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TechnoratiThousands of students across the nation are rejecting popular culture on Valentine’s Day and instead using the romantic observance as a platform to educate peers on the dangers of promiscuity and the value of sexual purity.
Young adults participating in the fourth annual Day of Purity will actively promote abstinence by distributing flyers, wearing Day of Purity T-shirts and LivePure wristbands, and organizing events in their schools and communities.
“We encourage students to choose sexual purity to drown out the persistent message of sexual promiscuity promoted through television, the internet, movies, video games and even in some school sex education programs,” said Rena Lindevaldsen, international coordinator for the Day of Purity, in a statement.
An estimated 19 million new sexually transmitted infections occur each year, almost half of them among young people ages 15-24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Teens also account for about 20 percent of the 1.3 million abortions performed each year in the United States.
Lindevaldsen said these problems arise from society’s failure to offer “clear moral guidance” on the importance of sexual purity.
The project is organized by the conservative legal group Liberty Counsel. The group’s founder, Mathew Staver, earlier this week had shared about the importance of the Day of Purity with the entire student body of Liberty University, the world’s largest evangelical university.
Staver is the dean of Liberty University School of Law.
Day of Purity comes alongside year-round ministry efforts promoting abstinence until marriage such as those of the parachurch youth ministry Silver Ring Thing. The ministry puts on nationwide stage shows tailored to reach the younger generation with the message of the importance of sexual purity.
Students who make a commitment for abstinence receive a sterling silver ring as a symbol and reminder of their decision. Follow-up emails over the next couple of months will help the students remain firm to their commitment.
Lindevaldsen and Silver Ring Thing both invite youths who have already engaged in sexual activity to make a “fresh start” and join, pointing to the forgiveness of God as encouragement.
“Students are sending a message to their friends, parents, churches, communities, legislators, and the media that it’s time for a positive change in the culture,” said Lindevaldsen.
