The Purity Debate

A friend posted a link on Facebook to this article: Naked and Ashamed

The basic premise is how men have used scripture in the past to demonize women, shame them, make them feel bad about themselves.  This is all true.  I don't know to what extent this still exists.  I'm not a woman.  What I was concerned with was how the topic of purity was being framed as little more than a tool of oppression.  It has been used that way, sure, and it will be again.  But what is God's intent behind purity?

Here's what I posted in response:

 Now, as far as sexual purity in general: do you understand what a soul tie is? Intimacy, true intimacy with another person is spiritual, soulical, and physical. We open ourselves up and becomd vulnerable to mesh with one of the opposite sex in order to be complete. God encompasses both the feminine and masculine. Man does not. Not until he joins with woman. Such a joining can only *safely* be done in covenant. There is honor and beauty and grace in the covenant of a woman and a man becoming one, becoming complete. The emotion of even touching lips is a love offering. Who knows that an offering you didn't fight for isn't really much of an offering? Imagine the honor of never having kissed someone until you were in a covenant with them for life... Imagine the beauty of that moment when it finally comes. A lifetime of tenderness poured out in secret before the one you chose who also chose you. This is the reason that ancient hebrew marriage celebrations lasted 5 days. The newly-weds would explore intimacy with love offerings of 1sts for 5 amazing days while the bridesmaids and groomsmen would wait on them hand and foot. You see, purity is not about discipline or right and wrong. Purity is about potency of heart. The impact of love can only be measured by the purity of the heart behind it.