Values in Religious Education

Values are foundational to human life. As guiding principles and standards of behavior regarded as desirable, values shape decisions, define identities and influence how people interact with others and the world. In religious education, the exploration of values is central: it illuminates moral frameworks, grounds personal conduct in communal norms and assists learners in discerning what is important for a flourishing life.

How values help us

Values provide a practical compass. When confronted with choices, people rely on values to make decisions and to assume responsibility for their actions. Values clarify priorities and make it easier to evaluate alternatives in moments of moral complexity. They also exert a formative influence on character and conduct: repeated choices grounded in particular values become habits that reinforce a person’s sense of self and public reputation.

Beyond decision-making, values serve an integrative social function. Shared values—such as justice, hospitality, compassion and sharing—sustain communal bonds, facilitate cooperation and underpin social institutions. Religious traditions frequently articulate and transmit such values, framing them within narratives, commandments and exemplars that give ethical claims a deeper resonance and continuity.

The importance of maintaining positive personal values

Maintaining positive personal values is essential because values structure priorities and guide long-term goals. Positive values—examples include cheerfulness, self-discipline, gratitude, freedom, honesty and creativity—contribute to personal well-being and to constructive relationships with others. Conversely, much unhappiness arises from living in ways that conflict with one’s professed standards: cognitive dissonance between beliefs and behavior undermines integrity and creates emotional strain.

Identifying one’s values is therefore a critical formative task. Through reflection, dialogue and education, individuals can clarify what matters most to them, aligning daily choices with enduring commitments. This alignment fosters coherence of character, cultivates trustworthiness and enables individuals to act responsibly within family, community and civic life.

Personal values in relation to sexuality

Religious education situates sexual ethics within broader moral frameworks and cultural histories. One value that many traditions have emphasized historically is virginity—defined as the state of never having engaged in sexual intercourse. Across cultures and epochs, virginity has been highly esteemed in various social and religious contexts, frequently linked to ideals of fidelity, purity, familial honor and social stability.

Both Christianity and Islam teach restraint regarding premarital sexual activity, embedding this teaching in scriptural and moral discourse. For example, the Christian apostle Paul exhorts believers to avoid sexual immorality, noting the particular seriousness with which such acts affect the person (1 Cor. 6:18). In Islam, the Qur’an counsels believers to refrain from illicit sexual relations, portraying such acts as grave sins and morally injurious (Surah Al-Isra, 17:32). These injunctions are offered not merely as prohibitions but as ethical counsel intended to protect individuals and communities.

Benefits attributed to preserving virginity until marriage

Religious and cultural teachings often enumerate practical and moral reasons for abstaining from premarital sex. Commonly cited benefits include:

• Avoidance of unintended pregnancy outside marriage, with the attendant social and economic consequences.
• Reduced risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.
• Protection from the emotional hurt that may accompany the ending of intimate relationships, given the intense feelings often involved in sexual attachment.
• Alignment with the expectations of family, culture and faith communities, thereby reducing the need for secrecy or dishonesty.
• Preservation of relational habits and patterns that are thought to foster trust and fidelity in future marital relationships.

These considerations are presented as both prudential and moral: they address immediate physical and emotional welfare while also promoting integrity and social harmony.

Forming and committing to personal sexual values

Religious education encourages learners to reflect critically on their personal values and to make intentional choices. Deciding on personal sexual values and adhering to them is framed as a path to self-respect and moral consistency. Commitment to chosen values—whether shaped by faith, culture, reason or a combination—invites individuals to act with deliberation and to accept responsibility for the consequences of their choices.

Conclusion

Values lie at the heart of religious education because they connect belief to behavior, individual conscience to communal life and present choices to long-term goods. By identifying, examining and maintaining positive values—whether in matters of everyday conduct or in deeply personal areas such as sexuality—individuals cultivate moral integrity, protect personal and communal well-being and contribute to a society grounded in trust and mutual care.