As I grew older and my friends began experimenting with and discussing sexual behavior, my attitudes began to shift. While I still highly value monogamy and a sense of faithfulness as well as the "purity" that comes with having only one loving partner -- while I still see sex and sexual acts as something more than merely physical, that is -- I also no longer believe that sex is sinful or as degrading as it is made to seem in certain Christian contexts. It was the influence of my social group that led me to believe this, as I believe my friends are good, kind, and decent human beings regardless of what their attitude towards sex is or what their sexual practices are, and I also found that an acceptance of human nature was more in keeping with my religious views than the condemnation of certain ultimately harmless behaviors if...

My friends' real world experiences, in other words, tempered the beliefs that had been ingrained in me by rote instruction and indoctrination. In this way, my parents, my culture, and my peers were the strongest influence on my developing attitudes towards sexuality and the values and beliefs I still hold when it comes to sex itself.
My social and educational experiences with sex were limited by my upbringing, showing once again the heavy influence of my parents in their control over what educational material and experiences I had access to. The media was a strong influence only as a foil to what my parents and religion were teaching. Ultimately, it was my peer group that tempered the influences of my parents' teachings and my early religious views on sexuality.