Youth Practice Abstinence at Sheffield Family Life Center

What is abstinence? Is this an outdated expectation in our society today? Let me provide you with some vital statistics.

Sexual abstinence is the avoidance of sexual activity. People use the term abstinence in different ways. For some, it means avoiding only sexual intercourse. For others, it means avoiding all kinds of activity (usually until marriage), which may be rooted in religious or moral beliefs.

FACTS:

• NO, NOT everybody is doing it. Less than half of teens reported having ever had sex as of 2005.



• Teens do not think it is embarrassing to say they are virgins. Almost three-quarters of teens don’t think it’s embarrassing to admit their virginity.



• Most teens who have had sex which they had waited. Almost 70% of teens regret having had sex as early as they did.



• Teens are eager for a strong abstinence message. Ninety-four percent of teens say they want a strong message to abstain until at least after high school.



• Teen males' approval of premarital sex is declining. Guys are less and less accepting of casual sex - the proportion of adolescent males aged 17-19 who approve of premarital sex when a couple does not plan to marry decreased from 80% in 1988 to 71% in 1995.



• College freshmen are less likely to approve of casual sex. 60% of college freshmen disagree that hooking up with a casual acquaintance is ok
  
  

Well, at Sheffield Family Life Center, this is an expectation and program they instill in several of their youth. On the evening of Feb. 15, I photographed their annual “Purity Ceremony”. Approximately, 40 new & returning youth, teens and young adults made a pledge to God that they will practice abstinence as well as refrain from viewing any pornography until they marry.

During the ceremony, the church members who pledge to practice abstinence signed their pledge certificate, it was rolled tightly, placed in the blue bottles and sealed. The bottles will show as a reminder to those individuals about their commitment to God. On their wedding day, the bottles can be broken and shared with their spouse.

We at Royal Photography were asked to photograph the entire ceremony, set up a backdrop with complete studio lighting and take individual portraits of each youth/teen/young adult with their parents or guardian holding their Purity bottles.

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Youth Practice Abstinence at Sheffield Family Life Center