Ignorance as useful? –The sex education debate continues

There is a camp of cultural conservatives that believes that keeping children (and teens?) ignorant on matters of sexuality and sex education will somehow preserve their chastity. They believe that if you give young people knowledge of sexuality and sexual practice, they will begin to experiment and live carelessly. Is this true? Does knowledge lead to indulgence? Will the teenagers behave worse if we teach sex and sexuality from grade four?

I believe that as we answer we should bear in mind that as human being mature they develop abilities that exceed their wisdom to handle. For example, children learn to walk before they learn to cross the road carefully; they learn to put things in their mouths before they learn to read the ‘poison’ warning. So it is with our sexuality – we have instincts, desires and affinities before we know how to express or use them. In light of this should we wait for disaster before we give the guidance and instructions every growing child needs? I believe not. I would argue that as children develop their parents and other responsible adults should dispense age appropriate information on matters of sexuality as the young person’s sexuality develops. For example when the toddler asks about their genitals a simple (and age appropriate) explanation of the differences between men and women can be offered. Perhaps a discrete “girls are this way so that they can grow up to be mommies” and “boys are this way so that they can grow up to be daddies” can also be offered. What is not necessary is handing out Playboy magazines and boxes of condoms.

As the Children develop to a point where they can express their sexuality it will be necessary to start including a moral element to the instruction. Provide the young person with the whole Biblical worldview on sexuality and how this impacts on behavior. I would argue that even at this stage the parents of the child should be responsible for this as the Lord has given them the responsibility to raise their children in “fear and admonition of the Lord” and handling our sexuality is part of fear of the Lord.

I conclusion we should teach the children that it is their duty is to guard their own and their friends’ chastity, that sexuality must be expressed within certain moral bounds if it is to be constructive (building families and keeping faithfulness) and not destructive to society. When this is done then the sex education is complete, and young people well be able to handle and express their sexuality in God honoring ways.