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The Morality of Sex
As you may have read in my history article, my school routinely made us listen to teachers and speakers tell us why sex was a bad thing. Now, if you're a Christian proponent of the "no premarital sex" stance, I've probably just triggered you to say, "We don't think that sex is bad! We think that it's beautiful; that's why we want to save it until marriage."
The obstinate, Christian view on sex has been continuously criticized by psychologists and mental health experts as being damaging to one's psyche. The sexual repression taught by most Christian denominations simply isn't healthy, and it is largely responsible for the current wave of sexually-transmitted diseases. Telling people not to have sex and then leaving it at that, without properly educating them about how to have safe sex is simply criminal. Like it or not, teenagers will experiment with sex, regarless of what self-proclaimed prophets of the Invisible Man in the Sky tell them. Christian churches put lives at risk by putting their beliefs above basic concerns for the health and well-being of their younger members. Even worse are the taboos on masturbation, which lead to pent up sexual frustration, which is never healthy and can manifest itself in rape.
Of course, there are plenty of reasons to abstain from sex before marriage. Sex is an intimate experience, and it's understandable that some people would rather lose their virginity to someone that they've committed to for life. Also, sexually-transmitted diseases remain a very real and apparent danger in sexual activity -- though this is not necessarily restricted to premarital intercourse. Then there is, of course, the fear of a woman becoming pregnant before she is ready to have children.
However, the latter two risks (the ones that are actually harmful to someone's body) can be minimized or almost eliminated by simply practicing safe sex. There is no objectively justifiable reason for people to try and force others not to have sex until marriage. Sex is an enjoyable activity, and the risks associated with it can be minimized with the proper use of condoms or birth control pills.
Matters are more complex in these days with sexually-transmitted diseases which are actually lethal. It could be considered immoral to have sex with someone new without using a condom given that STD's are not always detected early on, and many people just don't get themselves regularly tested. Sex in today's world is not just about emotional trust, but trust that your partner would not do anything to harm you physically either.
The bottom line is that if you plan on having sex, do it responsibly. Be honest with your partner about your past experiences. Just think before doing anything (yes, I know it's hard ... no, not like you think :). There isn't anything necessarily wrong with having sex with multiple partners, experimenting with it and enjoying it, but there is something wrong when you don't acknowledge the responsibility that comes with sex.
