The image of the purity ring, as discussed earlier, is a potent symbol. The other problem is that the Purity Ring tends towards a legalism that inspires a paralysing guilt, rather than a helpful way of remembering who we are. The hype and fervour created do not promote a sober and helpful reflection on the Christians life as either single or married, but create an unhelpful fixation on marriage that could result in the devaluation and side-lining of those Christians who have chosen to walk the path of singleness. The whole culture created by the purity ring makes marriage seem like the ideal end of our current existence and leaves no space for people considering life as a single person. Paul actively argues for the virtues of singleness in his letter to the Corinthians. It is that this communicates a view of marriage that is not expressed in the bible at all. It presents the end of purity as marriage, or at least so the message indicates. There is no doubt that this was an effective and important message, however: The message of the Purity Ring is curiously un-christian in this sense. The message was clear: Abstain from sex until you are in a healthy monogamous and married relationship. In stepped a number of Christian organisations to help deal with this malaise: 'Silver Ring Thing' and 'True Love Waits' being two of the most visible. The results had obviously been catastrophic, with a rise in STI's and unwanted pregnancies, youths suddenly had to deal with issues they were hardly prepared for. The purity ring was developed in response to a society that had stripped sex of its connotations of faithfulness and relationship. So, as I proceed to criticise our current fad, it is not a criticism of abstinence, it is more a criticism of the other messages that have been smuggled in, perhaps unwittingly, to the symbol of the purity ring. The appropriate arena for sexual activity is within the marriage covenant, as God intended it. Now I want to stress: Abstinence is good.

In the Christian sub-culture there is one symbol that is readily understandable to almost anybody who has spent more than a week or two amongst teenagers these days: The Purity Ring. Symbols are a potent way to interpret reality we use them to communicate to each other and to define ourselves. Humans will make symbols out of anything.

Purity ring meaning