In a recent issue of People magazine, the murder of the Borden parents in Lititz, PA was covered. In the article, there was a brief discussion of the family’s religious life, including something that skeeved me out a bit: Kara’s older sister, Katelyn, had previously been given a “purity ring” by a pastor associated with their church. He was quoted as saying that he would do anything to help Katelyn save herself for marriage, and that the ring was a symbol of that commitment. My thought was, he’s interested in keeping her pure (and away from boys) because he wants her purity for himself.
I am willing accept that his intentions were honest, if expressed in an unconventional way. But, a married man giving an unrelated teen-age girl a ring as a promise to help her remain chaste just strikes me as, well, wierd and questionable. It seems to put too much emphasis on her chastity, and pressure to maintain an image as a pure, innocent young woman. It makes me wonder if fantasies and lust would sully that image.
It’s not necessarily creepy. Some Christian groups encourage teens to wear “purity rings” as a sign of their commitment to refrain from sexual activity until marriage. I’ve heard of churches having a sort of ceremony in which the kids make a public commitment to premarital chastity, at which time they receive such a ring.