OneJoblessBoy

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Chastity Culture: A Greater Threat Than Cancel Culture?

By Marvin King

 

It is safe to say that the burden of men’s behavioural inadequacies has often been placed on women, with the church itself contributing to the upbringing of men who rarely take accountability for their actions.

A prime example is the biblical story of Dinah, who was “defiled”—a term we hear instead of plainly stating that Shechem forcefully violated her.

Such narratives reinforce the belief that a woman’s honour lies in her sexual purity and that any engagement in premarital sex, whether consensual or not, diminishes her value. This story further emphasises that she became worthless to Shechem and the world after the act. Purity culture, much like rape culture, has never truly been about sex; rather, it has always been about controlling women’s bodies.

There are numerous issues with chastity culture, particularly in how it confuses young women who wish to devote their lives to God. Chastity culture dictates that girls must dress in a specific way—fully covered—because their attire could cause men to “stumble” into lust. As a result, when a church leader assaults a girl, society often assumes she must have dressed provocatively to “lure” him into sin.

In many ways, these teachings within chastity culture inadvertently enable rape culture.

A culture that instructs women to dress a certain way to prevent men from raping them is rape culture. A culture that tells women to avoid certain places to escape harassment or assault is rape culture.

In recent times, more instances of sexual assault and harassment within the church have come to light—many of which the church has tried to sweep under the rug. The reason for this is not hard to see: many people within the church still believe that a woman who experiences sexual harassment must have brought it upon herself—whether by the way she dressed, the way she carried herself, or simply by existing. Again, chastity culture is partly to blame.

While chastity is undeniably a core tenet of the church, changes are needed in how it is preached. These changes cannot occur without acknowledging that the cultural and historical contexts in which the Bible was written are vastly different from today’s realities. By all means, individuals can choose to be chaste, celibate, or follow whatever path aligns with their beliefs. However, the underlying reasons for such decisions must be deeply questioned and re-examined.

 

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