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Oh, I managed it. So I can be a little more informed.
On the one hand, I was interested to note that the father does also pledge to retain standards and ideals of behaviour, limiting himself also; though presumably he's allowed to have sex.
"I will be pure in my own life as a man, husband and father. I will be a man of integrity and accountability..."
On the other, that girls of 4 years old were brought along to make such a pledge finally finds my button, I think for the same reason as your man Scalzi on the blog: because it's strange and peculiar to me, to bring promises of sexual purity into the life of a 4 year old.
The aspect of fathers having control over their daughters' sexual lives from childhood or pubescence way into adulthood is, yes, also both icky-incestuous and uncomfortably-unethical to me. (I wonder would it seem different if mothers had brought their daughters along to a dinner... without the dance, perhaps. Would that seem less "ew"?)
However, I'd still suggest that a parent setting standards for their child's current behaviour, while that child is of a certain age and living with them, is not unusual or wrong in my opinion. I wouldn't think it was wrong for a parent to ask their teenage child to sign a pledge that they wouldn't take illegal drugs while living under the family roof. I would think it was strange, and probably doomed, for a parent to ask a child for a lifetime pledge of that kind.
And I think pledging celibacy for the sake of your parent is weird, because for most people sexual activity is part of your independent adult life and has nothing to do with your parents. So, happily for me I think I agree with the posts above, largely.
However, I do feel that if a child and parent share the same Christian views, there's no harm in them making pledges about upholding certain behaviour according to the ideals of their faith, as long as that doesn't hurt anyone else. If the child subsequently loses that faith and wanders from those ideals, and is happier on another path, so be it. But a family bonding (dinner and dance) based on a shared faith isn't necessarily a bad thing.
As has already been suggested, the pledge that stretches into adult life, the opposite-sex pairing of the ceremony, the very young age of some participants, and the parental hand over the child's future sexual behaviour, is what makes this particular ritual seem... dodgy.
Note though that the blog seems to make quite reasoned, respectful comments (to an extent and limit) about Purity Balls, rather than going gleesh. I think the comments below are really sensible.
I'm not going to criticize one of the underlying desires of the purity ball, which is a father's desire to express his commitment to care for and protect his child. I happen to have the same desire. I will note, however, that the expression of that desire can take on rather substantially different forms. These "Purity Ball" fathers think it's best expressed through control; I think it's best expressed through knowledge. I don't want my daughter to pledge her "purity" to me, as if having a sexual experience is some sort of karmic besmirching; I want to inform my daughter so that when she has sex, she knows what she's doing and she has it on her terms, and she comes away from the experience satisfied (as much as anyone comes away from their first experience in such a state) and able to integrate it into her life in a positive way.
Which is not to say I want her having sex, oh, anytime before she can vote; indeed, you can believe me when I say to you that among the discussions we'll have will be the ones where I suggest that abstinence really is the best policy through high school, for many very good and practical reasons (hey, it worked for me). I mean, I suppose I could just say "You shouldn't have sex because I've told you not to, and that's the end of it," and demand she respect my authority. However, if Athena is anything like me as a kid (and it's becoming rather abundantly clear that she is), any attempt at parental rule by fiat is likely to be politely but deeply ignored, and she's going to do what's she going to do.
That being the case, rationally outling the consequences is going to work rather better than trying to ram a pledge down her adorable little throat
Also, not to put too fine a point on it, I think not having pre-marital sex is pretty idiotic. This is a separate issue from promiscuity -- I'm not a big fan of totally indiscriminate appendage insertion or acceptance -- but if you're serious enough about someone that you're contemplating marriage, you damn well better know what your own sexual playing field is, and you damn well better know if you're sexually compatible with your presumed marital partner.
I can't fault what I see as the root impulse for the purity balls, but I'm glad that my expression of the desire to keep my daughter safe is not that one.
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