“Perfect Number” over at Tell Me Why the World is Weird adds her voice to the discussion about Purity, and she crystallizes a rarely-expressed concept—that proponents of purity tend to measure it in strictly physical terms:
That bit about skin cells and saliva—that’s not what a kiss is. Maybe it’s a physical description of a kiss, but that’s not what a kiss is. A kiss has so much meaning behind it, so much emotion, a connection between two people. That connection is what’s important, not the physical act itself.
To say “we’re not going to kiss before the wedding day because purity”, to say that hugging and holding hands should be avoided “because purity”, is to measure purity in terms of muscle movements and skin cells and nerve endings.
This is all wrong. Purity itself has no value. Virginity itself has no value. When justifying your decision to not do this or that with your boyfriend, “for purity” is NOT an acceptable answer.
Emphasis original.
Toward the end of the post the author addresses my second favorite argument against the emphasis on “purity”. I won’t spoil it.