90% Abstinence Rate--How is it Done?

[DeepShadow]

In another thread I brought up a study of abstinence among religious teens that rated LDS teens at a 90% abstinence rate. The question was raised as to what Latter-Day Saints taught that was so much more effective than typical abstinence programs. I'm still not sure what the big difference is, so I'm posting an excerpt from one of our youth study manuals for analysis and comparison.

Chastity
36863, True to the Faith, Chastity, 29

Keeping the Law of Chastity
No matter how strong temptations seem, the Lord will help you withstand them if you choose to follow Him. The Apostle Paul declared, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). The following counsel can help you overcome the frequent and blatant temptations in the world today:

Decide now to be chaste. You need to make this decision only once. Make the decision now, before the temptation comes, and let your decision be so firm and with such deep commitment that it can never be shaken. Determine now that you will never do anything outside of marriage to arouse the powerful emotions that must be expressed only in marriage. Do not arouse those emotions in another person’s body or in your own body. Determine now that you will be completely true to your spouse.

Control your thoughts. No one commits sexual sin in an instant. Immoral acts always begin with impure thoughts. If you allow your thoughts to linger on obscene or immoral things, you have already taken the first step toward immorality. Flee immediately from situations that may lead to sin. Pray for constant strength to resist temptation and control your thoughts. Make this a part of your daily prayers.

Stay away from pornography. Do not view, read, or listen to anything that depicts or describes the human body or sexual conduct in a way that can arouse sexual feelings. Pornographic materials are addictive and destructive. They can rob you of your self-respect and of a sense of the beauties of life. They can tear you down and lead you to evil thoughts and abusive conduct.

If you are single and dating, always treat your date with respect. Never treat him or her as an object to be used for lustful desires. Carefully plan positive and constructive activities so that you and your date are not left alone without anything to do. Stay in areas of safety where you can easily control yourself. Do not participate in conversations or activities that arouse sexual feelings. Do not participate in passionate kissing, lie with or on top of another person, or touch the private, sacred parts of another person’s body, with or without clothing. Do not allow anyone to do such things with you.

If you are married, be faithful to your spouse in your thoughts, words, and actions. The Lord has said: “Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else. And he that looketh upon a woman to lust after her shall deny the faith, and shall not have the Spirit; and if he repents not he shall be cast out” (D&C 42:22–23). Never flirt in any way. As much as possible, avoid being alone with anyone of the opposite sex. Ask yourself if your spouse would be pleased if he or she knew of your words or actions. Remember the Apostle Paul’s counsel to “abstain from all appearance of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22). When you stay away from such circumstances, temptation gets no chance to develop.

 

[jonny]

I think that the parents not allowing the children to date until they are 16 and then only in groups until they are mature enough to handle a relationship is a big part of the abstenence rate.

 

[Sunstone]

I think that the parents not allowing the children to date until they are 16 and then only in groups until they are mature enough to handle a relationship is a big part of the abstenence rate.

I think you might be onto something there, Jonny. Words alone are surely not so effective as the practices you speak of. For one thing, teens have not completely developed their powers of foresight, so it seems reasonable to take active measures to help them avoid pregnancy, STDs, etc., rather than rely on mere indoctrination alone.

At what age are children considered mature enough to handle a relationship and begin dating alone? Does it vary from child to child, or is there a recommended age?

 

[Bishka]

I think you might be onto something there, Jonny. Words alone are surely not so effective as the practices you speak of. For one thing, teens have not completely developed their powers of foresight, so it seems reasonable to take active measures to help them avoid pregnancy, STDs, etc., rather than rely on mere indoctrination alone.

At what age are children considered mature enough to handle a relationship and begin dating alone? Does it vary from child to child, or is there a recommended age?

18 is usually the recommended age. I wasn't aloud to single date or have any sort of 'relationship; (even though I tried to fight that rule) until I was 18.

 

[s2a]

In another thread I brought up a study of abstinence among religious teens that rated LDS teens at a 90% abstinence rate. The question was raised as to what Latter-Day Saints taught that was so much more effective than typical abstinence programs. I'm still not sure what the big difference is, so I'm posting an excerpt from one of our youth study manuals for analysis and comparison.

I would fairly question the credulity of the claim itself.

Any special interest group has a "special interest" in contriving/promoting data that is self-affirming.

Note: I am not dismissing the claim as false. I simply do not find any compelling, objectively derived datum to formulate an informed conclusion as to whether or not the claim has any merit in fact.

[I wonder what the "fallen" 10% would have to say about that claim too...]. ;-)

 

[DeepShadow]

I would fairly question the credulity of the claim itself.

Any special interest group has a "special interest" in contriving/promoting data that is self-affirming.

That would certainly be a reasonable objection, if the study was conducted by and/or for Latter-Day Saints. It wasn't. The study was conducted by the The National Study of Youth and Religion, which interviewed more than 3,500 Americans between the ages of 13–17.

Edit: I suppose that still leaves your assertion that we're promoting the data, even if we didn't contrive it. Perhaps so...but what's wrong with that? How does promoting legitimate data cause you to question its credulity?

 

[DeepShadow]

Thoughts borrowed from the other thread, more appropriate here:

Starting around age 8 and guided by their parents and other leaders, Latter-Day Saints fast once a month (non-compulsory and never to the point of compromising health). Most young people by the age of twelve are fasting at least one meal a day, and many later teens fast the full 2 meals/24 hours that adult LDS fast.

I believe fasting gives young people a better sense of their own willpower. The whole point is having mastery over one's body, so one might say that this monthly exercise strenghthens the same "willpower muscles" in the brain that are used to avoid sexual temptation. Compared to the "abstinence pledge," I think the difference lies in the fact that the pledge demands young people exercise willpower, but says nothing on how to develop it. It's a "what to do" vs. "how to do it" sort of dichotomy.

Emmaleebee just pointed out another potential factor: what's the role of alcohol in the other subcultures being studied? A staunch LDS household probably won't have any alcohol for kids to steal, and the parents aren't part of a drinking culture. Presence of alcohol in the home or the parents' lives might increase the temptation to drink, which in turn might loosen someone's grip on their abstinence pledge.

 

[Bishka]

I would fairly question the credulity of the claim itself.

Any special interest group has a "special interest" in contriving/promoting data that is self-affirming.

Note: I am not dismissing the claim as false. I simply do not find any compelling, objectively derived datum to formulate an informed conclusion as to whether or not the claim has any merit in fact.

[I wonder what the "fallen" 10% would have to say about that claim too...]. ;-)

I'm part of that 10%, I didn't techinically lose my virginity, but let's just say I was nekkid as a jaybird. I believe that statistic though, I've heard it several times and not from my Church, from articles in newspapers and on the net.

 

[Sunstone]

Although a single study can seldom be conclusive (for the study could be flawed in any number of ways), this particular study is very interesting since, to the extent it's true, it provides evidence that there is at least one abstinence program which mostly works. So far as I know, there is no other abstinence program that has anywhere near to a 90% success rate. On the contrary, some programs only achieve a 15% success rate.

 

[Bishka]

Although a single study can seldom be conclusive (for the study could be flawed in any number of ways), this particular study is very interesting since, to the extent it's true, it provides evidence that there is at least one abstinence program which mostly works. So far as I know, there is no other abstinence program that has anywhere near to a 90% success rate. On the contrary, some programs only achieve a 15% success rate.

Which is interesting. I am not sure of the links or sources at the moment, but I've found studies that have been about how chastity vows and no-sex-until marriage vows (I can't remember the exact name at the moment) have a high failure rate.

 

[DeepShadow]

I completely agree that a single study cannot be considered conclusive, Sunstone, and I encourage those of a statistical bent to check out the methodology and templates provided by the study on their website: http://www.youthandreligion.org/

I'm also interested in any similar studies, corroborating or not. It's an important issue, and worthy of attention.

I'm wondering if there's anything that can be taken from this program and applied to other abstinence programs (or better yet, taught alongside other methods of birth control). I'm not sure that the LDS upbringing doesn't constitute an indivisible system. Even if it doesn't, are the relevant elements things that non-LDS youth are prepared to implement just to stay chaste?

Suppose my earlier hunch was right, and some independent study reveals fasting accounts for some or all of that percentage difference. Are other teens supposed to fast once a month just to keep their hands off each other?

I just don't know what to make of this.

 

[jeffrey]

I doubt the findings as accurate. I'm sure the LDS have a higher abstinence then any other program, which is great. But what are they going to do, give a medical exam to everyone that took the survey? I'm sure there are more then just a handful that would not admit to not being a virgin anymore.

 

[DeepShadow]

I doubt the findings as accurate. I'm sure the LDS have a higher abstinence then any other program, which is great. But what are they going to do, give a medical exam to everyone that took the survey? I'm sure there are more then just a handful that would not admit to not being a virgin anymore.

Okay, but you've only replaced that with another question: Why are LDS teens so much more likely to lie than their peers? You've replaced a 40% difference in abstinence with a 40% difference in honesty.

The study, like all such statistical analyses, accounts for a certain amount of dishonesty in respondents, but with all other things being equal, they expect the same level of dishonestly across the board. If you know why LDS teens would be more likely to fib than Catholics or Episcopalians, please say so; I'm sure the people who took the survey would be interested.

 

[Sunstone]

I completely agree that a single study cannot be considered conclusive, Sunstone, and I encourage those of a statistical bent to check out the methodology and templates provided by the study on their website: http://www.youthandreligion.org/

http://www.youthandreligion.org/

Thank you!

I'm also interested in any similar studies, corroborating or not. It's an important issue, and worthy of attention.

Given that the US leads the Western World in every major category of sexual problem, I agree the importance of this cannot be dismissed.

I'm wondering if there's anything that can be taken from this program and applied to other abstinence programs (or better yet, taught alongside other methods of birth control).

I'm wondering the same. I personally see nothing wrong in principle with people in their late teens having responsible, protected sex. But I'm appalled that so many teens are engaging in irresponsible, unprotected sex at what seems to be younger and younger ages. Worse, in surveys, large percentages are reporting such things as they felt pressured into having sex, they regretted it later on in life, etc. These are not healthy behaviors in anyone's book. If an abstinence program, or some other program, could get kids to hold off longer, until at least the late teens, then I think kids reporting regret would decline significantly.

I'm not sure that the LDS upbringing doesn't constitute an indivisible system. Even if it doesn't, are the relevant elements things that non-LDS youth are prepared to implement just to stay chaste?

Suppose my earlier hunch was right, and some independent study reveals fasting accounts for some or all of that percentage difference. Are other teens supposed to fast once a month just to keep their hands off each other?

I just don't know what to make of this.

That's a very thoughtful analysis. While LDS are culturally as American as any of us, they are also unique in some ways. Fasting from an early age comes to mind. If it were some unique cultural trait that was behind this abstinence figure, then the question would become: Do the rest of us want to adopt it or something similar? For instance: If I were raising children, I would certainly carefully consider the wisdom of allowing them to date only upon reaching the age of 16, and then only in groups until they were 18 or so. The cost of sexual problems is far too high not to take a serious look at adopting LDS behaviors.

Another alternative, of course, is to learn from Continental Western Europe, which has among the lowest rates of sexual problems in the reporting world. The Nederlands, Sweden, France, Germany, etc are all well ahead of us in addressing these problems. Perhaps most importantly, the kids in those countries report very low rates of regret when they do eventually become sexually active.

I see no reason in theory that the US cannot dramatically improve it performance on ameliorating sexual problems.

 

[s2a]

That would certainly be a reasonable objection, if the study was conducted by and/or for Latter-Day Saints. It wasn't. The study was conducted by the The National Study of Youth and Religion, which interviewed more than 3,500 Americans between the ages of 13–17.

Once again, I would say that I do not outright dismiss the results of the referenced source as being incredible or unbelievable...only questionable.

I have not yet delved into the afforded intricacies of their polling methodologies (if that's even available), but with little more than a superficial examination, a particularly identifiable editorial bias is readily evident.

Source

In their editorial evaluation of a "National Study of Youth and Religion (Religious Affiliation Over Time, 12th Graders)", a timeline graph is offered that evidences an increase of 5% of non-belief; while brusquely dismissing a decrease of 5% of "other" religions; a 1% decrease in Catholic/Orthodox beliefs; and a 10% decrease in Protestant creedal affiliations.

They choose to characterize these findings thusly:

"Despite noticeable shifts in religious affiliations, the total percentage of American 12th graders that claimed religious affiliation remained strong over the 20-year period from 1976 to 1996."

A strong and consistent decline....

While the overall pattern was stable, there was movement within specific traditions. The proportion of Protestant youth declined by 10 percent in that period, with Lutherans losing the largest percent of youth. This decline was also shared in other traditionally “mainline” denominations, including Methodists, Baptists, and the United Church of Christ. The proportion of Catholic youth declined very slightly, and the proportion of Jewish youth grew slightly.

While such a summary evaluation is not categorically inaccurate, it's certainly an effort to put lipstick on a pig and then call it pretty. This does not strike me as an especially objective or independently veritable credible perspective.

[Note: I like to connote myself as an optimist, and a "the glass is half full" kinda guy - but not when it comes to objective evaluations of empirical data. Skepticism is always preferable to "spin" in these cases.]

"By contrast, although the vast majority of American youth remain within the Christian tradition, these years show a 5 percent jump in affiliation with non-Christian religious traditions. These results are from the Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey, a nationally representative survey of American high school students. "

That "survey" asks but two topically relevant questions:
1) “How often do you attend religious services?”
2) “What is your religious preference?”

Edit: I suppose that still leaves your assertion that we're promoting the data, even if we didn't contrive it. Perhaps so...but what's wrong with that? How does promoting legitimate data cause you to question its credulity?

This tenders the assumption that the data itself is both credible/legitimate, and absent any introduced bias.

Does the LDS Church question any similarly obtained data (from other "external" sources) that may reflect poorly upon itself - or promote such data as equally valid/merited? If so, I'd like to see examples of such...

PS. There's certainly nothing "wrong" with promoting self-affirming data that supports/enhances a particular philosophy/perspective. To do so is only "human". But promotion and earnest support alone does not constitute defensible/supportable fact, nor even a hint of scientific/methodological legitimacy. Lest we readily attribute/conclude any findings as empirical fact, the prospect of fallacious rationales in proffered arguments: by Selective Observation (cherry-picking); by Generalization, and; from Small Numbers; any and all must be fairly examined and circumspectly reviewed (and subject to further objective test).

If LDS indoctrination techniques in faith-based ideals actually do enjoy a 90% efficacy rate in promoting pre-martial sexual abstinence, then it's time for the Mormons to share the "secrets of their success" with the rest of society, regardless of their belief/non-belief. Effectively suppressing a million plus years of biological human evolution and innate primal drive is an achievement worthy of shared and revolutionary scientific revelation.

 

[michel]

However it is achieved, abstinence can only be a good thing.

beckysoup's

18 is usually the recommended age. I wasn't aloud to single date or have any sort of 'relationship; (even though I tried to fight that rule) until I was 18.

is probably the best way, but, of course there are external pressures to rebel against the parental rules.

The only way I can see the goal achieved (either in the case of theists, or non-theists), is the idea of respect shown from children towards their parents, and a genuine desire not to stick by the rules imposed by parents. in my day, that was achieved by strict disciplinarian parentage (not ideal, but it worked)......

The culture I see now being promoted in schools is that "Children are only "mini adults", and should therefore be treated as such.

There's nothing wrong with the theory behind that, except that the children have no experience of life, and that is what counts, when descision making.

 

[jonny]

For what it's worth, I believe that 90% figure is probably pretty accurate for intercourse. Interestingly, it reflects surveys that the church itself has done: 1999 High School Senior Survey.

For LDS young men, most of them are working towards going on missions and it is much more difficult to go if you have been sexually active previously. This might be the reason why less young men in the LDS church are sexually active (according to this survey).

 

[Fluffy]

I would assume that the majority of LDS youths are brought up in LDS families. Additionally, I would assume that this programme only targets LDS youths and not everybody as other abstinence programmes do.

This I think would explain most of it since it is much easier to instill a value if you only target those people who are 1) predisposed to following that value and 2) are in environments that are also predisposed to encouraging that value.

I would expect a significantly lower success rate if the same programme was used with non-LDS youths.

 

[Green Gaia]

Personally, I think the best way to approach the subject with any group of kids is to do so completely openly, honestly and in a non-judgemental way. At least that is what the OWL (Our Whole Lives) sexuality based program that the UUA has available (and I believe the United Church of Christ) seeks to do.

That is what works for UU kids because they is how they are use to being dealt with at church, openly, honestly and in a non-judgemental way. Do I think we have anywhere close to a 90% abstinence rate? No way. But then abstinence isn't the end goal of our sexuality program. In a holistic approach to sexuality, we give them 100% honest and factual information so they can make informed and responsible decisions and a safe place to ask questions and talks about issues relating to sexuality and sexual activity.

 

[jonny]

...then it's time for the Mormons to share the "secrets of their success" with the rest of society, regardless of their belief/non-belief.

It's called conviction. If you really don't believe something there is no reason to follow it. If you don't believe that sex is sacred, then there is no reason to wait to have it with the right person.

I've been taught my entire life that sex is good and sacred but that it is something that should happen within the bonds of marriage. I actually believe it. That's why it works.