Thanks for your comment. Can you please provide a source for your statement: "It is a fact that persons, youth or adult, who engage in sex tend to be more depressed." ? This isn't the least bit believable without a source.
As written in my original post, I respect any person's decision to follow the laws of niddah and taharat hamishpachah. I believe that the spiritual intensity of a relationship can certainly be elevated by it, even if it is not my own personal sexual practice. What is irresponsible on part of the negiah.org is to withold information that enables youth to make healthy sexual decisions should they find themselves in a situation when they might need to protect themselves. Newsflash: there are many Orthodox youth--far more than you might believe--who will have premarital sex regardless of halachah, a traditional Jewish education, or frum family values. So shouldn't they be given thorough, accurate information about how to protect themselves? Using scare tactics about sex is only going to exacerbate the possibilities for dangerous sexual practices. My "liberal feminist negative statements" as you call them, are actually just a request to equip youth with information that will give them an informed, broad, and empowering understanding of health and sexuality. So yes, absolutely teach youth about niddah and abstience, even advocate for it. But do not generalize pre-marital sexual experiences as only producing "stress, regret, guilt, loss of self-respect, debasement, commitment issues, anger, depression, relationship killer, and stunting personal growth," as negiah.org states. And do not withold accurate information to which all youth are entitled.
As to your comment about sexual assault and violence, sexual abuse and intimate partner violence within the Orthodox community is a rather known and prevalent problem. It's a problem that niddah is not going to solve, and a problem that the Orthodox community should really think about addressing more openly and honestly. So frankly, negiah.org does little to eradicate a socio-cultural problem that is not immune to Orthodox communities and is often far more manifest there than in more progressive segments of the Jewish community.
I recommend that you read Jay Michaelson's book G!d in Your Body and check out his chapter on sex.
Hi Amy,
Thanks for your comment. Can you please provide a source for your statement: "It is a fact that persons, youth or adult, who engage in sex tend to be more depressed." ? This isn't the least bit believable without a source.
As written in my original post, I respect any person's decision to follow the laws of niddah and taharat hamishpachah. I believe that the spiritual intensity of a relationship can certainly be elevated by it, even if it is not my own personal sexual practice. What is irresponsible on part of the negiah.org is to withold information that enables youth to make healthy sexual decisions should they find themselves in a situation when they might need to protect themselves. Newsflash: there are many Orthodox youth--far more than you might believe--who will have premarital sex regardless of halachah, a traditional Jewish education, or frum family values. So shouldn't they be given thorough, accurate information about how to protect themselves? Using scare tactics about sex is only going to exacerbate the possibilities for dangerous sexual practices. My "liberal feminist negative statements" as you call them, are actually just a request to equip youth with information that will give them an informed, broad, and empowering understanding of health and sexuality. So yes, absolutely teach youth about niddah and abstience, even advocate for it. But do not generalize pre-marital sexual experiences as only producing "stress, regret, guilt, loss of self-respect, debasement, commitment issues, anger, depression, relationship killer, and stunting personal growth," as negiah.org states. And do not withold accurate information to which all youth are entitled.
As to your comment about sexual assault and violence, sexual abuse and intimate partner violence within the Orthodox community is a rather known and prevalent problem. It's a problem that niddah is not going to solve, and a problem that the Orthodox community should really think about addressing more openly and honestly. So frankly, negiah.org does little to eradicate a socio-cultural problem that is not immune to Orthodox communities and is often far more manifest there than in more progressive segments of the Jewish community.
I recommend that you read Jay Michaelson's book G!d in Your Body and check out his chapter on sex.