What is the view of the Catholic Church on premature sex?

Answer 1

Roman Catholic AnswerThe Church's view on sex, premature or otherwise, has not changed in twenty centuries. Due to its powerful drive in humans, they have always looked for ways around the Church's teaching. Especially now, in the twenty-first century when the contemporary culture has gone stark raving mad over sex, people have thrown off mores from centuries gone by, the media constantly bombards us with sex, sex, and more sex. Clothing manufacturers, movies, the make-up industry all try to sexually charge youth at a younger and younger age. We must say, "no". Resoundingly. We are put on this earth to love God, and each other. To serve our neighbor as ourselves, as Jesus did: to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked, to visit the prisoners, to shelter the homeless, to visit the sick, to bury the dead, and to give alms to the poor. (Matt 25:31-). The Church views sexuality as part of mankind's nature, but is as part that is only there for the purpose of procreation and mutual love between a husband and a wife. All other sex is a perversion of the purpose for which God created it. The Catholic Church's view on premature sex, or any sex outside of a lifelong marriage between one man and one woman is that it is wrong. It is a selfish turning to one's self that is ignoring the purpose for which God made us and the purpose for which He made sex.

from The Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, English translation 1994

The Sixth Commandment

You shall not commit adultery. (Ex 20:14; Deut 5:18)

You have heard that it was said, "You shall not commit adultery." But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Mt 5:27-28)

2331 "God is love and in himself he lives a mystery of personal loving communion. Creating the human race in his own image . . ., God inscribed in the humanity of man and woman the vocation, and thus the capacity and responsibility, of love and communion." (Familiaris consortio 11)

"God created man in his own image . . . male and female he created them"; (Gen 1:27) He blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and multiply"; (Gen 1:28) "When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and name them Man when they were created." (Gen 5:1-2)

2332 Sexuality affects all aspects of the human person in the unity of his body and soul. It especially concerns affectivity, the capacity to love and to procreate, and in a more general way the aptitude for forming bonds of communion with others.

2336 Jesus came to restore creation to the purity of its origins. In the Sermon on the Mount, he interprets God's plan strictly: "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Mt 5:27-28) What God has joined together, let not man put asunder. (Cf. Mt 19:6).

The tradition of the Church has understood the sixth commandment as encompassing the whole of human sexuality.