Mrs. Kopp said she thinks that it is important for a couple to allow time for friendship to develop before moving to a more intimate level. Another concern that Harris expressed is that dating gives people access to all the benefits of marriage without commitment. Dating makes marriage irrelevant. He emphasized that these are guidelines, not a formula. Harris said that a principled romance must begin with friendship.
Casual friendship takes place when two people meet and begin getting to know each other.
They spend time doing things together in groups and learning about each other's personality and character. Harris emphasized that the casual friendship stage of a relationship is very important. Mrs. Kopp said she would like to see Multnomah students getting to know each other in the safe environment of group activities. She said small groups of four to six are ideal for building friendships. Deeper friendship is the next stage of principled romance.