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Am started this whole thing when she posted this link on her website. I've taken the the opputunity to copy and paste the story while it's still there as Straits Times online only allows its articles to be online for 3 days.

Taking the pledge
Six thousand youths have sworn off pre-marital sex to 'save themselves for marriage'

A PRO-VIRGINITY lobby group has since May last year convinced more than 6,000 teenagers and young adults to pledge not to have pre-marital sex, and now plans to hold an Abstinence Day and a Purity March down Orchard Road on Valentine's Day next year.

Called Focus On Family, it is also organising a series of seminars next week on preventing homosexuality and reforming homosexuals.

Set up here in 2000, it is an offshoot of a worldwide United States-based movement that promotes Christianity by preserving traditional and family values.

Its most popular programme is the No Apologies workshop that tries to get teenagers to remain virgins and 'save themselves for marriage'.

The group's vice-president for programmes, Mrs Joanna Koh-Hoe, said that about eight in 10 of the 8,000 attendees in the last 1 1/2 years have signed this abstinence pledge:

'Believing in saving myself for marriage, I make a commitment to myself, my family, my friends, my future spouse and my future children to be sexually abstinent from this day onward until the day I enter a lifelong, committed, monogamous marriage.'

Students from 28 schools, including Raffles Girls' School, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) and East View Secondary, have attended workshops, as have teens and adults from churches, technical institutes and youth organisations. Convicted juveniles under probation have also participated.

Said Mrs Koh-Hoe, 29: 'Our message is this: If I have pre-marital sex, I am not a person of good character. In fact, any sex outside of marriage is immoral whatever the age of the person.'

The four-hour workshop also warns participants of the health risks of pre-marital sex and the unreliability of condoms.

Its funds have come mainly from the Ministry of Community Development and Sports (MCDS) and the students' Edusave accounts. But now, the ministry has decided to fund only non-school workshops as the Education Ministry has a sex education programme called Growing Years.

Meanwhile, Focus On Family hopes to spread the abstinence message next year through its Feb 14 march in the city.

This week, it is holding seminars to show teachers and counsellors how to stop people from 'becoming homosexual'.

It believes homosexuality is sinful; that homosexuals are made, not born; and that they are not 'normal, healthy, everyday people'.

Focus On Family is a registered charity whose mission is 'to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in disseminating the Gospel of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible, and, specifically, to accomplish that objective by helping to preserve traditional values and the institution of the family'.

It runs an hour-long radio programme on 93.8FM every Monday promoting family values and also holds workshops on parenting and marriage.

The charity has four full-time staff and is funded by fees from its workshop, MCDS and donations. Its president is retiree Tan Thuan Seng, 62, who owns the group's premises, a three-storey terrace house in Niven Road near Selegie, that he is letting it use for free.

Focus On Family has also trained workshop facilitators from the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis), one of whom said that the group's values on pre-marital sex are the same as in Islam.

Asked if people are pressured to sign the pledge, Mrs Koh-Hoe said: 'Sometimes, like when most want to sign and there is this poor kid who doesn't.

'I remember one school where a few were quite adamant that they did not want to be abstinent. It can work both ways, and we prefer to use peer pressure to our advantage.'

Psychiatrist Ng Koon Hock said most people would agree that guidance is good for teenagers who aren't mature enough to decide what is best when it comes to sex. But convincing adults, especially couples planning to get married, people already cohabiting, or older singles, would be hard, he said.

Now, my first thought was... WHAT IS THE WORLD COMING TO? Anyways, since this was posted on a Yahoo Group of Friends I am subscribed to, the following was my response to it.

Well, I don't normally join in discussions like these, but figured I would speak up for once.

First up, this whole pledging to be a virgin thing is really silly. And it's even sillier to do it in the name of Christianity. When the moment comes and it happens, it happens. You aren't going to let a silly piece of paper you signed back when you were 14 years old change anything.

Sex is something that should only be shared between 2 people who love, care and agree to share with each other everything, including the most intimate parts of their body. The act of sex is in no way demeaning, wrong or against any laws if you are not married. As long as you are commited to the other person, I believe there is nothing wrong with celebrating your love for each other.

Being a virgin is over-rated, but so is having sex. I can tell you that sex can either be a wonderful thing that feels you with love and happiness, or it can be a "Wham, Bam, Thank You, Mam" experience that will leave you jaded and unhappy. In our society where 50% of marriages end in divorce, who is to say that being married gurantees you are sharing yourself with the right person? When the moment comes and you know it is right, Seize IT! It will make you glad that you shared that special moment with that special person, even if 50 years down the road, you don't even know where that person is. At least you can remember the person fondly with love.

I have to agree with Nigel, not because I am a catholic, but because I really dislike charismatic Christian groups. They always go on fanatical crusades and prosecute the minority for doing things which some have no control over. I have alot of respect for homosexuals. It is very difficult to come out of the closet and announce that you are gay. Many of these people simply have a hormonal inbalance that they cannot control. You might say "just get a hormonal jab or pills." But how many people want to live on pills for every single day of their life just so they can conform to society's mold? I say celebrate your
sexuality. Be not afraid to do what feels right.

That said, I urge that NO ONE in our group signs that stupid pledge. I think it's silly and if I were in that position, I would never sign it. Not for peer pressure, not for anything. Let us rule our own lives, not let others rule it for us. Let's put it this way, imagine you are now 24 and have been going out with someone for 3 years. You go out and celebrate your 3rd year anniversary together, with lots of good food, dancing and maybe some champange. You get home and cuddle up in bed, enjoying the love you are sharing. You end up kissing and the passion simply builds up. I mean, do you really want to spoil a
wonderfully romantic and special moment with the person you have loved for 3 years by saying, "We can't have sex cos I signed this pledge when I was 14. Would you mind waiting til we got married some 5 years later?"

I can gurantee you that you won't be together 5 years later. And this applies for both girls and guys.

Humans were made for procreation, there's nothing wrong with us having fun while procreating

~Liv

P/S: While this is how I feel personally, I don't encourage any of you to take my advice to heart and go all out to get laid. I do advise that you think about what was written and when the time comes sometime down the road, remember that SEX is over-rated, but MAKING LOVE is wonderful...

That said... I am still wondering why in the world is this being allowed in Singapore... I mean a LOBBY MARCH? That's like against the law! How could they let this happen? How could PAP let this happen? They couldn't... unless they WANT it to happen... I rest my case.