Purity Balls: Marrying Jesus and Oppressing Teenage Girls
Read Time:2 Minute, 36 Second
Purity Balls are events where fathers become your boyfriend and you get married to the “Lord.” Giggling girls ‘gift their virginity’ to their fathers until they dump Jesus and marry a real man. These events, once thought to be limited to Colorado Springs, are now alleged to be taking place in 48 of the 50 states.
It all started in Colorado Springs in 1998, when Randy Wilson threw the first “purity ball,” a formal dinner and dance at which he and other fathers become the ‘High Priest of their home and family’ and pledge ‘before God to cover my daughter as her authority and protection in the area of purity’
A field director for the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian organization, Mr. Wilson has promoted purity balls across the United States, and his Web site says they have been held in 48 states. He and his wife, Lisa, have written a book, and they sell a “purity ball packet” for $90.
The media have lustily promoted the Wilsons. The family has been featured on Anderson Cooper’s television show, in magazines like Glamour, in many newspapers, including The New York Times, and in at least two documentaries: one, a Swiss production called “Virgin Tales,” was released this summer. In addition you can watch ABC’s Nightline Prime tonight, March 22, for more about this bizarre event.
In the movement purity means no sexual contact of any kind, including kisses, until after marriage.
The event sees upwards of 60 fathers pledging to ‘protect their daughter’s choices for purity’.
The daughters silently commit to live pure lives before God through the symbol of laying down a white rose at the cross, before engaging in a wedding-type dance with their father.
One of the largest father-faughter purity balls – which is the subject of the Nightline Prime investigation – has been held for 14 consecutive years in Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs and more than 60 fathers are expected to attend.
Despite all the coverage of the Wilson family and their balls’ dramatic imagery — the girls doing ballet, placing roses before a cross, ballroom-dancing with their dads — there is little hard evidence that purity balls have spread much beyond Colorado Springs. And even some alumnae of Mr. Wilson’s dances express skepticism that they had much effect, according to The New York Times.
Sadly, there are victims here, and they are the girls themselves. Approach puberty they face many conflicting emotions, both psychological and sexual. Purity covenants are little more than an additional cross to bear, pardon the pun, as they navigate this difficult time with the weight of some imaginary Jesus throttling them with oppressive guilt every time they have a passing romantic fantasy.
Hat tip to Jess!
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0
Upon rereading, just to be sure that I read it right to start with, I can definitely see why your dad, Rachel, couldn’t continue reading:
“Giggling girls ‘gift their virginity’ to their fathers:
ICK!
My mother was raped by her father when she was 13. When she was an adult, she converted from Methodist (father was a traveling preacher) to Judaism. That’s how well that whole thing worked for her; yes, her virginity was gifted to her father. The whole abstinence movement DOES NOT WORK, whether girls sleep with the father or not! And I’m not sure that this “purity ball” concept actually promotes the young girl having sex with her dad, but it certainly doesn’t appear to prevent it, or even discourage it! I agree, creepy on so many different levels…
As I said, “ICK!”
I believe that anything that keeps children male or female from having sex and spreading STD’s and having babies that they can’t support, Is a good thing.
Sex is a natural part of life and telling some kid, male or female, no don’t do it never works, see all abstinence programs for an example. Safe sex education and contraception should help with the whole STD spread and well, no babies if contraception is used correctly.
Well that’s all well and good but suppressing natural urges and replacing them with fairy tales is not the answer. Young people are going to have sex and no amount of God is going to change that. the “purity ballers” will have sex and then they will feel tremendous guilt because they have somehow let down some mythical “god.” That causes problems at home, at school, and often leads to suicide.
Children raised in good, moral homes, and you don’t need religion to make that happen, will make their own choices. They won’t always be right but they will be their choices.
There are far too many good christian girls out there with babies and husbands who can barely support them, looking instead to already strapped parents.
You should educate your young, and teach them about condoms, and other forms of birth control, and you won’t have to worry about STD’s and unwanted babies. I guarantee teaching them about some god won’t accomplish that. Thank you.
Education. A real one, not some biblical garbage, but a real education. Sex education in schools, and understanding that birth control is necessary to avoid unwanted children and sexually transmitted diseases. The bible isn’t going to give anyone that kind of education.
I understand Nicole. I always like it when you stop by.
I showed this to my dad but after reading the first paragraph he said it was to “disturbing” to even discuss.
yay for dad. My dad would have done the same thing.
Wonder if a free hymen check from Ron Paul is part of this kooky purity package.
Jesus people. Are these freaking kooks so ill at ease with their faith and parenting they have to parade their daughters around like this to show the fellow kooks they love God and Pat Robertson?
Joe… dammit man, you just gave me a visual of Ron Paul checking my coochie that will never go away now. I hope you are happy with yourself.
Oh that’s disgusting. The Ron Paul part, not your “coochie.” 🙂
Maybe so, but reading this, Ron Paul just popped his first boner in 47 years!
Yep and somewhere else, someone is slut shaming me for daring to use the word coochie and having somebody looking at mine, in a sentence. I am 99.99% certain I will get over that though. It’s the other point of a percent keeps me awake at night, wondering what people may think of me.
No matter what you call it someone will be offended. But that doesn’t mean we won’t be glad to look at it Jess. In a medical and Godly sense in my case of course.
And always appreciate the power you possess. The “coochie” is the most powerful force in the universe. Yoda trembled in fear of it.
You still never answered my question dude, are you happy with yourself that not even industrial strength brain bleach will take that thought out of my brain. I’ll consider putting pictures up next time I get a pap smear to satisfy all the lookie loos 😉 I know it makes my husband tremble but not in fear of it, in awe of the superpower it has.
You talking about Ron Paul looking at your naughty bits or Yoda Jess?
Damn posting under my name! This could get really funny.
Ron Paul having a look made me need brain bleach and I am wondering if you are happy with yourself this is the image I now have stuck in my head. I actually have my yearly medical coming up soon and I can guarantdamntee you, I will be thinking about this when I am legs up in the stirrups with a speculum in the coochie and I will have to explain the laughter to the doctor. See video for me.
ROFLMAO!!!! Yoda!!! LOL LOL
Praise Jeebus young one. Praise Jeebus 🙂
Ha! And his followers knelt in tribute to their leader….
This reply made me laugh Mike, remembering my best friend drunk one night. We were all sitting around playing that board game Cards of Humanity and getting our drink on. He was twisted right and he’s down there on the floor, so I decide to mess with him and I go while you’re down there. I never got to finish the sentence before he looks up at me and says not a chance in hell am I going near that fly trap of a vagina of yours or any womans. He’s way gay, makes Johnny Weir the ice skater look straight when he gets all fabulous. I go no, I wanted you to make sure my shoelaces were tied you dirty bastard.
Maybe he was holding out for the cure from Anita Bryant’s coochie.
Apparently that might be it Joe, then again the NYT seems to think this Wilson guy who started all of this is in it purely for the money.
This process just sounds wrong on so many levels it is creepy.
It creeps me out on many levels too Bill, not the least of which is you belong to this man till he gives you away to another man, like you are a piece of ornamentation or something to be passed around.
When I saw this I thought, creepy does not even begin to describe what I was feeling. Who’s yer daddy has a whole new meaning. We need to start doing something like this with the male child, will they be pledging to their mamas they will stay virgins or what? Oh, who am I kidding, it’s a man’s world. Imma leave this for you to hear.
Oops! Zucker Brothers. Boy howdy do I miss that edit thingy. 🙂
Unfortunately the edit thingy caused the site to crash from time to time, and since I’ve deactivated it I’ve had no problems. I need to look for a different plugin.
The more I look at this picture, the more I see a Zuckor Brothers movie in the making. I know, we shouldn’t be laughing at jokes about schtupping 12 year-olds, and I’m sure I’m going to prison if not to hell, but I’ve already thought up about 10 jokes that I won’t tell here.
Rest assured, you ARE going to hell. I’ll be there and many of my friends, so I will introduce you 🙂
90 bucks for a packet and lusty media coverage? Damn! I am in the wrong business!
Me too David. Me too 🙂