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So there I was, reading St. Augustine and listening to Lady Gaga, and I caught myself appreciating the oddly spiritual themes in the music. Are we absolutely sure I didn't write "Bad Romance"? The bridge is my favorite part; the third time she sings, "I don't wanna be friends!!!" I'm not kidding, I want just this line for my ringtone. If you will pardon the frankness, I'm too old for this crap. The twentysomething girls sometimes maintain this conceit that we want close platonic friendship with them. We don't. If it goes well enough, we can keep a close friendship even when someone's status changes, but in my experience, this closeness is something a man is drawn into, not a choice. Being a Christian that believes and practices doesn't change this at all; if you think you have a friend this doesn't apply to, he's either lying, or he's attracted to people of his own sex. (Or he intends to be celibate for the Kingdom.) Honestly, it's not a character flaw; it's just the truth. The sooner you accept this, the easier life will be. The best thing a Christian woman can do to help her "friends" she isn't attracted to is get married. If he's a good Christian man, he respects that sacred covenant, and it helps him to be disinterested in an agape sense. It's not that we're utterly incapable of selfless behavior before that, but in the absence of some pretty firm emotional walls, (which would prevent the closeness in the first place) he's gonna crack. I've seen it; I've done it.
We also need to face the reality of the trends in marriage today. People are delaying marriage a long time. That means a great challenge for those called to marriage. It's not an impossible one, nor does it absolve us of responsibility in the virtue of chastity, but I get the sense that the Church Fathers would dispense of all these economic considerations, and start pairing people off.
Secular people have figured all this out way before Christians, as usual. They usually fornicate (bad choice) or, women are now making friends with homosexual men. They know men are not capable generally of platonic friendship.
The other wise people in this whole enterprise are Pick-Up Artists. Aside from the crudity and fornication, I've never seen so much truth in my entire life. Sorry if that offends. If you don't agree, you've probably read too many "Christian" books.

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