Some Christians say they follow the Bible, the Ten Commandments and other religious doctrines, but they behave very differently from what the scriptures demand.

I am a Christian, and one of my largest pet peeves is people who claim to also be Christians but engage in premarital sex.

The Ten Commandments are the laws of both Jews and Christians, and one of the commandments is, “Thou shall not commit adultery.” Committing adultery is when a person has sex outside of marriage. This goes from cheating on a spouse to sleeping with a boyfriend or girlfriend or even some random person from a bar.

I know there is no way I can tell people not to have sex because they will laugh at me, give me a dirty look and tell me I’m wrong, judge me as a religious extremist or all of the above.

But according to the Christian religion, premarital sex is forbidden. It’s one thing when someone had sex and realizes his or her mistake and repents; however, when “Christians” find nothing wrong with it, I find them hypocritical. Yes, Jesus has forgiven us all for our past, present and future sins, but having sex outside of marriage is still wrong.

I know a lot of people who are very religious but engage in premarital sex. Their reasoning is that they are in love with their significant other, and they’re going to get married anyway.

There have been too many times, however, when I’ve stumbled upon instances such as these and things don’t work out. Something happens, and the couple breaks up, and so much for being in love and getting married.

A friend of mine (who is also religious) recently broke up with his girlfriend. He’s 19 and thought he was going to eventually marry and spend the rest of his life with this girl. Unexpectedly, she dumped him after they’d been together for more than three years.

In my friend’s case, I considered him married. He had already pledged his life to his girlfriend and was having sex with her. He knew they were too young to get married so he waited to propose. If he also waited to have sex with her, then he would not be in as much pain as he is now.

Physically, sex is as far as you can go with a person. After sleeping with someone, you have gone all the way. There is nothing else you can do to deepen the relationship except by getting married.

What happens when people get married anyway? They share belongings and their separate paychecks go into the same checking and savings accounts. Technically, people move in together after they get married, but couples living together and not being married became socially acceptable years ago.

Sex is deep. If the couple is truly Christian, it should be a physical and emotional act between two people who are in love and have pledged themselves to each other for eternity through marriage.

If you are going to go all the way physically with someone, why not go all the way legally and religiously? Sex is an act of love, and in Christianity, it is only sanctioned through marriage.

For non-Christians who read this, there is no way I can tell you how to behave sexually.

To my fellow Christians: Sex is more emotional than it is physical. Temptation can be incredibly difficult, but having sex with your husband or wife will be even sweeter after the wait.

Sara Petersen is a junior public relations major and a columnist for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact her at [email protected].