Page 51 - The Marriage Covenant

Prelude to Foundation Stone Five -

The Hidden Cost of Free Sex

t is one thing to know that Yahweh forbids sexual intercourse outside of marriage, it is
Iquite another thing to understand why. Perhaps you have never pondered this topic.
Seeing that men and women have a strong attraction to physical union with one another,
and observing that society at large is ever prone to promiscuity, one might well ask, “What
harm is there in engaging in free sex?”
Without a doubt, men and women should obey God whether they understand the
reason for a command, or not. Even as a small child should heed the command of their
parent to not put their hand on the stove, so too should mankind obey God regardless of
whether they perceive the reason for the command.
It is natural for a child to learn the reason behind many of the commands as they
mature. They perceive the thought behind the admonition to not play in the street, and to
not talk to strangers, etc..
I am persuaded that our Father would also have His sons and daughters to come to
a place of understanding the purpose behind the command to not commit fornication, or
adultery.
Those who consider the reason for God’s prohibition against fornication and adultery
may at first think that Yahweh’s commandments are given to protect them from the scourge
of sexually transmitted diseases. There is real reason for concern here. The incidence of
STDs is staggering. In America the percentage of men and women infected with an STD
reveals the rampant promiscuity in the land. The following statistics are provided by the
Centers for Disease Control.

An estimated 2,291,000 non-institutionalized U.S. civilians ages 14-39 are infected
with Chlamydia...
Approximately 20 million Americans are currently infected with HPV (Human
Papiloma Virus), and another 6.2 million people become newly infected each year.
At least 50% of sexually active men and women acquire genital HPV infection at
some point in their lives...
Nationwide, at least 45 million people ages 12 and older, or one out of five
adolescents and adults, have had genital HSV (Herpes) infection...
CDC estimates that more than 700,000 persons in the U.S. get new gonorrheal
infections each year...
Each year in the United States, it is estimated that more than 1 million women
experience an episode of acute PID (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease). More than
100,000 women become infertile each year as a result of PID, and a large
proportion of the ectopic pregnancies occurring every year are due to the
consequences of PID...
In the United States, health officials reported over 36,000 cases of syphilis in
2006...
Trichomoniasis is the most common curable STD in young, sexually active women.
An estimated 7.4 million new cases occur each year in women and men.
[Source: Centers for Disease Control Website]