Chastity

Chastity is to control one’s sexual desire: to refrain from premarital sex and to have sexual relations only with one’s spouse. Chastity requires the institution of marriage for its most joyful fulfillment. The extreme asceticism of a celibate monk or nun is a vocation only for the few, those who are willing to sacrifice continually the God-given desire to love and be loved. God created us to love, form families and raise children to propagate the human race. In this regard, sexuality within marriage is a wonderful gift, a joyful experience and a blessing of God.

However, as fallen human beings we do not naturally discipline our sexual desires to be employed in a faithful marriage bond. That requires training, and religions have traditionally served this purpose. Religions teach that adultery is among the most serious sins. They train the mind to subdue the desires of the flesh, and set boundaries on behavior to avoid temptation to sin. They lift up marriage as a holy institution. However, in today’s secular society, people have forgotten the discipline of desire. Promiscuity and “free sex” are everywhere, promising instant happiness but yielding disappointment, heartbreak, and broken homes. Marriage is under attack, and many young people are cohabiting rather than marrying, largely because they no longer believe that they can make a lasting marriage. As the original standard of faithful marriage is forgotten, homosexuality and lesbianism are gaining acceptance as alternative lifestyles.

Father Moon speaks passionately and directly about this topic. Based upon his teaching that the Human Fall was an act of illicit love, he sees the misuse of love as the root of all sins, crimes, unhappiness and suffering in human life. (See Chapter 6) The Fall caused people to devalue love and use it wrongly. Therefore, he calls us to elevate love to its original, heavenly purpose as the linking point between human beings and God. Sex in marriage should be a holy act, what he calls ‘absolute sex.’ Love between husband and wife should have the same absoluteness as God’s love for us. Anything less creates separation from God.