What a bunch of crap. How, pray tell, is taking the moral high ground ever a disservice to my daughter? And please explain to me why all of a sudden human beings are no longer capable of exercising self control over their bodily functions. And please don't the cloud the distinction between affection and sexual gratification. If you understand what the scriptures say, then you should readily believe that God gives us the ability to "put to death" the desires of the flesh by exercising self-control. Do you realize that the Bible also talks about a husband's body not belonging to him, but belongs to his wife. And likewise, the women's body is not her own, but belongs to her husband. Sort of leaves very little room for the kind of self-gratification being exercised by both the married and unmarried.
Your daughter may be into her mid to late 20s before she starts learning some of life's toughest lessons. She will be at such a disadvantage compared to the majority of people who don't hold pre-marital sex or co-habitation in such contempt...it may even ruin a good marriage or relationship in her future.
Moral relativism pure and simple. So, life's toughest lessons have to be learned the hard way? "Good news, Daddy!! I just learned one of life's hardest lessons!...But the bad news is that I'm six months pregnant, and I'm not exactly sure who the father is." What disadvantage are you suggesting she might have...not knowing all the positions of the Kama Sutra?
Besides that, physical intimacy is a tremendously important part in any normal relationship and sometimes two people just don't click. Who wants to sign a 50 year lease on a car without test driving it at least once?
The siren song of "Just Do It" me-me-me generation living is getting old.
Let me ask you this, when you and your daughter discuss sex, do you portray it as some kind of dirty necessity or do you describe it as an expression of love and affection between two people? The devil is always in the details.
When a man and woman live to please one another and not themselves, how can it be a dirty necessity?
As far as marriage goes, let me pose another question? Let's take two different couples for an example, neither couple with any children to legitimize. Both couples love, honor, and respect each other in a committed monogamous relationship. One couple has a piece of paper from the state that says they are married, one does not. Which pair is more favored by God? Does God care anymore for the couple endorsed by a local government?
I'll make it a worse case scenario. Did Adam and Eve have a piece of paper? Probably not, but they had approval and a witness to their union, which is probably why cultures throughout history valued marriage ceremonies. The scripture says that by the word of 2 or 3 witnesses let every fact be confirmed. I've never seen a ceremony for shacking up, have you?