HRT 3M: World Religions Beliefs, Traditions and Issues

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HRT 3M World ReligionsBeliefs, Traditions and
Issues

• Chastity

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QuestionWhat is Chastity?

• a) An organization that accepts money
• b) A religious vow one takes to abstain from
  pre-marital sex
• c) An overexposed 80s rock band

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Answer b) A religious vow one takes to
abstain from pre-marital sex

• Although chastity usually refers to a vow
  taken by one to abstain from sexual intercourse
  until marriage, it is not strictly confined to
  that. It is known as a form of the virtue of
  temperance, which controls a persons greatest
  sensual pleasures which can be in the form of
  food, drink, or in this case, the union of the
  sexes. Most religions, specifically Catholicism,
  Hinduism, and Sikhism, believe that to be chaste
  is to sustain from sexual intercourse until
  marriage as the sacred bond of intercourse is to
  be within marriage between a man and a woman.

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What do the religions think?

• Catholicism strongly encouraged a mortal sin if
  broken
• Hinduism strongly encouraged unacceptable to
  engage in sex before reaching the stage of the
  householder.
• Sikhism strongly encouraged pre-marital sex
  brings shame on ones family

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Catholicism

• Early Christian views on chastity date back to
  the days of Jesus Christ who saw the human body
  as the temple of the Holy Ghost, not to be
  mistreated. Even today the same values are
  applied to chastity by the Catholic Church and
  chastity is seen as the virtue that moderates
  sexual desire and separates us from animals
  allowing us the power over our own lives, and the
  ability to choose when and whom we want to be
  intimate with. The Catechism of the Catholic
  Church explains that the virtue of chastity
  involves the integrity of the person in order to
  be successful, which means that one must be able
  to exercise self-control. Catholics must take a
  vow of chastity with the full intent to keep it
  until marriage.

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Why do Catholics practice chastity? The answer
is that most Catholics are looking for a closer
relationship with God, and in order to devote
themselves fully to Him as well as their own
spiritual interests, they must refrain from even
the licit pleasures of the marital state, thus
perfect chastity becomes virginity. Once this
happens, these certain individuals can be taking
interest in becoming nuns or priests- those who
devote their lives fully to God- and live the
life of celibacy.
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Signifying your vow of chastity

• For many centuries there have been many items (in
  early Christianity and especially Catholicism)
  that are meant to represent a vow of chastity.
  Chastity belts were very common back in medieval
  times and were used mostly on the womans behalf.
  These were usually large brass and metal shorts
  with a lock that serve as undergarments that
  prevent the wearer from engaging in sexual
  intercourse. Chastity belts are still worn today
  throughout the world but are definitely not as
  common as a few centuries ago.
• Today, those who have taken a vow of chastity,
  and teenagers in particular, prefer a more subtle
  approach as a means to keeping their vow.
  Chastity cards and rings signify that the owner
  intends to remain chaste until marriage, and are
  very popular among teens today.

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And now for a clip about chastity from
The Best Laid Plans
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Hinduism
In Hinduism, there have been many stories
created that are meant to signify the importance
of certain values and traditions, usually
involving one or more gods. This is no exception
when the idea of to be pure is to be chaste was
introduced. The story dates back to Sitadevi,
wife of Rama, prince of Ayodhya. Once he gave up
his throne, Sita followed him into the forest but
was abducted by Ravana who wanted her to prove
her chastity by entering fire- establishing that
if she was hurt she was not chaste. She did not
hesitate to enter the fire and emerged unhurt,
establishing her purity.
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Although the caste system does not play as
large of a role in todays modern Hindu society
as in previous times, values such as chastity
tend to be regarded as more important to those in
castes higher on the hierarchy. No matter of your
caste though, pre-marital chastity ranks high on
the scale of values for most Hindus, creating a
strong religious and social pressure to control
the senses, especially before marriage. Even in
early Hindu writings there is an emphasis on
self-control of sexual urges before a person
reaches the stage of the householder. Also, the
stage of life for males, known as the Celibate
Student reinforces Hinduisms view of sex before
becoming a householder- it is simply
inappropriate. Today, Hindus are trying to
instill the respectable ways and values of living
to their children. Harmony within the home
tolerance for others respect and appreciation
for elders purity of thought and of course,
chastity until marriage are some of the many
values taught to Hindu children.
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Sikhism

• Sikhism, the largest most recent religious
  addition to the world, created to eliminate the
  unfair bias and treatment of woman of early
  Hinduism, did not exactly have an opinion of
  chastity- that is until the tenth, and final
  Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, wrote in Sikh Scriptures
  that sexual activity is to be restricted within
  its responsible use within marriage. In Sikhism,
  family honour is a dominant concern and sexual
  misconduct (being sexual activity for both sexes
  outside of a marriage) brings immense shame on a
  family. A Union with god is not possible if one
  is at the mercy of a wayward impulse.
• As a religion similar to Hinduism in many
  aspects, one of its core differences is that
  since the beginning of Sikhism, men and women
  have been considered equal, and in fact, the
  issue of equality has always been a large aspect
  in the shaping of Sikhism. Sikhs are required by
  their religion to stay loyal to their spouses and
  even celibacy becomes redefined in terms of
  chastity meaning that a celibate one is one who
  is married to one wife only and treats all other
  woman as sisters and daughters.

Guru Gobind Singh
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Some Sikh males (and some females) may
choose to join what is called The Khalsa Order,
also known as the Brotherhood of Saints. The
Khalsa was founded by Guru Gobind Singh with the
goal of upholding Sikh values. Those who initiate
the order must follow a strict code of moral and
ethical conduct including the observance of the
five khalsas (or the 5 Ks), one of which being
the Kacha, a special undergarment worn as a
symbol of marital chastity.
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Chastity and the Media

• Chastity is an issue that seems to be
  loosing its true meaning behind the ever-powerful
  message of todays media. Whenever you watch
  television or read a magazine, you are bombarded
  with sexually suggestive ads and programs. In
  almost every teen orientated movie today there is
  at least one scene or suggestion of teens having
  pre-marital sex. Why is this the society that we
  live in? You have to be with a religious
  organization now-a-days if you are going to speak
  to others about chastity, and you hardly ever
  hear about pre-marital chastity otherwise.
  Teenagers need to hear about chastity in schools,
  on television and in magazines. Even at our
  Catholic school there should be more emphasis on
  chastity and the benefits of waiting to have sex
  until marriage. Ultimately chastity is an issue
  that should concern us, not just as an
  individual, but as a world, because it can help
  control the spread of diseases, especially STDs
  and AIDs which kills millions of people each
  year. The media does not tell of the consequences
  of a one-night stand or the diseases that you
  wake up with after unprotected sex. Waiting until
  marriage to have sexual intercourse will not only
  build a true bond between yourself and your life
  partner, but it will bring you one step closer to
  God, one of the best relationships that you will
  ever have in your life.

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The Facts
Percentage of teenagers who have had sex at
different ages (1995)
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In closing

• The issue of chastity is an issue that
  deals with something as simple as a decision to
  wait to have sex before marriage, but is also an
  issue that illustrates how much three very
  different religions can have something in common.
  The issue differs fundamentally and practically
  from one religion to the next, but inconsequently
  serves the same purpose to show that
  self-control, self-respect and basic morals are
  important to oneself. It doesnt matter what
  religion you belong to, its important to do
  whats best for yourself. If you feel that
  engaging in pre-marital sex would conflict with
  your morals, dont give into the media or even
  peer pressure, its about whats doing right for
  you!

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Resources Merriam-Webster Online.
Merriam-Webster Online. Available lt
http//www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?bookDiction
aryvachastityx0y0gt 27 May. 2005 Catholic
Encyclopedia Chastity. Catholic Encyclopedia.
http//www.newadvent.org/cathen/03637d.htm, May
27, 2005. Trigilio, John, Rev. and Brighenti,
Kenneth, Rev. Catholicism for Dummies. Indiana
Wiley Publishing, 2003 Dirks Chastity Belt
FAQ. Dirk M. 11 Jun. 2004. Available
http//www.tpe.com/altarboy/cbeltfaq.htmgt 27
Jun. 2005 Index of Gods and Goddesses.
HinduNet, Inc. Available lthttp//www.freeindia.or
g/biographies/gods/gt 28 May. 2005 Hinduism on
Chastity. Hinduism. Available
lthttp//www.pastornet.net.au/fwn/2002/mar/art06.ht
mlgt 25 May. 2005 Living with Siva Chapter 28
Teenage Trials. Himalayan Academy. Available
lthttp//www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/books/l
ws/lws_ch-28.htmlgt 25 May. 2005 Chastity in
Sikhism. The Christian Institue. Available
lthttp//www.christian.org.uk/html-publications/gay
marriage.htmgt 26 May. 2005 Gateway to
Sikhism. All About Sikhs. Available
lthttp//www.allaboutsikhs.com/articles/role_and_st
atus_of_women_in_sikh.htmgt 25 May.
2005 Introduction to Sikhism. Alternative
Religions. Available lthttp//altreligion.about.co
m/library/fags/bl_sikhism.htmgt 25 May.
2005 Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2nd
edition. United States Image Book, Doubleday,
1995 No computers were harmed in the making of
this project Special Thanks to Mr. Trewins
Grade 11 second period World Religions class A
Project by Kara Weiler