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Sexual abstinence orsexual restraint is the practice of refraining fromsexual activity for reasons medical, psychological, legal, social, philosophical, moral, religious or other. It is a part ofchastity.Celibacy is sexual abstinence generally motivated by factors such as an individual's personal or religiousbeliefs.[2] Sexual abstinence beforemarriage is required bysocial norms in some societies, or by law in some countries.
Abstinence may be voluntary (when an individual chooses not to engage in sexual activity due to moral, religious, philosophical, or other reasons), an involuntary result of social circumstances (when one cannot find any willingsexual partners), or legally mandated (e.g. in countries where sexual activity outside marriage is illegal, in prisons, etc.).
While actual abstinence preventspregnancy andsexually transmitted infections, mere attempts at abstinence have little effect on the risk of either.[3] Access to other forms ofbirth control, such asemergency birth control, is thus recommended.[3]
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The ancient world discouragedpromiscuity for both health and social reasons.[4] According toPythagoras (6th century BCE),sex should be practiced in the winter, but not the summer, but was harmful to male health in every season because the loss ofsemen was dangerous, hard to control, and both physically and spiritually exhausting, but had no effect on females.[4] This idea may have been merged withZoroastrian ideas ofgood and evil in a philosophy known asGnosticism, which influencedChristian andIslamic attitudes to sexual activity.[4] But others stated that the Christian religion's hold on to the ideal of sexualabstinence prior to the appearing of gnosticism and Zoroastrianism and its roots are to be found in the Old Testament (which is the base of the New Testament) in which virginity was required by law and marriage was especially protected (see Deuteronomy chapter 22).
Throughout history, and especially prior to the 20th century, there have been those who have held that sexual abstinence confers numerous health benefits. For males, lack of abstinence was thought to cause a reduction ofvitality. In modern times, the argument has been phrased in biological terms, claiming that loss ofsemen through ejaculation results in a depletion of vital nutrients such aslecithin andphosphorus, which are also found at high levels in thebrain. Conservation of the semen allegedly allows it to be reabsorbed back into the bloodstream and aid in the healthy development of the body.[5] Along these lines, the noted German philosopherFriedrich Nietzsche spoke of the positive physiological effects of abstinence: "The reabsorption of semen by the blood ... perhaps prompts the stimulus of power, the unrest of all forces towards the overcoming of resistances ... The feeling of power has so far mounted highest in abstinent priests and hermits" (quoted by Walter Kaufman in his classic,Nietzsche: Philosopher, Psychologist, Antichrist, p. 222). Before the "sexual revolution" of the 1960s, it was commonly believed by members of the medical profession that numerous mental and physical diseases in men were caused primarily by loss ofnutrients through seminal discharge, and that the deliberate conservation of this substance would lead to increased health, vitality, and intellectual prowess. This also applied to masturbation, which was also thought to lead tobedwetting andhairy palms.
Some advantages in favor of sexualabstinence were also claimed byWalter Siegmeister, better known as Dr. Raymond W. Bernard, an early 20th-century American alternative health, esoteric writer, author and mystic, who formed part of the alternative reality subculture. In his essay entitled "Science discovers the physiological value of continence" (1957) he states:[6]
[I]t is clear that there is an important internalphysiological relation between the secretions of the sexglands and thecentral nervous system, that the loss of these secretions, voluntarily or involuntarily, exercises a detrimental effect on the nutrition and vitality of the nerves and brain, while, on the other hand, the conservation of these secretions has a vitalizing effect on the nervous system, a regenerating effect on theendocrine glands [,] and a rejuvenating effect on the organism as a whole.
Historically, there has been a swing from thesexually liberal end of theIndustrial Revolution to the chaste values of the earlyVictorian period.[citation needed] This was then followed by a newpuritanism from the late Victorian era to the mid-1900s.[citation needed] This important transformation often colors discussion of sexual behavior in the later 20th century.World War I began a return to sexual freedom and indulgence, but more often than not, the appearance of conforming to the earlier moral values ofabstinence before marriage was retained.[citation needed] With the conclusion ofWorld War II, the societal importance of abstinence declined.[citation needed] The advent of the firstoral contraceptive pill and widely availableantibiotics suppressed many consequences of wide and free sexual behavior,[citation needed] while social morals were also changing. By the 1970s, abandonment of premaritalchastity was no longer taboo in the majority of western societies, and the reverse became true.[citation needed] Some cultural groups continued to place a value on the moral purity of an abstainer, but abstinence was caught up in a wider reevaluation ofmoral values.
During the early 20th century, prominentfeminist andbirth control advocateMargaret Sanger argued that abstinence from sexual activity led to greater endurance and strength, and was a sign of the best of the species:
Though sex cells are placed in a part of the anatomy for the essential purpose of easily expelling them into the female for the purpose of reproduction, there are other elements in the sexual fluid which are the essence of blood, nerve, brain, and muscle. When redirected into the building and strengthening of these, we find men or women of the greatest endurance and greatest magnetic power. A girl can waste her creative powers by brooding over a love affair to the extent of exhausting her system, with the results not unlike the effects of masturbation and debauchery.[7]
J. D. Unwin was a British ethnologist and social anthropologist atOxford andCambridge universities. Unwin wrote several books includingSex and Culture (1934). InSex and Culture Unwin studied 80 tribes and six known civilizations through 5,000 years of history and found a positive correlation between the cultural achievement of a people and the amount of sexual restraint which they observed. The author finds that the most culturally successful groups always exhibit lifelong monogamous relationships which include sexualabstinence outside of marriage.[8] According to Unwin, after a nation becomes prosperous it becomes increasingly liberal with regard to sexual morality and as a result loses its cohesion, its impetus and its purpose, ultimately having a negative effect on society: "The whole of human history does not contain a single instance of a group becoming civilized unless it has been absolutely monogamous, nor is there any example of a group retaining its culture after it has adopted less rigorous customs."[9]
Sexual abstinence can be practiced during the period in which the woman isfertile.[10]
In most cultural, ethical, and religious contexts,sex withinmarriage is not considered to be contrary to notions ofchastity. Some religious systems prohibit sexual activities between a person and anyone other than a spouse of that person, as have past legal systems and societalnorms. In such contexts, sexualabstinence was prescribed for unmarried individuals for the purpose of chastity.Chastity has been used as a synonym for sexual abstinence, they are similar but with different behavior and restrictions.[citation needed]
In some countries anysexual activity outside marriage is illegal. Such laws are mostly tied toreligion and the legal and political traditions within the particular jurisdiction. Laws differ greatly from country to country. In some countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan,[11] Afghanistan,[12][13][14] Iran,[14] Kuwait,[15] Maldives,[16] Morocco,[17] Mauritania,[18] Qatar,[19] Sudan,[20] Yemen,[21] any form of sexual activity outside marriage is illegal.
In some parts of the world, people suspected of engaging inpremarital orsame-sex sexual activity can become victims ofhonor killings committed by their families.[22][23] Stoning for sexual activity outside marriage is also a punishment in some places.[citation needed]
Lifelong (or at least long-term)abstinence, often associated with philosophical or religiousasceticism, is distinguished fromchastity before marriage. Abstinence is often viewed as an act of self-control over the natural desire to have sex. The display of the strength of character allows the abstainer to set an example for those not able to contain their "base urges".[citation needed] At other times, abstinence has been seen as a great social skill practiced by those who refuse to engage with the material and physical world. Some groups and teachers that propose sexual abstinence consider it an essential means to reach a particular intellectual or spiritual condition, or that chastity allows one to achieve a required self-control or self-consciousness.[24]
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Some religions regardchastity as avirtue expected of faithful adherents. This usually includesabstinence from sex for the unmarried, and fidelity to amarriage partner.
In some religions, some groups of people are expected to remain unmarried and to abstain from sex completely. These groups includemonks,nuns, andpriests in various sects of Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Chastity is required of the respectivesacerdotal orders. TheShakers, on the other hand, impose chastity in the form of celibacy for all members, even forgoing procreation such as the case with thecastration cult.
"But because of sexual sins, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband."
"Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers."
Most Christians teach that sexual intercourse should occur exclusively within marriage, and that sexualabstinence is the norm outside of that. Sex between people not married to each other is eitherfornication oradultery. But for married couples,Paul of Tarsus wrote that they should not deprive each other, except for a short time for devotion toprayer.[27]
TheEastern Orthodox Churches and theOriental Orthodox Churches teachchastity until marriage. But even then, in accordance with the teaching of the Apostle Paul, periods of abstinence are encouraged among married couples. Traditionally, Orthodox spouses abstain from physical relations on Wednesdays (the day Jesus was betrayed), Fridays (the day Jesus was crucified), the eves ofGreat Feasts and throughout the four fasting periods (Great Lent,Nativity Fast,Apostles' Fast andDormition Fast). This is to allow believers "to give themselves time for fasting and prayer (1 Corinthians 7:5)."[28][29]
Catholicism defineschastity as the virtue that moderates the sexual appetite.[30] Unmarried Catholics express chastity through sexualabstinence. Sexual intercourse within marriage is considered chaste when it retains the twofold significance of union and procreation.[31] This is why the Catholic Church does not condone the use of contraception, even within the confines of the marital union.[32] PopeJohn Paul II spoke on contraception not only as its nature as sinful in the eyes of the church, but also in regards to its dangerous nature to harm married couples. Without the openness to life, John Paul said, the gift of oneself within the bond of marriage is incomplete. The Catholic Church does, however, condone the practice of periodical abstinence during a woman's natural cycle of fertility for married couples who, for just reasons, do not wish to have a child at that time. This is a key component of Natural Family Planning, which is set apart from contraceptive measures on the grounds that it does not interrupt the natural order of the marital union with artificial means.[33] The entirety of the Catholic Church's stance on contraception is predicated by the way the Catholic Church views marriage, insofar as marriage is an intimate human union between man and a woman wherein the two mutually give of themselves in their entirety for the good of the other and live in such a way that is open to procreation.[34]
TheMethodist Church teaches that "Although all persons are sexual beings whether or not they are married, sexual relations are only clearly affirmed in the marriage bond."[35]
TheUnited Church of Christ is "liberal in their approaches, believing that individuals must decide for themselves how to express their sexual nature."[36]
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TheIndian tradition ofBrahmacharya places great emphasis onabstinence as a way of harnessing the energy of body and mind towards the goal ofspiritual realization. In males, the semen (Vīrya) is considered sacred, and its preservation (except when used for procreation) and conversion into higher life-energy (Ojas) is considered essential for the development of enhanced intellectual andspiritual capacities.
The blending of sexual and spiritual is portrayed in Hindu iconography, as seen in ubiquitous phallic and vaginal iconography in Hindu temples and for instance in the Kharjuraho and Konarak medieval temples, where thousands of couples having sex in endless positions, and with the gods, are carved in deepbas-relief. However, these depictions of sex are not generally understood to be a license for free sexual practices, but are instead meant to celebrate procreation as an integral part of existence in the universe. In actual practice, it is highly encouraged that both males and females abstain from pre-marital sex and exercisechastity, which still exists today in Hindu cultures.[37]
Islam forbidsintercourse outside of marriage (zina).[38] Marriage for all who are able to is strongly encouraged, as it is said to help guard one's modesty. For those who cannot marry,fasting (sawm) is recommended, as it is said to diminish sexual power.[39]Abstinence is practiced during the time of a woman'smenstruation oristihadha.[40] Abstinence from sexual intercourse is also practiced from dawn to dusk during days where fasting is observed, and sexual intercourse during fasting is prohibited.[41][42]Sexual intercourse during Hajj is also strictly forbidden, as it can invalidateIhram.
Brahmacharya is one of the fivemajor vows prescribed for theśrāvakā (layman) and ascetics inJainism. For those Jains who adopt the path of monks, celibacy in action, words and thoughts is expected. For lay Jains who are married, the virtue ofbrahmacharya requires remaining sexually faithful to one's chosen partner (fidelity). For lay Jains who are unmarried, chaste living requires Jains to avoid sex before marriage.[44]
In the Jain monastic tradition,brahmacharya implies, among other things, the mandatory renunciation of sex and marriage. For a lay Jain, it represents a virtuous lifestyle devoid of constant sexual urges, that also includes simple living, meditation and other behaviors.
Judaism forbids intercourse outside marriage (which is termedznut or promiscuity), but has no ideal of chastity. Within marriageabstinence is also required during and following a woman's menstruation. The husband is not allowed to deprive sex from his wife, even if she is not fertile (known asmitzvat onah).
Among some groups of people, the wearing of apurity ring is a reminder to oneself and others, that they are practicing sexual abstinence.[1] In order to aid their sobriety, some sexual abstinents partake in the usage ofanaphrodisiacs.[45]
Historically, some individuals were said to wear achastity belt, a locking item of clothing designed to prevent sexual intercourse. They were used to protect the wearer from rape or temptation. Some devices have been designed with additional features to prevent masturbation. Chastity belts have been created for males and females, ostensibly for the purpose of chastity.[46]
In the 2010s and 2020s, promotion ofabstinence from masturbation for health reasons generated millions of views onsocial media.[47] The medical claims made were generally unsupported by any scientific evidence, andurologist Ashley Winter pointed out that voluntary ejaculation is in many men simply replaced by involuntarynocturnal emissions.[47] Unsubstantiated claims included that abstaining from masturbation would "reboot" the brain, increasetestosterone, strength, manliness, economic success, and sexual confidence; and resolve problems likeerectile dysfunction, depression, and bad skin.[47] Medical experts worried that participation in efforts like 90-day abstinence routines could worsen mental health problems like anxiety and depression, especially for those who cannot complete the abstinence period.[47] Some commentators have also criticized the concept of masculinity promoted in masturbation abstinence forums likeNoFap astoxic andmisogynist.[47]
Abstinence from masturbation has been advocated by somewhite supremacists since the early 20th century, including modern groups like theProud Boys and leaders likeDavid Duke (who endorses an unsubstantiatedanti-Semiticconspiracy theory that Jews are using pornography to undermine white men).[47]
Abstinence can help prevent the spread ofsexually transmitted infections such asHIV,HPV,syphilis, etc.[48] However,abstinence-only education has been found to be less effective at preventing sexually transmitted infections andteenage pregnancy among adolescents thancomprehensive sex education.[49][50]
Abstinence-only sex education is a form of sex education that teaches abstinence from sex, and often excludes many other types of sexual and reproductive health education, particularly regarding birth control and safe sex. Education programs which focus exclusively on abstinence have hardly been shown to delay sexual activity.[51] Such programs promote sexual abstinence until marriage and often also condemn the use of contraceptives as an alternative.Comprehensive sex education, by contrast, covers the use of contraceptives as well as abstinence.[52]
Organizations such asSIECUS have called abstinence-only programs "fear-based," and "designed to control young people's sexual behavior by instilling fear, shame, and guilt."[53] AuthorJudith Levine has argued that there might be a natural tendency of abstinence educators to escalate their messages: "Like advertising, which must continually jack up its seduction just to stay visible as other advertising proliferates, abstinence education had to make sex scarier and scarier and, at the same time,chastity sweeter."[54]
In spite of these criticisms, federal government support has made abstinence thede facto focus of sex education in theUnited States, so that opponents frequently adopt the line that abstinence education is acceptable only if it is combined with other methods, such as instruction in the use of condoms, and easy availability thereof. Most nations ofWestern Europe use more comprehensive measures, and in sharp contrast to the heated discussion in the U.S., abstinence is hardly discussed as an educational measure.[citation needed]
AU.S. federal government-promotedabstinence-only program was aimed at teens in 1981 in order to discourage premarital sex and unwanted pregnancies. However, recent studies conducted by Mathematica Policy Research showed ineffectiveness of this program.[55] The Responsible Education About Life Act was introduced by SenatorFrank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and RepresentativesBarbara Lee (D-CA) andChristopher Shays (R-CT) to support age-appropriate sexual education. This program is focused to provide teenagers with science-based information on sexual health, so that they can make a sound decision regarding their sex-life.[56]
In 2006, theGeorge W. Bushadministration expanded abstinence programs from teens to adults, by introducing programs to encourage unmarried adults to remain abstinent until marriage.[57] Family-planning advocates and researchers denounced the program as unrealistic, due to the rising age of first-time marriage in the United States.[58] In 2009, theBarack Obamaadministration removed most of the funding from sexual-abstinence education, and instead used the money to fund the Office of Adolescent Health, designed to preventteenage pregnancy through evidence-based programs.[59] During the Obama administration, between the years 2007 and 2017, the teen pregnancy rate in the US dropped by 50%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.[60]
The advent ofAIDS helped build a more favorable view of abstinence. However, a review of 13 U.S. sex-abstinence programs involving over 15,000 people by Oxford University found that they do not stoprisky sexual behavior, or help in the prevention of unwanted pregnancy.[61] Other studies have found that abstinence-only education does little to affect the "age of sexual initiation; number of sexual partners; and rates of sexual abstinence, condom use, vaginal sex, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs)".[62] Recently, the United States Congress also found similar results in a study conducted by Mathematica Policy Research on abstinence.[63] Currently, there are also issues as to what abstinence means: is it an abstinence from sexual intercourse, or from sexual behavior? Movements such asTrue Love Waits in America, which ask teenagers to refrain from sex before marriage, are heavily subscribed, but surveys of sexual behavior indicate an increase in the popularity of oral sex.[64]
As of 2017[update], "The rates of sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy in American teenagers and young adults are high relative to rates in other industrialized countries."[65]
Alfred Kinsey is widely regarded as the first and among the most influential figures in Americansexology.[66][67] He believed thatsexual liberation, as opposed to sexual abstinence, was the key to both a strong marriage and a happy life. Kinsey believed that abstinence was a sexual dysfunction: "The only kinds of sexual dysfunction are abstinence,celibacy and delayed marriage."[68]
In this subset of abstinence-only education programs, young people vow chastity until marriage and wear a "purity ring" to demonstrate a commitment to sexual abstinence.
The Church teaches us to fast until sunset. Fish is not allowed during this period. Also married couples should refrain from physical relations to give themselves time for fasting and prayer (1 Cor. 7: 5). We would like to emphasize the importance of the period of strict abstention during fasting. It is refraining from eating and drinking for a period of time, followed by eating vegetarian food. ... True fasting must be accompanied by abstention from food and drink until sunset as designated by the Church.
Religions notably vary in their view of sexuality and its expression, especially regarding premarital sex, sexual orientation, and masturbation. Some religions, such as the United Church of Christ, are liberal in their approaches, believing that individuals must decide for themselves how to express their sexual nature. Others, such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormonism) and Catholicism, take an austere view of premarital experimentation and masturbation.
We were with the Prophet (ﷺ) while we were young and had no wealth. So Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "O young people! Whoever among you can marry, should marry, because it helps him lower his gaze and guard his modesty (i.e. his private parts from committing illegal sexual intercourse etc.), and whoever is not able to marry, should fast, as fasting diminishes his sexual power.
And they ask you about menstruation. Say, It is harm, so keep away from wives during menstruation. And do not approach them until they are pure. And when they have purified themselves, then come to them from where Allāh has ordained for you. Indeed, Allāh loves those who are constantly repentant and loves those who purify themselves.
It has been made permissible for you the night preceding fasting to go to your wives [for sexual relations]. They are a clothing for you and you are a clothing for them. Allāh knows that you used to deceive yourselves, so He accepted your repentance and forgave you. So now, have relations with them and seek that which Allāh has decreed for you [i.e., offspring]. And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]. Then complete the fast until the night [i.e., sunset]. And do not have relations with them as long as you are staying for worship in the mosques. These are the limits [set by] Allāh, so do not approach them. Thus does Allāh make clear His verses [i.e., ordinances] to the people that they may become righteous.
Intercourse during the day in Ramadan is haram for men and women while intercourse during the night in Ramadan is allowed.
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{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)The rates of sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy in American teenagers and young adults are high relative to rates in other industrialized countries.
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