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Virginity,
women's lack of sexual experience before marriage, in particular, has been
highly valued in many different cultures. Some feminist critics have argued
that the high value placed on the virginity of unmarried women has been used to
control women, denying them sexual freedom and associating it with the
transference of ‘unspoiled goods' from fathers to husbands. Others celebrate
virginity as an active, liberating choice.
Virginity has also been valued for
its very practical function of preventing unwanted pregnancy, particularly in
the absence of other forms of reliable birth control. The veneration of the
virgin goddess Athena in Ancient Greece and the power assigned to the Vestal
Virgins in Ancient Rome and to the Virgin Mary within some forms of Christianity
highlight the great spiritual significance that has been associated with female
virginity.
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For
the powerful priestesses of the Roman goddess Vesta, virginity was of central
public importance. The Vestals held the highly prestigious role of totems of
the Roman Republic, guarded the sacred fire and performed purification
rituals.The corruption of this purity (through the loss of virginity) during
their 30-year office was seen as a threat to the security of the Roman Republic
and therefore carried the death sentence. The Vestals' virginity also had the
very practical function of making sure that the priestesses were fully
dedicated to their duties, rather than distracted by sex or corrupted by ties
to particular families.
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Another
example of the spiritual importance assigned to female virginity is the
veneration of Jesus' mother as the Blessed Virgin Mary within many forms of
Christianity. In the descriptions of Jesus' conception and birth in the
Christian Bible, the virgin birth is primarily presented as a result of divine
intervention and a sign of Jesus' chosen status. Mary's own superior status as
a virgin is something that concerned Christians later.
In early Christian
communities, when the end of the world was believed to be imminent, virginity came
to be seen as a liberating choice and a dedication to a higher, immortal life.
Mary's virginity itself came to be seen as a symbol of purity and of a higher
spiritual calling. Particularly in the Middle Ages, sexually abstinent female
monastic communities offered women a socially accepted alternative to marriage
and motherhood.
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