True education for the sexual life instills reverence.

True education for the sexual life instills reverence.
Most parents have very little, if any, idea of what their
children are taught in sex education classes. Sex education
has never been a simple presentation of biological
facts. In many curricula students are graphically taught
(sometimes by way of films) about various sexual practices,
including masturbation, and about “safe” sex. In others,
sexual perversions are openly and explicitly discussed and
presented as normal ways of finding sexual “fulfillment.” In
some school districts an appreciation and understanding for
the homosexual lifestyle is encouraged: it is, our children
are told, a perfectly acceptable alternative to heterosexual
marriage. Some schools even have students pair off to discuss
topics such as foreplay and orgasm. Antibiotics and abortion
are presented as positive safety nets in case contraception and
safe sex practices fail. Abstinence, if not entirely ignored,
is mentioned only in passing.
Sex education is little more than “safe” sex training. Initially,
it was instituted as an attempt to bank the fires of
teenage sexuality; instead, it has only fanned the flames.27
Most people seem to take it for granted that teenagers will
and should express themselves sexually. Our era is one of
millions of abortions, of countless unwed mothers on public
support, and of epidemic sexually transmitted diseases.
Clearly, the idea that accurate knowledge fosters responsible
behavior is nothing less than a grand myth.
In general, much of what is taught today in the name of
sex education is a horror, and as Christians we must protest
against it. It is often little more than the formalized training
True education for the sexual life takes place best between
parent and child in an environment of reverence and trust. To
educate anyone about sex through anonymous images and
impersonal information will only awaken the sexual impulse
of a child prematurely and, in his mind, separate sex from
love and commitment.
Obviously we should not be afraid to talk freely with
our own children about sexual matters, especially as they
approach adolescence. Otherwise they will learn about
these things first from their peers, and rarely in a reverent
atmosphere. All the same, there is a danger in giving a child
too many biological facts about sex. Often, a factual approach
to sex robs it of its divine mystery.
To the Christian parent, sex education means guiding the
sexual conscience of his or her children to sense their own
dignity and the dignity of others. It means helping them to
understand that selfish pleasure, whether it “hurts” anybody
else or not, is contrary to love (Gal. 5:13). It means teaching
them that, separated from God, sexual intercourse or any
other sexual activity burdens the conscience and undermines
honest relationships. It means opening their eyes to see the
deep emptiness that leads people – and could lead them
too – into sexual sin