility of sexual intimacy with other persons. NOTICE TO WOULD-BE ROMEOS ************** Chastity therefore involves marital fidelity and often a procreative intent. Reproduction is the Biological process by which new individual Organisms are produced Within marriage, several practices are variedly considered unchaste, such as sexual intimacy during or shortly after menstruation or childbirth. The menstrual cycle is a recurring cycle of physiologic changes that occurs in reproductive-age Females Overt menstruation (where there is blood flow from the Childbirth (also called labour, birth, partus or parturition) is the culmination of a Human Pregnancy or
The particular ethical system may not prescribe each of these. For example, within the scope of Christian ethic, Roman Catholics view sex within marriage as chaste, but prohibit the use of artificial contraception as an offense against chastity, seeing contraception as contrary to God's will and design of human sexuality. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Many Anglican churches allow for artificial contraception, seeing the restriction of family size as possibly not contrary to God's will. Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs A stricter view is held by the Shakers, who prohibit marriage (and indeed sexual intercourse under any circumstances) as a violation of chastity. The United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, known as the Shakers, was a Protestant religious denomination that originated in Manchester
Some Christian denominations, such as the Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox Churches, have set up various rules regarding clerical celibacy, while others, such as Lutheran and Anglican churches, allow clergy to marry or even favour it. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Clerical celibacy is the practice in various religious traditions, in which Clergy, Monastics and those (of either sex in religious orders adopt a Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer Martin Luther
In all Christian traditions, celibacy is required of monastics—monks, nuns and friars—even in a rare system of double cloisters, in which husbands could enter the (men's) monastery while their wives entered a (women's) sister monastery. Monasticism (from Greek μοναχός, monachos, derived from Greek monos, alone is the religious practice in which one A double monastery is an institution combining a separate Monastery for Monks and an Abbey for Nuns Examples include Coldingham Monastery
Vows of chastity can also be taken by laypersons, either as part of an organised religious life (such as Roman Catholic Beguines and Beghards) or on an individual basis, as a voluntary act of devotion and/or as part of an ascetic lifestyle, often devoted to contemplation. Beghards and Beguines were Roman Catholic lay religious communities active in the 13th and 14th century living in a loose semi- Monastic community The word Contemplation comes from the Latin root templum (from Greek temnein to cut or divide and means to separate something from its environment and to enclose it in a sector The voluntary aspect has led it to being included among the counsels of perfection. The three evangelical counsels or counsels of perfection in Christianity are chastity, poverty (or perfect charity) and
Clothing
Acts which transgress chastity are usually intended to be a private matter. The main exception to this norm is the style of clothing worn because clothing can be used to broadcast a person's receptiveness to sexual advances. Clothing (also called clothes, accoutrements, accouterments, or habiliments) protects the Human body from extreme Weather For this reason, cultures which attempt to foster chastity employ a modest style of dress, especially for women.
Style of dress may be chosen for other reasons than chastity such as the desire to express one's individual identity, to conform to societal norms, for advertising a product, or for other reasons. Advertising is a form of Communication that typically attempts to persuade potential Customers to Purchase or to consume more of a particular Brand
This is especially significant for virgins who may be influenced toward conceiving of sex separately from marriage instead of as an integrated part of marriage. See dress code. Clothing is an aspect of Human physical appearance, and like other aspects of human physical appearance it has social significance
See also
References
External links
- Catechism of the Catholic Church (III.2.I)
- Early Shaker Writings Relating to Sexual Abstinence
- Catholic Encyclopedia: Chastity
Dictionary
chastity
-noun
- The state of abstaining from sexual intercourse outside of marriage; avoidance of sexual sins; the quality of being chaste; moral purity.
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