Are we really surprised that this contest has had zero, ZERO, entries? In another complete waste of tax dollars, an Atlanta abstinence promoter is sponsoring a contest in which engaged couples can win an assortment of prizes and $10,000 cash —- if they give up sex before the ceremony.

The article goes on to say:

The giveaway is among a host of events with a sex-can-wait gospel. Faust, who goes by “Miss Flip,” visits schools throughout the year with a program pressing abstinence as well as teaching conflict resolution and financial management skills.

In 2006, her program, implemented through Rockdale Medical Center, was awarded a federal grant of $455,510 annually for five years (a total of $2.27 million). The wedding prize involves some of those federal funds.

In the past, Faust, a former labor and delivery nurse, has orchestrated mock weddings, contrasting one featuring young moms, money woes and sexually transmitted diseases with another that has a smiling bride walking down the aisle in a flowing white gown.

There are so many problems with her approach and agenda that I don’t even know where to start. But one thing I do want people to know is that plenty (PLENTY!!) of couples who wait to have sex before their “I do’s” have marriage trouble, including sexual problems of all varieties. In fact, my sister just told me about a couple last night that is getting divorced after 12 years of marriage. He was a virgin when they got married, but now his wife is leaving him because he’s not a good enough lover. There’s no “chemistry” she says.

I also know of couples who do have pre-marital sex and actually do make their marriage work for the long haul.

There are virtues to abstinence, of course, but it is not divorce insurance. It does not ensure a great sex life or wedded bliss. To say that it does, creates false hope, frustration and ignorance about the realities of marriage and healthy sexuality.