Did you "date chastely"?

[ToeInTheWater]

I’ve noticed many of the posters here acknowledge that “in today’s society, dating means sex”, and some have jumped on to the “courting” bandwagon. Some even seem to idealize arranged marriages.

Yet the idea of “courting” does not seem as popular in Catholic circles than in Evangelical Protestant circles (and even there, some of the bloom is coming off the rose)…

And we do on occasion hear from Catholics who DID date, and yet managed to stay chaste until marriage. But many who post on CAF are “reverts” who played the secular sexual dating game, and wound up happily married anyway.

So, is “chaste dating” an oxymoron these days? Do Catholics need to either give up their standards, or abandon dating altogether?

 

[adamhovey1988]

I’ve noticed many of the posters here acknowledge that “in today’s society, dating means sex”, and some have jumped on to the “courting” bandwagon. Some even seem to idealize arranged marriages.

Yet the idea of “courting” does not seem as popular in Catholic circles than in Evangelical Protestant circles (and even there, some of the bloom is coming off the rose)…

And we do on occasion hear from Catholics who DID date, and yet managed to stay chaste until marriage. But many who post on CAF are “reverts” who played the secular sexual dating game, and wound up happily married anyway.

So, is “chaste dating” an oxymoron these days? Do Catholics need to either give up their standards, or abandon dating altogether?

I haven’t dated in sometime. I was not exactly chaste when I did. I am unmarried. Whilst I would like to get married some day, I would like to find a woman that actually does want to wait until marriage to have sex.

 

[Lily_Bernans]

I have male friends I meet for coffee, go to the movies with, go hiking with, etc., but I don’t date romantically and don’t want to. I don’t want to marry. Marriage and family would take too much of my time away, time I can now be spending advancing my spiritual life. I guess marriage is not my vocation, and I’m glad of it. I like men fine. I just love Christ more.

 

[Sarcelle]

I have male friends I meet for coffee, go to the movies with, go hiking with, etc., but I don’t date romantically and don’t want to. I don’t want to marry. Marriage and family would take too much of my time away, time I can now be spending advancing my spiritual life. I guess marriage is not my vocation, and I’m glad of it. I like men fine. I just love Christ more.

Same here. I never had marriage as a goal in life. If it happens, it happens. I also do not date romantically but I do have friends of both sexes. Come to think of it most of my friends are couples.

 

[Sarcelle]

I’ve noticed many of the posters here acknowledge that “in today’s society, dating means sex”, and some have jumped on to the “courting” bandwagon. Some even seem to idealize arranged marriages.

Yet the idea of “courting” does not seem as popular in Catholic circles than in Evangelical Protestant circles (and even there, some of the bloom is coming off the rose)…

And we do on occasion hear from Catholics who DID date, and yet managed to stay chaste until marriage. But many who post on CAF are “reverts” who played the secular sexual dating game, and wound up happily married anyway.

So, is “chaste dating” an oxymoron these days? Do Catholics need to either give up their standards, or abandon dating altogether?

Marriage is not a reward for dating chastely. There are some here on this forum, I am not referring to the OP, who think being chaste will be rewarded by a happy marriage. It is its own reward.

 

[Burt_Macklin]

Marriage is not a reward for dating chastely. There are some here on this forum, I am not referring to the OP, who think being chaste will be rewarded by a happy marriage. It is its own reward.

I’m thinking virtue needs to get some cheaper thrills what with vice being so rewarding.

 

[nat_c1990]

My husband and I were not chaste while we were dating but that was before we were thinking of becoming Catholic. We were in a serious committed relationship and now we have been married for almost 6 years. He is the only person that I have ever had sex with in my life.

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

I’ve noticed many of the posters here acknowledge that “in today’s society, dating means sex”, and some have jumped on to the “courting” bandwagon. Some even seem to idealize arranged marriages.

Yet the idea of “courting” does not seem as popular in Catholic circles than in Evangelical Protestant circles (and even there, some of the bloom is coming off the rose)…

And we do on occasion hear from Catholics who DID date, and yet managed to stay chaste until marriage. But many who post on CAF are “reverts” who played the secular sexual dating game, and wound up happily married anyway.

So, is “chaste dating” an oxymoron these days? Do Catholics need to either give up their standards, or abandon dating altogether?

I could not answer the poll. I dated unchaste AND I have a happy marriage but one did not lead to the other, in fact it was a huge obstical to overcome.