Let's Talk About Sex, Baby

Growing up Catholic, I was always taught that premarital sex was wrong. But looking around, I got a different impression. Television, movies, advertisements, everything was telling me that sex was cool and that you could do it whenever you wanted.
These conflicting ideas were cause for much consternation during my development. I spent a lot of time wondering if I was missing something, or if sex was even as important as the church made it seem.
Eventually, I came to the conclusion that sex is a very big deal indeed. To me, sex is something that should be shared by people who are in love and who are willing to commit 100% of themselves to each other. The decision to do it should be made after college at least so you have a little more life experience and maturity. I plan to wait until marriage or at least until I'm engaged because I want this to be something I share with only one person.
I know that a lot of people are more lax about it and that they'd rather not wait and I'm no one to judge, I just have a deep respect for sex and I plan to remain chaste (probably because of the prayers of my improv team as well as my own mentality).
However, when I say I'm not one to judge, that doesn't mean I won't give my opinion. For instance, my best friend is planning to lose her virginity when she comes home for Thanksgiving break. When she told me this, I went a little bananas (or a lot). I don't think she's mature enough to be making this decision. Her history with this boy is spastic and complicated. They don't have a healthy relationship, and it's been even worse because she's away at college and the boys there give her a lot of attention which she is all too happy to return. I spent a lot of time asking her questions and making sure she knew what she was getting into and after all that she still hasn't made me believe her. Instead she started ignoring me and I haven't spoken to her in a few weeks.
I know she doesn't share my views and I know she doesn't agree with the church but her view of sex is so skewed because all she really knows comes from the media. She believes sex isn't anything special and that wanting to do it is the same as being ready to do it. I think this is due in part to how casually it's treated in this day and age. Shows like Gossip Girl or Grey's Anatomy treat sex like a cigarette break: something pleasurable done a few times a day to relieve stress.
I really miss the days when to know about sex was to experience it firsthand in privacy, if not in wedlock. Let's start leaving things up to the imagination shall we?

Sincerely,
Mare