TMC
05-15-2004, 06:00 PM
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=765&ncid=787&e=2&u=/nm/20040515/people_nm/people_stjames_dc
By Michael Holden
LONDON (Reuters) - A Grammy-award winning Christian rock star, who preaches a message of abstinence from sex until marriage, says she feels sorry for pop princess Britney Spears (news) who herself once famously vowed to be a virgin until she wed.
http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20040514/t/r3311908425.jpg
Rebecca St. James, a star of the U.S. Christian music scene, said she was disappointed that role models from the world of music and movies such as Spears led youngsters astray with their message of "anything goes, if it feels good do it."
"The biggest thing I feel for Britney is I feel sad for her," she told Reuters in an interview Saturday.
"I also feel sad for the nine or 10-years-old watching her who see her dressing in a very promiscuous fashion, almost asking for people to treat her as a sex object. They are going to start dressing that way too."
Australian-born St. James, who fronts the True Love Waits organization in the U.S. which urges teenagers to avoid pre-marital sex, is embarking on a whirlwind European tour during which she hopes to spread the group's message.
True Love Waits, which already boasts a healthy following in the U.S., encourages teenagers to pledge to their family and friends that they will stay virgins until they are married.
It was a message that once appealed to Spears herself. Shortly after she shot to superstardom as a teen-ager with her debut album "...Baby One More Time" she made a public promise to stay chaste until her wedding day.
But she later shed the image for a far more raunchy look, admitted she had slept with former boyfriend Justin Timberlake (news) and said she thought sex was not "such a big deal."
"She (Britney) has had an unbelievable amount of pressure put on her. She would have people from the top of her record label, to her manager and to her peers saying you've got to be more raunchy, show more skin," St James said.
"It's like water on a stone, it just starts wearing away no matter how strong you are."
Despite the seductive images of sex prevalent in the media, St James is confident she can persuade youngsters to follow her lifestyle, claiming many teenagers saw waiting to have sex as "a new benchmark of cool."
"Young people, whether they are Christians or not, are realizing that abstinence is actually smart because you don't have to worry about STDs (sexually transmitted diseases), AIDS (news - web sites) and pregnancy outside marriage."
"Young people are wising up to the fact that it saves you a whole lot of pain when you do wait."
The singer, who has won a Grammy for "Best Christian Rock Album," made her vow to spurn pre-marital sex at 16 and says she now makes sure she avoids temptation -- even her band are five single men committed to abstaining from pre-marital sex.
"I'm a virgin, I'm 26 and going to stay that way until after I'm married," she said.
"My philosophy is, if you're committed to waiting then don't even go close to the line and only date people who are committed to waiting as well. Even the guys I date... we talk about making sure we don't go close to the line."
St. James is not the only one hoping to keep Europeans pure this summer. Another U.S. abstinence organization "The Silver Ring Thing," which is partly funded by the U.S. government, is touring Britain and Ireland asking young people to remain chaste until marriage and to wear a ring on their finger to prove it.
But both groups would appear to have their work cut out in Britain, where St. James has started her tour.
The country has the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in western Europe and has seen an explosion of sexually transmitted diseases.
St. James is still hopeful.
"I expected way more flak than I've got," she said.
"I've got a lot of mainstream media attention even in countries like Norway that are not known necessarily for their morality. It's such a counter-culture message they are fascinated about it."
By Michael Holden
LONDON (Reuters) - A Grammy-award winning Christian rock star, who preaches a message of abstinence from sex until marriage, says she feels sorry for pop princess Britney Spears (news) who herself once famously vowed to be a virgin until she wed.
http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20040514/t/r3311908425.jpg
Rebecca St. James, a star of the U.S. Christian music scene, said she was disappointed that role models from the world of music and movies such as Spears led youngsters astray with their message of "anything goes, if it feels good do it."
"The biggest thing I feel for Britney is I feel sad for her," she told Reuters in an interview Saturday.
"I also feel sad for the nine or 10-years-old watching her who see her dressing in a very promiscuous fashion, almost asking for people to treat her as a sex object. They are going to start dressing that way too."
Australian-born St. James, who fronts the True Love Waits organization in the U.S. which urges teenagers to avoid pre-marital sex, is embarking on a whirlwind European tour during which she hopes to spread the group's message.
True Love Waits, which already boasts a healthy following in the U.S., encourages teenagers to pledge to their family and friends that they will stay virgins until they are married.
It was a message that once appealed to Spears herself. Shortly after she shot to superstardom as a teen-ager with her debut album "...Baby One More Time" she made a public promise to stay chaste until her wedding day.
But she later shed the image for a far more raunchy look, admitted she had slept with former boyfriend Justin Timberlake (news) and said she thought sex was not "such a big deal."
"She (Britney) has had an unbelievable amount of pressure put on her. She would have people from the top of her record label, to her manager and to her peers saying you've got to be more raunchy, show more skin," St James said.
"It's like water on a stone, it just starts wearing away no matter how strong you are."
Despite the seductive images of sex prevalent in the media, St James is confident she can persuade youngsters to follow her lifestyle, claiming many teenagers saw waiting to have sex as "a new benchmark of cool."
"Young people, whether they are Christians or not, are realizing that abstinence is actually smart because you don't have to worry about STDs (sexually transmitted diseases), AIDS (news - web sites) and pregnancy outside marriage."
"Young people are wising up to the fact that it saves you a whole lot of pain when you do wait."
The singer, who has won a Grammy for "Best Christian Rock Album," made her vow to spurn pre-marital sex at 16 and says she now makes sure she avoids temptation -- even her band are five single men committed to abstaining from pre-marital sex.
"I'm a virgin, I'm 26 and going to stay that way until after I'm married," she said.
"My philosophy is, if you're committed to waiting then don't even go close to the line and only date people who are committed to waiting as well. Even the guys I date... we talk about making sure we don't go close to the line."
St. James is not the only one hoping to keep Europeans pure this summer. Another U.S. abstinence organization "The Silver Ring Thing," which is partly funded by the U.S. government, is touring Britain and Ireland asking young people to remain chaste until marriage and to wear a ring on their finger to prove it.
But both groups would appear to have their work cut out in Britain, where St. James has started her tour.
The country has the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in western Europe and has seen an explosion of sexually transmitted diseases.
St. James is still hopeful.
"I expected way more flak than I've got," she said.
"I've got a lot of mainstream media attention even in countries like Norway that are not known necessarily for their morality. It's such a counter-culture message they are fascinated about it."