| Is
Dating For Christians?
Is
dating a good thing or a bad thing for Christian singles?
© 2006 Fusion101.com Christian singles
What about dating versus courtship for Christians?..
what does the term 'dating' mean anyway? What about courtship?
Well there is a great deal of controversy surrounding
Christian dating - in the the US it's been frowned upon
by many quareters for a long time. I guess to make any
sense of dating - the ethicak implications of it and if
it's right or wrong in the eyes of God - we need to fist
establish exactly what dating is.
Words in themselves change in their meaning over time
and what may meanone thing here (in the UK) may mean something
different elsewhere. The dictionary definition of dating
is as follows:
Dating: An engagement to go out socially with another
person, often out of romantic interest. One's companion
on such an outing.
Well that on the face of it that seems ok to me!.. so
why have the americans got sunch a negative view of dating
if it's just to "engage socially with another person
- often out of romantic interest. One's companion on such
an outing"?
The answer must lie in the fact that to many dating has
taken on a completely different meaning and I have no
idea where from. The dating mentioned above is exactly
what might be described as courting - simply socialising
with someone who might later on turn out to be a good
match. A sensible person to see if anything romantic develops.
The meaning that 'Dating' seems to have taken on (especially
in books like 'I kissed dating goodbye') is one where
you syetematically try each person for size, socially,
spiritually and mabe even physically! But I'm not sure
how you take the leap from social engaements to the dating
Ive just described. Either way - that seems to be what
has happened.
Lets give dating back its original meaning - "to
engage socially with another person - often out of romantic
interest. One's companion on such an outing". That
is surely innocnet and how most good friendships develop.
If dating re-assumes this meaning (it's original meaning)
then dating and courting are virtually the same thing
- here's the dictionary definition of courting.
Courting or Courtship: To try to gain the love or affections
of, especially to seek to marry. To attempt to gain the
favor of by attention or flattery: a salesperson courting
a potential customer.
Zoology. To behave so as to attract (a mate).
I have to say that the dictionary definition of dating
sounds a lot nicer!
Either way - lets not try each other for size but develop
good friendships out of which romance and possibly love
can develop:)
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