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A Abstinence
For centuries the world has scoffed at Christians' belief that certain "pleasures" are harmful and should be abstained from. Playwright Oscar Wilde once said: "Self-denial is the shining sore on the leprous body of Christianity." Yet the holiness of God demands that we discipline our lives with regard to the world's pleasures.
Source: The Columbia Dictionary of Quotations, in Microsoft Bookshelf '98
Topics/Tags: Abstinence; Self-denial; Pleasure, worldly
In Finland, where it is estimated that 10 percent of the nation's children live in families where alcoholism is a problem, a plea was issued in December 1998 for parents to stay sober over Christmas.
The plea read: "Adults affect what Christmas memories children will have. It is much harder for a drunken parent to give a child a safe, secure and happy Christmas. Parents should not be in a condition to make children wonder about their strange behavior."
It's not just true at Christmas, either. Adults do affect the memories—good or bad—which their children carry through life. What sort of memories are you giving your children?
Source: excite.com, 12/8/1998
Topics/Tags: Abstinence; Drinking; Parents; Memories
"Abstinence is the best medicine."
— Indian proverb
Source: Illuminating Wit, Inspiring Wisdom: Proverbs From Around the World, Wolfgang Mieder, ed. Paramus, NJ: Prentice Hall Press, 1998.
Topics/Tags: Abstinence; Medicine
WHAT ABOUT ABSTINENCE?
I was holding a notice from my 13-year-old son's school announcing a meeting to preview the new course in sexuality. Parents could examine the curriculum and take part in an actual lesson presented exactly as it would be given to the students.
When I arrived at the school, I was surprised to discover only about a dozen parents there. As we waited for the presentation, I thumbed through page after page of instructions in the prevention of pregnancy or disease. I found abstinence mentioned only in passing. When the teacher arrived with the school nurse, she asked if there were any questions.
I asked why abstinence did not play a noticeable part in the material. What happened next was shocking. There was a great deal of laughter, and someone suggested that if I thought abstinence had any merit, I should be back to burying my head in the sand. The teacher and nurse said nothing as I drowned in a sea of embarrassment. My mind had gone blank, and I could think of nothing to say. The teacher explained to me that the job of the school was to teach "facts," and that the home was responsible for moral training.
I sat in silence for the next twenty minutes as the course was explained. The other parents seemed to give their unqualified support to the materials. "Donuts, at the back," announced the teacher during the break. "I'd like you to put on the name tags we have prepared—they're right by the donuts—and mingle with the other parents." Everyone moved to the back of the room. As I watched them affixing their name tags and shaking hands, I sat deep in thought. I was ashamed that I had not been able to convince them to include a serious discussion of abstinence in the materials. I uttered a silent prayer for guidance.
My thoughts were interrupted by the teacher's hand on my shoulder. "Won't you join the others?: The nurse smiled sweetly at me. "The donuts
are good."
"Thank you, no," I replied.
"Well, then, how about a name tag? I'm sure the others would like to meet you."
"Somehow I doubt that," I replied.
"Won't you please join them?" she coaxed.
Then I heard a still, small voice whisper, "Don't go." The instruction was unmistakable. "Don't go!" "I'll just wait here," I said.
When the class was called back to order, the teacher looked around the long table and thanked everyone for putting on name tags. She ignored me. Then she said, "Now, we're going to give you the same lesson we'll be giving your children. Everyone please peel off your name tags." I watched in silence as the tags came off. "Now, then, on the back of one of the tags, I drew a tiny flower. Who has it, please?"
The gentleman across from me held it up. "Here it is!" "All right," she said. "The flower represents disease. Do you recall with whom you shook hands?" He pointed to a couple of people. "Very good," she replied. "The handshake in this case represents intimacy. So the two people you had contact with now have the disease."
There was laughter and joking among the parents. The teacher continued, "And whom did the two of you shake hands with?" The point was well taken, and she explained how this lesson would show students how quickly disease is spread. "Since we all shook hands, we all have the disease."
It was then that I heard the still, small voice again. "Speak now," it said, "but be humble." I noticed wryly the latter admonition, then rose from my chair. I apologized for any upset I might have caused earlier, congratulated the teacher on an excellent lesson that would impress the youth, and concluded by saying I had only one small point I wished to make. "Not all of use were infected," I said. "One of us...abstained."
______
(As told to Tersa Barcus, Twin Cities Apostolic Church, St. Paul Minnesota. Originally published in the Pentecostal Herald, October 1998)
Source: Robert Layton. Ensign magazine, a publication of the LDS Church.
Topics/Tags: Abstinence; Sex; Disease
'There is no getting away from it: the old Christian rule is "Either marriage, with complete faithfulness to your partner, or else total abstinence." Chastity is the most unpopular of our Christian virtues.'
-- C.S. Lewis, 20th century Christian author
Source: Men of Integrity, Vol. 1, no. 1.
Topics/Tags: Marriage; Faithfulness; Abstinence
"The unfortunate thing about this world is that the good habits are much easier to give up than the bad ones."
- W. Somerset Maugham
Source: - _Instant Quotation Dictionary_, p. 152.
Topics/Tags: Habit; Abstinence
"Good habits result from resisting temptation."
- Unknown
Source: - _Instant Quotation Dictionary_, p. 152.
Topics/Tags: Habit; Temptation; Abstinence
When 1,000 teenage girls were surveyed with the question, "What do you most want to learn in sex education?" then #1 response (84% of girls!) was, "How to say 'No' without hurting the other person's feelings."
Those who laugh at the idea of teens practicing 'abstinence' should listen to the feelings of female teens themselves!
Source: U.S. News & World Report, 6/20/1994.
Topics/Tags: Abstinence; Fornication; Teenagers; Purity
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