[Sean]

Originally Posted by bobthecockroach

Well, you said dating was mostly futile in highschool; could kissing be mostly a bad idea? That's sort of what I meant.

In my opinion.....based off my experience....and what I've heard from others...I would say that until you're physically, emotionally and spiritually mature, kissing is probably a very bad idea. And if you've never kissed someone, you really don't know how you will respond. So by kissing you are sort of stepping out blind. Which is a very good way to stumble.

[Singin4Him82]

I think this might need to be moved off to Theology .

[BillSPrestonEsq]

Originally Posted by bobthecockroach

Well, we also have the closely related question of whether there are rights and wrongs where relationships are concerned aside from what is mentioned in the Bible. What's to say that a lifetime friendship is better than hiding in a bush and snatching a woman as she walks past(or whatever that passage Bill mentioned once was talking about)?

Any more information you could give would be greatly appreciated. I've pretty much given up on having strong opinions on relationships for now until I figure out some real solid basis for having such strong opinions.

1) Because it is closer to the one pattern we have in Genesis. Hiding in a bush and grabbing the cute girls like the benjamites had to do was clearly not following what we do have, yet due to oaths, it could not be. The benjamites were using a contingency plan. (all Israel had sworn not to give their daughters in marriage to them)
2) There is a lot of leeway in the texts that deal with the subject. To begin with we have 3 steps outlined, leaving father and mother, cleaving to your wife, and becoming one flesh. Thus there is a time for a drawing together emotionally. (cleaving to your wife) and it is listed sequentially before the sexual, but after the independence. So there is a bit of a guideline.
3) There are numerous passages on purity, but mostly they deal with the objective, which would be the mind, and not that which is subjective to culture, the actions. Some actions are forbidden. But then again, the threshold listed is objective, its just not a physical objectivity. That would be, lust is sin, and it is better to cut off your "hand" than to lust. That is a stout word. The dificult part and seeming subjectivity is you cannot make a blanket statement on this. Is a kiss lustful? Not to a spaniard or some latin cultures, where it is a mere greeting. Is pinching the butt lustful? Not where I was in PNG, and man that freaked me out... (this is a way over the top example to show just how far cultural influence can go)

Hence God's word is written in a way applicable to the Jew of 1400BC, the modern American, and the tribesman of New Guinea where it deals with that that transcends culture. It is objective that what causes you to lust is sin. It is objective in how creation was intended to be, but has enough give to transcend culture and be applicable in ones own culture and time.