More than 30 teenagers vow celibacy until marriage at ceremony
BY SEAN GRUBER Staff Writer
MiKe aDaMs/sPeCial Ra’Ll Jainison signs the purity pledge as
her mother, Vonda Wimberly, and godbrother Makhy Williams look on during
the Purity Ring ceremony at Christian City of Praise Church. A total of
37 teenagers received silver rings from the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.
After 17-year-old Keone Cooper took her oath of
sexual abstinence and her family members placed a sterling silver ring
on her finger, she said one word described her experience: pride.
Cooper, the president of the Delta GEMS and one of 37 teenagers participating in the Purity Ring ceremony at Christian City of Praise Church on Saturday, said the act would define her life both immediately and in years to come.
“I wanted to live a good life. I know this oath
will help better my future,” she said. “I think it would be good for all
teenagers to make an oath like this.”
The ceremony, organized by the Augusta alumnae
chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, used a mix of faith and
mentorship to encourage teenagers to keep their virginity until
marriage.
Delta GEMS co-chairwoman Renetta DuBose said the
event, the first ring ceremony held by her organization in the area, was
meant to make sure teens remain on the “straight and narrow” and to
strengthen family bonds.
“If I can help someone act more like Christ in
their everyday behavior and help improve a child’s life, my purpose is
fulfilled. I’m happy to contribute to others in that small way,” DuBose
said. “Iron sharpens iron, and ceremonies like this help make sure we
grow stronger in our faith and in our families.”
The teens at the ceremony, all from Richmond or
Columbia counties and ranging in age from 14 to 18, received in-depth
mentorship discussing consequences of premarital sex in the month before
the ceremony. The rings they received were paid for by the sorority,
which collected donations for their purchase.
DuBose said the rings were an important symbol designed to help the teenagers keep their vows.
“It represents their commitment to Christ. It’s a
reminder of what they promised and also a symbol of the benefits they
gain by holding to their vows,” she said.
Family members, religious leaders and Richmond County school officials attended the event, and many personally congratulated the students as they received their rings. Many became emotional, sometimes crying or hugging the teens before they returned to their seats.
Nancy Kelton-Traylor, a minister at Tabernacle Baptist Church, gave advice to those making the pledges.
“At one time, we couldn’t talk about this subject
during worship. We couldn’t even say the word ‘sex’ in church. But times
have changed now, and this discussion needs to be had,” Kelton-Traylor
said. “Like Esther, be obedient to God’s call to purity. … If you do
this, you’ll be less likely to slip and fall.”
4 comments:
Yawn...yeah, that'll last.
Why do parents allow their children the opportunity to fornicate in the first place? There shouldn't even be a need for children to make vows of this sort. "Celibacy", of course, means "unmarried", so the title of the article is amateurish.
JBS, this culture of sex, drugs, fornication, and self-indulgence is a tidal wave that most parents cannot overcome. It is a rare youth who can remain immune to it. Our amoral marketing society and Hollywood have made commodities out of all of us. Hell will probably look like Disney's Magic Kingdom (I thought I was in Hell when I went).
It's bad, but the thought occurred to me that despite illegal drugs being available anywhere on earth, the majority of Americans are not addicts. Many people have chosen to 'say no' and not even tried drugs.
I suspect the same will go for sex and other excesses of the pop culture. Many people will make the choice to NOT indulge in porn and promiscuity out of any number of personal considerations.
Of course we're all affected by the pop culture, and we probably have all seen porn... but seeing is not the same as "given wholly over to it". Ditto with promiscuity and decadence.
I read once that in the 1770s half of the population of the colonies were of no settled religion and prostitution/brothels were very common in major cities both in America and England. So there was rampant immorality....until the second great awakening swept through and subsequent generations modified their behavior considerably.
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