The Importance of ‘Living Pure’
- Nigel Akuani
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Port Moresby:The importance of living pure was highlighted during the Chat Room program’s ninth session held on May 8th, at Tribe FM, the NBC Youth Radio Station in Port Moresby.
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Young professionals and a student, two males and two females were the panellists for the afternoon.
A doctor, a lawyer, a flight attendant and a student carried the conversation forward with personal conviction that radiated as they touched on several relevant issues that they and young people face today.
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‘Living Pure and Sexual Impurity’ was the topic of discussion. The panel opened by defining the topic, highlighted the importance of Individual and Integral worth and the link between living pure and marriage. They then gave their listeners suggestions on effective actions to help youths and offered words of encouragement to the youth of Papua New Guinea.
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The first speaker, Legal practitioner Desmond Aigilo, said the issue was significant as it was one of those topics considered taboo in PNG. “There is a biblical basis for this issue, and this issue is not just found in PNG, but everywhere else in the world. As Christians we refer back to the bible to address problems we face in life.”
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Resident Dental Officer at the Port Moresby General Hospital Dr. Posolok Chauka emphasized the reasons why men are not pure till marriage.
“Peer pressure is a driving factor that has many young men feeling stigmatized, because they feel the strong need to become the ‘ideal man’ that society portrays them to be.” Dr. Chauka stated that these and others were causes that drove males into acts of impurity.
“The influence starts from a very young age, and many young men succumb to the temptation”, he said. Despite the numerous invitations, he encouraged restraint.
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Crescencia Bonjui a student from UPNG shared her reasons why it was important for girls ‘to wait’. “Most girls refrain from these practices because they have integrity, self-respect, and a sense of morality for themselves. Over time, preservation adds value. Others refrain from this because as church goers ‘it is a sin to have sex before or outside of marriage’.
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Victoria Vela Air Niugini Flight Attendant said lack of security at home and in their family, cause girls to succumb to sexual relationships. “They need the protection of someone close, a boyfriend in this case, for security. So, to prove their loyalty, they do what their male partner requests of them. “This is the mentality for girls today. It is so, because not enough Christian emphasis on the importance of virginity is given at a young age,” she said.
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A caller, Jennifer from East Boroko rang twice, asking the panel what their view was on the changing mentality of youth today. The panellists said that despite changing times, the dignity and respect of a person was always to be upheld.
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Fr Ambrose Pereira sdb, CBC Youth and SOCOM secretary congratulated the young people on dealing with a very delicate and sensitive issue. He encouraged them to enjoy interacting and relating to several persons and then choose the one most compatible. He concluded with a quote: ‘If you love something, set it free, if it comes back to you it’s yours, if it doesn’t, it never was’.
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Chat Room’s next session will be held on 15th May with students from St. Joseph’s, Boroko who will share their ideas on ‘addiction’.