Sex and Marriage

Sex and Marriage

Summary of Article

In an article by Roger Scruton from Look Smart, the topic of sex and marriage is explained. The article is titled "The moral Birds and Bees: Sex and Marriage, Properly Understood". The article goes into detail about sexual desires and the institution of marriage. According to Roger Scruton, the values of society are no longer being upheld in the way that they used to be in previous generations. Marriage is an extremely valuable institution and the nature of sexual relations between a man and a woman must be out of love, and not desire for pleasure. Children need families, and families depend on marriage as the tie that bonds them together. A sexual act is only innocent when it is sanctified by marriage, and that marriage is a commitment between a man and a woman to share their life, fortunes, and family, for better or worse, until death do them apart.

Opinion

In American society there are many different ideas concerning what kind of sexual relations are appropriate before marriage. Some may follow religious beliefs that prohibit any kind of sexual activity before the sacred bond is official. Although many believe that abstinence is the right thing to practice, it seems as if American culture may be changing. It appears that many people indeed agree that waiting till marriage is the appropriate course of action, but the moral value is largely being ignored. It is my belief that people choose to ignore their values due to the desire to be accepted, the influence of the media, and the difficulty to resist temptation.

The percentage of kids that engage in sexual activity at a young age is increasing every year. When I was in high school, sexual activity was encouraged. If a particular person was not sexually active, they were teased as if something was wrong with them. Young girls feel that in order to be accepted by their boyfriend they must be willing to have sex. Young boys also experience peer pressure from other boys to have sex with girls as if it is an honorable achievement. The pressure from fellow students is a major factor contributing to sex in high school.

The media has certainly raised the bar on the amount of racy material that is shown on television and broadcast over the radio. Rap music especially has given the impression that