The subject of dating and attitudes toward human sexuality must be discussed in the context of marriage. Marriage is the foundational relationship of human life. Marriage affects our biological viability, defines a positive social culture, and is the stabilizing factor for all forms of human government. Key Features of Godly Marriage:Genesis 2:24 marriage is designed by the Creator of Humanity as a separate and distinct organizational unit.Ecclesiastes 9:9 marriage is designed to last [a feature which teaches important spiritual lessons, lifelong commitment to each other teaches us about God’s eternal commitment to us] Malachi 2:15 marriage is designed to produce Godly children. Physical creation is the first stage in the expansion and growth of God’s spirit born family… and it has been assigned to you and me. God says go forth and multiply. This is not a directive to go and seek our own pleasure its an invitation to participate in God’s amazing project to grow His divine family.Before the spiritual creation comes the physical. God places a spiritual component in each new human being and when combined with the power of the Holy Spirit we have the potential to become an eternal spirit born member of God’s own family.Ephesians 5:31-32 Through our participation in this project we learn valuable personal and spiritual lessons along the way.Creative and curious humanity are constantly dreaming up new hypotheses about what human sexual interactions should be, or what marriage should be. Then we start experimenting to see if our hypotheses work. Ours is an age of intense speculation and experimentation. For success in marriage look to the Creator of marriage. God has given us... simple, basic, concepts. Simple but challenging… because they run counter to many human passions BUT you can count on them to actually work.Laying the foundation for success in marriage starts long before your wedding day… even before you find Mr. Right, or the woman of your dreams. So let’s talk about dating… Dating: Love American StyleWikipediadefines dating as “a stage of romantic relationships in humans whereby two people meet socially with the aim of each assessing the other's suitability as a prospective partner in an intimate relationship or marriage”. Social interactions that lead to marriage vary greatly from culture to culture. Some are arranged by parents… or extended family, or professional go-betweens… with negotiations, contracts and so forth. These emphasize the practical elements and show little concern for the emotional. In our western world we have a system where the individual carries most of the responsibility for finding a mate with a heavy emphasis on the emotional. Often over-riding some of the serious practical considerations necessary for a successful marriage. Scripture does not indicate any preference for one method over the other. Scripture contains examples of both ways of finding a mate. Both approaches have their pros and cons. The western way of doing things is what we have to concern ourselves with here. Parental control in modern western culture is very limited once our children reach the age where they are ready to start seriously dating. Wise parents will make every effort to teach their young people wise principles, and biblical standards for dating long before they are actually ready.If you wait too long you will miss that important window of opportunity when you can still control the situation. What is that age? There is no biblical instruction for what is the appropriate age for dating. You have to make your own determination of the right age when you see readiness to accept responsibility for actions. But the time to start laying the foundations is early.Instruction is a Gift You Give To Your ChildrenThe gift you give them is life… a better life now, and a hope for eternal life. Don’t just turn your children loose and hope for the best. When it comes to sex and marriage there are just too many