Purity rings also known as promise rings , abstinence rings , or chastity rings are rings worn as a sign of chastity. In particular, Catholic and evangelical Christian groups which promoted virginity pledges and virginity before marriage, such as True Love Waits and Silver Ring Thing.
The program encourages teens and young adults to remain sexually abstinent until marriage. For a few years, it was partially funded by the U. During the gathering, participants commit to a vow of sexual abstinence until marriage by purchasing rings.
The organization's theme verse is 1 Thessalonians β4. While some teenagers in the UK embraced the message of abstinence, some critics rejected and ridiculed SRT, saying it was anti-sex or unrealistic, and that it seemed unlikely that abstinence programs would attract widespread support in the UK because of the UK's differing attitude toward sexuality and sex education. The group's Assistant National Director for the UK, Denise Pfeiffer, said there was a real need for such a movement in the UK to curb what she sees as the ever-increasing rates of sexually transmitted infections and teenage pregnancies, both of which she claims are the highest in Western Europe.
The ACLU claimed federal funding given to this program violated the separation of church and state. The lawsuit was dismissed, and SRT received federal funding. In the case R Playfoot v Millais School Governing Body , year-old Lydia Playfoot from the United Kingdom alleged that her school had violated her rights by forbidding her from wearing a purity ring.
In , Silver Ring Thing changed its name to Unaltered. True Love Waits TLW is an international Christian group that promotes sexual abstinence outside of marriage for teenagers and college students. The True Love Waits pledge states: "Believing that true love waits, I make a commitment to God, myself, my family, my friends, my future mate and my future children to be sexually abstinent from this day until the day I enter a biblical marriage relationship.
