He's right, literary works are quite easy to understand when you purposefully filter out anything that goes against your pre-conceived interpretation of the work.

Jack, instead of getting into a scriptural debate, I'll just say this.

The "best" way to know someone does NOT mean it is the way you should do it (regardless of religious affiliation). I'm just hypothetically speaking, because IMO, you will not truly know someone until you start living with them. So yes, at least for many Christians (and people in general), they won't truly "know" until after marriage and moving in together (which unfortunately is why many divorces occur). I brought up the roommate example because frankly, that's the plain truth. If you choose to live with one of your best friends, many people end up hating each other or not being able to stand one another. I'm speaking based on experience; this is why some people say not to live with your best friend.

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Anyways, on a somewhat related note there was a statistic somewhere that the reason many boyfriends and girlfriends live together isn't because they want to test out how their relationship works under one roof. Instead it was to save money (rent, utilities, etc) especially if they're just beginning their careers/lives.

There's nothing immoral about sex.

Hey look, I can make blanket statements as if my morality were an absolute truth too!

I never said there was.

Quote from Jack

@tikels, yeah, ok, but not many people do.

So you're saying that me having a roommate in college and not plowing his ass every night last year was...abnormal?

I thought it was apparent we were talking about romantically involved couples living together before getting married to see if the other person was right for them.

I remember reading a study that indicated that roughly 3 years must go by before people start to really annoy each other. (hormonal oxytocin decreases)

So anything more than 3 years.

I don't see a problem with a man and a woman living together without being married. Otherwise it would be like saying "If you're in college and your roommate is another guy, people will think you're gay, cuz only two gay men sleep in the same room "

Unless of course they start to annoy you before then, in which case waiting that long isn't necessary

In reality, I think 3 years is probably a good time to consider proposing and whatnot anyways, so it's likely the best general answer.