I’ve never had a comment of the day before, but I’m compelled to make this one it:
“Just read your column, and wanted to say thank you for speaking up about these very important issues. What you say is true—I’ve been on both sides of this (I was not a virgin when I got married, but had dated my soon-to-be husband for years, and we were chaste). The years we spent learning how better to adjust to each other, to discipline ourselves for the sake of the other and our relationship, were a FAR better preparation for marriage than sex ever could have been. Thank you also for focusing on chastity rather than virginity — all too often the focus in Christian literature is on virginity, but then what about those of us who are no longer virgins? It feels like the game is up, and there isn’t anything to ‘preserve’ or ‘save’ anymore. It took me a while to believe that chastity was still important even though my virginity was long gone, and it took me even longer to understand why.” -Anonymous.
Posted anonymously this afternoon in response to Why I’m a virgin: the feedback. Re-posted now, by me, with gratitude.