It is more beneficial in a relationship to have sex before marriage instead of waiting until after

Once again, thanks to Mikal for agreeing to change the time conditions for posting arguments. Much appreciated. Also, the cancellation of round 3 has been noted. To get right into it: In order to decide whether sex is more beneficial before or after a marriage, we must first take a look at what marriage constitutes. Legally speaking, marriage is a recognized union between spouses that establishes rights and obligation between them, them and their children, and them and their in-laws. [1] However, marriage is more than just a legal contract. It is a commitment to developing a long-lasting, positive relationship with another person. Obviously, a certain amount of objectivity is required in deciding who you want to spend your life with. Studies have shown that pleasure increases our bias. [2] Imagine the difficulty of making a decision to get out of a warm bed on the morning of a cold day, as opposed to the previous night. When in the moments of pleasure and comfort, our minds become considerably less able to make rational decisions, particularly long term ones. That is not just limited to sexual intercourse, but to many other forms of physical intimacy as well. Touch is a very powerful mode of communication, for example. According to some recent studies, even non-sexual physical contact cause people to feel stronger connections to one another. [3] Waiters that touched their customers yielded bigger tips than those that didn't. According to the study, '"Lots of times... people don't even remember being touched. They just feel there's a connection, they feel that they like that person more," Guerrero says.' [3] In many relationships, quality is determined by the amount of pleasure a person experiences. If we aren't happy being around that person, then we are naturally unhappy with the relationship. Physical contact and sexual intercourse are both ways that a person can feel pleasure in a relationship without it having any substance to it. In other words, people may mistakenly feel that their relationship is a good one - not because they are emotionally satisfied, but because they are physically satisfied. Before one gives of themselves physically, it should first be determined that they are compatible with their partner in regards to who they are (their goals, personality, opinions, etc.). There's a big difference between letting sex establish a false connection and letting it express a genuine one. In other terms, a relationship based on pleasure is at the very least faulty, because pleasure is temporary. However, pleasure based in a relationship can stand when the relationship itself is withstanding. Until a couple is married there is no real form of commitment. Even engagement is not much more than a commitment to be committed. As long as sex is in the cards before marriage it is not possible to tell if the relationship up until that point is genuine or not; the reason being that it is much easier to break up with someone than to get a divorce. If someone is willing to spend the time and effort that goes into marrying a person - without sex - then they have shown an integrity and seriousness in fulfilling that relationship. In addition, the last two citations are both sources citing the benefits of abstinence until marriage, including but not limited to: lower divorce rates, reports of being happier and earning higher annual incomes than those that had engaged in premarital sex. [4] [5] I'd like to add that waiting until marriage for sex gives a couple the opportunity to learn how to relate to each other and communicate with each other more so than those who use physical intimacy to feel close - which may be one reason that virgin-marriages have a lower level of divorce rate. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org... [2] http://io9.com... [3] http://www.psychologytoday.com... [4] http://www.medicalnewstoday.com... [5] http://www.telegraph.co.uk... As per the rules, I will be posting counter arguments to my opponent's position in the next round. Thanks to PRO for what is a thought-provoking and respectful debate. I'd also like to ask if PRO can expound on his 'list of issues that can come up if you wait to have sex until after marriage' because I wasn't sure of how all of them were applicable, especially 2,3,5, and 6. Thank you very much.