Chastity

Chastity is a value of some systems of sexual morality and a consequent practice in use in some cultures and specially in some religious groups, consisting in the absolute prohibition of performing sexual acts or, in a minor form, certain sexual acts.

The groups that propose it may consider "purity" as an essential means to reach a particular intellectual or spiritual condition, or they may consider that chastity allows to achieve a required self-control or a self-consciousness. In many religions chastity is imposed to the respective sacerdotal orders.

Sometimes the concept of chastity is part of a wider concept that allows sexual activity at the sole scope of biological reproduction, therefore limited to fertile age only and forbidden to non-married persons. A form of chastity might however apply to married persons too, and in this case, in one sense it would mean the practice of sex only with the spouse (but this is more properly known as monogamy), in another sense it might regard the prohibition of sex between consorts, at certain conditions.

Chastity is a virtue expected of the faithful of many religions, among which Christians and Muslims.

It has to be noted that there is a slight difference about abstinence and chastity, depending on the degree of volountarity in the absence of sexual activity. Since abstinence should recall a concept of major intention (while chastity is more properly used for cases of requested or forced, or otherwise conditioned lack of sexual activity, as in some monastic or sacerdotal rules), we can talk of abstinence or chastity depending of the subjective consensus by the interested person.

See: Religious aspects of marriage, sexual abstinence, Abstinence until marriage, sexual morality, promiscuity, chastity belt.