The Effects of Religion on Engaging in Premarital Sex

On a college campus of over 11,000 students, premarital sex is a constant topic on text feeds, lunch conversations, and on social media. Because my personal beliefs have been crucial in my sexual decisions, I became intrigued with the connection between religious beliefs and premarital sex. Extensive research has been done to test the connection between religion and premarital sex. I have chosen to explore how religious involvement effects an individual’s sexual decisions. I will include a review of basic beliefs, a discussion on the religiosity scale which rates an individual’s true religious involvement, and a comparison of the effects different religions have on the sexual activity of their membership. Analysis supports the premise that those more involved in their religion will be less likely to engage in premarital sex, with an occasional surprising exception. In my report, I compare the effects different religions have on the sexual activity of their members as well as the influence that religion plays on the accuracy and honesty of the individuals’ reporting. Research on honesty involved a study on top world religions including: Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, Atheism, and Buddhism