I was raised to believe that sex was for marriage.

Hear now, O children of conscience and seekers of virtue, the words of Denise Bidot, who spoke with honesty and simplicity: “I was raised to believe that sex was for marriage.” Though her words are plain, they carry the weight of an ancient ideal — the belief that intimacy, that sacred union of body and spirit, finds its highest expression within the covenant of love and commitment. In them echoes the teaching of generations past, when passion was not seen as fleeting pleasure, but as a bond that bound souls and shaped destinies.

To say, “I was raised to believe,” is to speak of inheritance — of values passed down not through command, but through reverence. Bidot’s words are a window into the enduring dialogue between tradition and modernity, between restraint and freedom, between what we are taught and what we choose. Hers is not a proclamation of judgment, but a remembrance of roots — the recognition that her upbringing was founded upon the principle that love and responsibility must walk hand in hand. For in this belief lies a vision of sex not as transaction, but as transformation — a gift reserved for the sanctuary of trust that marriage represents.

The origin of such belief lies deep in human history. Across the ages, societies wove codes of conduct around intimacy, not merely for moral control, but for the preservation of community and the sanctity of the family. In the ancient days, the poets of Greece spoke of Eros — the love that ignites the senses — as a force divine yet dangerous, capable of creating harmony or chaos. The elders taught that passion ungoverned could bring ruin, but passion disciplined could build empires of loyalty and peace. Thus, the union of man and woman was consecrated within the bounds of marriage, where desire and duty became one, and life itself was renewed through sacred trust.

Consider, if you will, the story of Penelope and Odysseus, the faithful queen and the wandering king. Though suitors surrounded her and years of absence darkened her heart, Penelope remained steadfast, holding sacred the bond of her marriage. Her faith was not weakness, but strength — the triumph of fidelity over desire, of love over loneliness. In her endurance lies the spirit of Bidot’s words: that intimacy is not merely the joining of bodies, but the covenant of hearts, a promise that endures beyond temptation and time.

Yet, the world has changed, and the winds of thought blow differently now. The modern age, with its swift voices and shifting values, often questions the old beliefs. To many, the idea that sex is for marriage may seem outdated — a relic of another era. But within Bidot’s reflection lies not condemnation of freedom, but a call to mindfulness. For even as the world evolves, the heart remains ancient. It still hungers for connection that is pure, for love that is steady, for intimacy that is not fleeting but eternal. To believe that sex belongs within marriage is, at its core, to believe that love deserves reverence — that what is sacred should not be spent lightly.

The wisdom of the ancients teaches us that all power must be guided by purpose. Sexuality, when rooted in respect, honesty, and commitment, becomes creative and life-giving. But when torn from its deeper meaning, it risks becoming hollow, leaving the soul unsatisfied though the body is sated. Thus, the lesson of Bidot’s words is not to bind the heart in chains, but to remind it that freedom without wisdom is emptiness. Marriage, then, is not the cage of love, but its altar — the place where desire is sanctified by devotion.

And so, my listeners, take this teaching to heart. Whether you share Bidot’s belief or walk a different path, learn to treat love and intimacy with reverence. Let not your passions be guided by impulse alone, but by the higher call of respect — for yourself and for the one you love. Seek connection, not conquest; meaning, not momentary thrill. Build relationships on trust and truth, for these are the foundations upon which lasting joy is built.

Thus spoke Denise Bidot, and through her simple reflection shines an enduring truth: that the heart, though it may wander through time and change, still yearns for holiness in its union. Whether one calls it marriage, commitment, or sacred partnership, the lesson remains the same — that love is most powerful when it is anchored in purpose, and that sex, when joined to the soul, becomes not mere pleasure, but the most profound act of creation.