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Well, you cannot deny that the religious are declining in the US of A.
What this article discusses, that teenagers are having less sex, probably surprised most of us.
I'm just connecting the dots that less religion equals less sex. Let's go dwelve into this little bit more. First of all that adultery site, Ashley Madison, which just got hacked, had the highest percentage of adults in the Bible Belt. Not in the liberal Northwest or northeast. Second of all divorce rates in the Bible Belt are at least as high if not higher than the rest of the country, and teenage pregnancies are higher than the rest of US in that bastion of Southern Baptist conference area.
So although it is only me making the assertion, I suspect there's enough evidence that would make that assertion true.
Association <> cause. While it's sensible enough to suggest that less repression of sex makes sex less ... alluring ... and therefore leads to more matter of fact attitudes about it, circumvents it being considered a viable mechanism for youthful rebellion, and makes what sex actually happens more likely to be engaged in responsible (e.g., protection against pregnancy / STDs) ... we can't really say anything other than that religion and youthful sexual intercourse have declined together. We can have our suspicions that there's a connection, but absent actually researching that, there's little more reason to assume a connection than to assume that global warming or high student debt or more Internet usage cause young people to have less sex.
Another possible indirect connection between fundamentalist religion and youth sex might be that there's something of an inverse relationship between higher education and religion, particularly more doctrinaire forms of religion. ISTR that a relationship has been established that more educated people tend to have fewer children, tend to marry later, AND tend to be less religious or at least more religiously liberal. Maybe more educated children are more responsible and knowledgeable sexually and less religious and therefore at least one cause of both religious decline and less wanton sex is education.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vizio
Correlation does not equal causality.
Again...correlation does not equal causality. The fact that the same type of person that would be interested in both do not mean that religion causes that type of person.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mordant
Association <> cause. While it's sensible enough to suggest that less repression of sex makes sex less ... alluring ... and therefore leads to more matter of fact attitudes about it, circumvents it being considered a viable mechanism for youthful rebellion, and makes what sex actually happens more likely to be engaged in responsible (e.g., protection against pregnancy / STDs) ... we can't really say anything other than that religion and youthful sexual intercourse have declined together. We can have our suspicions that there's a connection, but absent actually researching that, there's little more reason to assume a connection than to assume that global warming or high student debt or more Internet usage cause young people to have less sex.
Another possible indirect connection between fundamentalist religion and youth sex might be that there's something of an inverse relationship between higher education and religion, particularly more doctrinaire forms of religion. ISTR that a relationship has been established that more educated people tend to have fewer children, tend to marry later, AND tend to be less religious or at least more religiously liberal. Maybe more educated children are more responsible and knowledgeable sexually and less religious and therefore at least one cause of both religious decline and less wanton sex is education.
I certainly acknowledge and have stated so right from the outset, that this is my assertion only, but there are enough. Worth exploring that I would highly suspect that the two are related.
I cannot prove that, and it is only hypothesis, but one I would suggest it would be interesting to explore.
Just want to point out that when I make assertions that I can't back up, I'm trying leave that out right up front. That is not necessary the way fundamentalist have acted on these forums. They historically make assertions and never try and back them up.
Another example of you attacking religion. Yay for you.
In the first paragraph or 2 it defined it as "intercourse". That would lead me to believe that they are doing things Bill Clinton would indeed not consider "sex". It also appears that they are scaring the crap out of the kids by telling them they'll not only get pregnant, but they'll get a disease that could kill them.
They should stop the fear mongering and just tell them that sex will lead to an eternity of torture instead.
Schools are maybe catching on? I had a private-school education that taught me all about sex, STDs and pregnancy risks. I was never very religious and my mother's assertions that sex was for marriage never rang true for me. My father never said there was anything special about sex, but emphasized the pregnancy aspect. I didn't want the hassle of pregnancy or STD scares while I was concentrating on my education, so I waited until I was through with college. Religion didn't play into the decision, just common sense and an investment in my future.
In the first paragraph or 2 it defined it as "intercourse". That would lead me to believe that they are doing things Bill Clinton would indeed not consider "sex". It also appears that they are scaring the crap out of the kids by telling them they'll not only get pregnant, but they'll get a disease that could kill them.
Well, well, a reference to what comprises sex. I wish someone advocating virginity before marriage would clarify just what virginity is. Teaching teenagers they should "save" themselves for their future spouse by not having intercourse is hypocritical when there's no clarification about what kinds of other touching are considered sex. The notion that oral sex isn't sex is preposterous. Maybe Bill Clinton was using an evangelical definition of sex!
Guilt, baby, guilt.
People should be scared of STDs, although I'm not in favor of instilling levels of fear that approach paranoia, especially with sexuality. The examples of education mentioned in the article seem reasonable to me.
Sex is a big hassle for kids these days... you have to get off the couch or bed, climb out of your parent's basement, bum a ride because you don't have a driver's license or car, pick up a member of the opposite sex, stop by the store for some rubbers and take forever trying to decide which one of the umpteen options to buy, then finally find a quiet, private out of the way place to go at it.
It's much easier to just swap pics of eachother's junk and call it a day.
Well yes - and less risky. So maybe it is more that they are not having sex with each other rather than they are not still being sexy?
If you go back in time when religion played a significant part in people's lives, I think you'll find that teens having sex was much lower than it is today.
I trust you have those figures to hand so we can check them then? Or do you just "think so" because you want to think so?
Another example of you attacking religion. Yay for you.
In the first paragraph or 2 it defined it as "intercourse". That would lead me to believe that they are doing things Bill Clinton would indeed not consider "sex". It also appears that they are scaring the crap out of the kids by telling them they'll not only get pregnant, but they'll get a disease that could kill them.
I agree that there this trend probably has no religious significance.
One way there might be a connection is that, for those religious little girls who are 'saving themselves for marriage' and due to more and better access to information and ability to communicate and compare can mean that those young ladies have discovered they aren't restricted to the puritanical and subservient missionary position and there are ways they can have fun too without risking pregnancy.
Remember, you're talking kids here and boys in that age group aren't always the most knowledgeable and considerate lovers.
Obviously, the ability to say "I did not have sex" also applies to those without religious hangups.
So, less religion equals what? The reality is that most churches have changed with the times and have no real sustaining substance to them. This, however, doesn't translate to people not having God in their life.
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