The value of chastity

with contributions from Julia Pabst, Rita Polatin

Julia Pabst of Milton, Massachusetts, talked with the Sentinel's Rita Polatin about the issue of sexuality in and out of marriage.

Julie Pabst: It started in seventh grade, but it certainly was more of an issue in eighth grade—the whole question of sexual morals. And nothing that anybody said to me really made any sense. At one point I really wanted with all my heart to know the truth about premarital sex.

I remembered that in Science and Health there's a chapter called "Marriage." So I decided to read through this chapter. When I finished, I still wanted to know more. And as I prayed and listened, an answer came very clearly—it was that human sexuality is something of a natural force like wind or water. I had, suddenly, an image in my mind of a great river. And I thought of the human institution of marriage as the banks of that river. A river is fine as long as it's channeled. But when it overflows its banks, it can do damage; it's not a blessing to anyone. I could see that sexuality is like that river. It needs to be contained within an institution—we call it marriage. Then it serves a purpose, and can bless.

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