Producing High Priests and Princesses: The Father-Daughter Relationship in the Christian Sexual Purity Movement
Journal Title: Religions - Year 2016, Vol 7, Issue 3
Abstract
This article describes and analyzes father-daughter purity balls in the context of the contemporary U.S. American conservative Christian sexual purity movement, with an emphasis on taking the self-understanding of those involved in the movement into account. It shows the ways that the idealization of a hierarchical father-daughter relationship both constructs and reflects sexual purity ideals. The Christian sexual purity teachings frame this father-daughter relationship as an essential part of forming the ideal subject, and as reflective of the right order of the kingdom of God. In the logic of sexual purity, a good man is the strong high-priest leader of the household and the ideal girl is princess-like: white, non-poor, attractive, pure, feminine, delicate, and receptive. She is preparing, under her father’s guidance, for heterosexual marriage. Attention to the father-daughter relationship in the sexual purity movement highlights the ways that sexual purity is primarily about subject formation and the ordering of relationships—in families, in the nation, and in the church—and less about the specifics of when particular sexual acts take place or the public health risks that might come from those acts. This exploration also brings into relief the ways that contemporary conservative Christian sexual purity teachings draw from and build on two prominent aspects of contemporary U.S. American popular culture: the important role of the princess figure, and the buying of goods as indispensable to the formation of the subject.
Authors and Affiliations
Elizabeth Gish
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP25530
- DOI https://doi.org/10.3390/rel7030033
- Views 321
- Downloads 10
Karl Mannheim’s Jewish Question
In this paper, we explore Karl Mannheim‘s puzzling failure (or refusal) to address himself in any way to questions arising out of the position of Jews in Germany, either before or after the advent of Nazi rule—and this...
The Inventory of Complicated Spiritual Grief: Assessing Spiritual Crisis Following Loss
Following the death of a loved one, many grievers endorse spirituality as a source of both solace and strain. Studies show that some grievers struggle significantly with both their relationship with God and their faith...
The Liturgical Use of the Organ in the Sixteenth Century: the Judgments of Cajetan and the Dominican Order
This paper explores the liturgical use of the organ in the sixteenth century according to the judgments of Tommaso de Vio, Cajetan (1469–1534) and the Dominicans. In particular, it asks the question: In worship, is sol...
Reframing Catholic Theological Ethics: Summary and Application
This text represents a summary of the major points developed in the book, Reframing Catholic Theological Ethics, and a brief overview of how the author understands the relation between religion, ethics, and the buildin...
Science’s Big Problem, Reincarnation’s Big Potential, and Buddhists’ Profound Embarrassment
Scientific materialism is the largely unquestioned basis for modern science’s understanding of life. It also holds enormous sway beyond science and thus has increasingly marginalized religious perspectives. Yet it is e...