[quote:3uoo93nq]
Also, people should not have to “practice” relationships, as far as I’m concnerned. I believe there is one person out there that God has created for us to marry, and unless you think your current relationship could possibly be that person, it is pointless. [/quote:3uoo93nq]

GEEZ, I thought you were saying ALL high school relationships were bad, even the ones when you thought that the person is someone you might marry one day.

I quite agree with you that a person should not date just for the heck of it. Dating has a purpose…to find your future marriage partner. Even those relationships that do not turn out to be that future spouse were not a waste, especially if you had a chance to grow in faith and love of other human beings. In high school, I dated. I knew that when I dated a guy in high school it had to be because there was a chance that guy could be the one I someday marry or that the relationship would bring him and/or I closer to God and give us a deeper appreciation for other people in general. For instance, dating a person of another faith has caused many people to convert or become stronger in their faith. This kind of relationship cannot be called useless and harmful; I think you would agree.
Experiencing friendship and other relationships allow high school youth to learn to balance life’s challenges. The people in the relationships that have rough endings probably would be able to handle the breakups better if they could have this outlook from the start that God has a plan and maybe that previous relationship was for the purpose of growing and building up relationship skills and faith so as to become more Christlike for his or her future spouse.

I agree that when people date just for the social status or novelty it can and most likely would be harmful; this is not the kind of relationship “practice” that I was referring to in my previous posts. I think there was a miscommunication there. I am also sorry your friends and acquaintances had bad experiences. My prayers are with them.