Sexual purity pushed for teens

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A Christian group calls on students across the country to voice their commitment to remain sexually pure until marriage.

The Orlando, Fla.-based Liberty Counsel, which has slated a "National Day of Purity" for Feb. 13, the day before Valentine's Day, hopes to raise attention to what they say is a culture hostile to traditional values and puts pressure on teens to have sex before they marry.

The adolescents who make the choice to stay sexually pure "need voice, they need to realize they are not alone when they believe in sexual purity," says Rena Lindevaldsen, the national coordinator for the Day of Purity.

Her committee is encouraging students from fifth grade to college to make a public demonstration of their commitment to remain sexually pure, "in mind and actions," until marriage, she says.

That day is expected to give youth an opportunity "to voice their message in opposition to what they frequently hear in school," where engaging in sexual exploration at an early age is presented as healthy and normal, she says.

It also calls parents, lawmakers and pastors to help to restore traditional values, in opposition to the message of sexual promiscuity.

Liberty Counsel also denounces a high school freshman health text that tells students that "testing your ability to function sexually and give pleasure to another person may be less threatening in your early teens with people of your own sex. ... You may come to the conclusion that growing up means rejecting the values of your parents."