The general assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA states that "a more faithful and constant reading of Scripture might provoke more and not less controversy. [But this] should [not] be something to be afraid of. Controversy is a part of life and growth." When we read a passage of the Bible, or any religious text for that matter, debates on its meaning can grow incredibly heated. One need only look at how many denominations of Christianity there are today to see that the debate is in full force.
I believe that the key issue at the heart of this debate is discernment. When reading the Bible, each individual must think deeply, pray thoughtfully and open his or herself up to what God is saying through the Holy Spirit. The open minds and open hearts used in discernment are gifts. We have been given the gift of choice and the gift of understanding. A decision about whether or not to have sex should never be made without using all these gifts and listening to God's word.
Some people believe that there is only one right answer to the question of whether or not to abstain and when sex is appropriate. We can use additional context to prove that this is not the case: Paul does speak out against sex outside of marriage, but he also denies that women have the right to preach — as many women today do. God does create man and woman to be together in Genesis, but this also presupposes that woman is nothing more than a "helper" and companion for man — an opinion that the women of this university prove wrong every day. Christians can choose lifestyles that conform to the ways in which they personally view Scripture. People are allowed to make their own choices. The gift of choice is one of the most beautiful and significant that humans have ever received.
It's not up to us as humans to judge others for their choices, because we are incredibly flawed too. "Do not judge, and you will not be judged," (Matthew 7:1). We should leave the judging to God, a powerful and wonderful God whom we cannot assume to know. I truly believe that God's love is for everyone, including the least deserving (all of us) and those who make choices we can't possibly understand.
At the end of the day, I think there's grace in allowing flexibility to the way we think about God. God is an incredible force beyond our knowledge and that is why we need faith. Many of us believe that God and Jesus are full of love and the Bible is an important document that provides guidelines on how to live. These beliefs reflect our own processes of discernment and choice, values to be respected in all people. Therefore, when we come to our own thoughtful and prayerful decisions, about sex and otherwise, we cannot pretend to know how God feels about these choices.
Blair Moorhead '07 is a psychology major from Fargo, N.D. and can be reached at bmoorhea@princeton.edu.
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