Don't let the ickiness fool you. It's all about commerce, property, and smooth transfers of power.

Well, okay, between frighteningly impotent people.

mbr + dv + woyg

"Icky"- Great word! I wonder if any of the gray beards spent any time talking about the "SUCCESS" of abstinence programs in Texas! Babies to the right of me, babies to the left of me!
What a sick and tragic horror!
Go Icky!

What Balderdash....  where's Mom?  Oh - sitting at home contemplating her impurity.

"Change you deserve."  These are the people who want to decide what you deserve.  That's where the ickiness comes in.

then the honor killings.

As the father of 1 late teen (18) and one adult (21), I find this idea nauseating.  We are emphasizing to our daughters that they must advance themselves, and that marriage must wait.  I don't expect purity.  I do expect that precautions will be taken, and that my daughters will be sensible.

We do not live on farms.  We are not desperate for grandchildren, and we don't need to breed the next generation of farmhands.

"before God to cover my daughter as her authority and protection in the area of purity."

Okay, yes, I agree the whole thing is really icky.  And i agree with others that "icky" is a great description.

But come on: This "in the area of purity" stuff is pretty damned funny.

Watching religious extremists talk about sex is like watching a drunk cross an icy street.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to you country.

You can marry the term "evangelical Christian" with any other set of words and the result is creepy. My neighbor actually "consulted" the Almighty as to whether Toro or Lawnboy was the better choice of a riding mower. Of course if whichever he chooses proves inadequate it'll be the work of Satan. Crazy bastards.

"before God to cover my daughter..." Both the Bible and romance novels use "cover" to indicate that a man lies on top of a woman. As in, he covered her and gave her his seed. Are these people so gawd-damned ignorant that they want to proclaim their incestuous possession of their daughters in public?! How hard would it have been to choose the words "to protect my daughter."

Gag. Ick. Gag.

Because, of course, the father (or step-father (!))is the keeper of the girl's virginity until he can safely hand it over to her husband.  These are cult members every bit as the ones that are in the news now in the FLDS - only with current clothing and hairstyles so they blend in more easily.

The jewelry is funny/creepy too.  Get a load of this design:

purity ring

Yeah, creepy.

Would it be inappropriate to use a Jerseyism and say, "I got your purity balls right here, pal"?

...To ensure their daughters’ purity, they were asked to set an example and to hew to evangelical ideals in a society they say tempts them as much as it does their daughters.

Oh, yes, they know about temptation!
(cough)(cough)Newt!(cough)McCain!(cough)Rush!(cough)

Oh nevermind.  Hypocrisy so dense that nothing can penetrate.

In my darker moments, I wish there were a god, because the smell of BBQed fundie would be oh so sweet.

How come they don't have mom-son purity balls?  Wouldn't those be grand?

/Donny, you're out of your league./

Creepy leads to icky and culminates in perverse.

Can't they just have a debutante ball and call it a day?

Seriously, this is a 1/2 a step up from incest, IMO. This preoccupation--I dare say, fascination--with their daughter's sex life is extremely unhealthy.

Instead of covering, do these Dads ever think about perhaps...teaching and talking to their daughters like any other human being? Radical concept, no doubt, but the results are fantastic.

Besides. They'd never tell their sons not to have sex before marriage--and mean it.

It's kind of like that AT&T commercial about the Dad hunting for his teen daughter at the make-out spot because he didn't get her "I'm at a friend's" text message. Would he EVER go on the hunt for his son?

I'll wait for you to stop laughing.

Hell, the Dad is probably giving his son sex tips.

I'm not saying that I think every teenager should be out screwing. I'm not. But they are sexual beings. Period. They are human beings and not perpetual children in constant need of "care."

They need to have information so that they can make and trust their OWN judgment as to when they are ready and not to be some prized thing to be turned over to your husband. Not to be pressured. To recognize when someone's "running game." To take care of their reproductive/sexual health--I'm talking basic biology, here. And yes, birth control.

Just saying "Daddy will cover me" doesn't equip you for anything at age 16, 26, or 36. Ridiculous!

I just hate the hypocrisy of it all, and I hate that it sets up "sex as mystery" for later in life. That's stupid.

Can't hear ya, Peach!

It's like a fantasy world with creepy, icky overtones of paternal power and unwholesome male protection, with the delicate whiff of incest hovering ever so slightly in the background.

These people need to get a clear dose of reality.  Like a good sex education course, perhaps.

Let's celebrate the wonder of being human.

Suppose you scrub your ethical skin until it shines, but inside there is no music, then what? Kabir

While there's something to be said for father-daughter bonding time (my husband took one daughter to her special baseball team and the other hiking yesterday), this sort of event just ain't it.  Sure, when your child is on the brink of womanhood, a parent feels a mixture of pride and worry, not only that she'll encounter inevitable heartbreaks, but that someone might physically injure her.  But these sorts of events don't appear to equip her for the real challenges she'll face.  (And then there's the whole incest, "ick" factor).

A Progressive Christian perspective on I/P at Beyond Bethlehem