When people commit to abstinence before marriage, the pressure is OFF. When people commit to be unconditional friends and do their honest best to be that regardless of any unilateral or mutual romantic hopes--that sets the stage for a healthy relationship.
Once you've met somebody, you have a relationship with them. That relationship is ACQUAINTENCESHIP, which must somehow be tested by fire and time before it's truly a FRIENDSHIP. Friendship is a profound relationship, whether of the 'platonic' or 'beyond platonic' type.
i guess the emphasis needs to be on MUTUAL agreement on abstinence... (i wrote more, and deleted it and started over 3 times...LOL )
True friendship certainly is how sad that many find that we have too little "real" friends.