95% of Americans have had pre-marital sex

This doesn't surprise me that much. Maybe the extreme percentage does, but not the fact that more people have had pre-marital sex than those who have not.

Realistically speaking, marriage is only a requirement of most religions. For those of us who don't participate in a religion, marriage is less of a requisite for the fulfillment of life and more of a method of entering a different tax bracket. It's become a rite of passage, and that's the only reason the nonreligious still pursue the sacrament of matrimony. Functionally, being a commonlaw spouse is no less rewarding.

If you care about someone enough to enter into "marriage", what difference does a notarized piece of paper make? Who cares what the government or church thinks? A binding relationship eschews all of that and the only thing that matters is the commitment between two people. Sex is one of the most natural acts that exists between lovers and no presiding body will ever be able to change our instincts. Paper, schmaper.

For those who have casual sex, even then there are reasons: curiosity over a "taboo", a desire to become practiced so that one can truly please a lover that counts, a need to unwind and enjoy something in the moment, etc. These are all valid, despite the risks involved. Some authorities would insist otherwise, but that's really just crowd control. Nobody else has the right to tell you what to do with your body.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Devoxycontin

Also this statistic seems a little odd, do they consider sex before a 2nd marriage and outside of the first, pre-marital sex?

I would say yes, they probably do. By its definition, pre-marital sex is sex that occurs outside of wedlock. One could be divorced and still have pre-marital sex, presuming that the possibility of a second marriage exists, which it usually does.

"Pre-marital sex" is just a nicey-nice way of saying "adultery".

Originally Posted by Capo

And, yet, the government does so every single day.

You're overgeneralizing for the sake of beating a straw man, Capo. Not every government agency is concerned with your sex life. I doubt the Customs Bureau really cares where you stick your dick.

It's only certain agencies, and particular people within those agencies who possess an agenda, as Devo mentioned, that create a fuss over sex.

See, free sex is bad for the U.S. government. They like to hide behind morality and disease control. But really, it's tax code that makes the government care. If everyone could just have sex whenever, why, there'd be no need for marriage! If there was no need for marriage, then nobody would need to pay for marriage licenses! And then how would the government monitor you for taxation purposes? Ever notice how almost every important form has a section pertaining to your marital status, as if that somehow affects your ability to write a check? It's statistics. Nothing else. If the government couldn't tax you for being in a relationship, it wouldn't care with whom you slept.

There's nowhere I can't reach.