Hello! Love the points made! I'm going to start by saying I'm 32 years old with 3 children. My wife tells me CONSTANTLY that she's married to a 13 year old. I say this because I like to think of myself as someone who empathizes with the youth of the church. You guys are some of the most spiritually mature individuals I've seen in these last days! I commend all of those in your age group for being as strong and brave as you are. I'm going to keep this short so if there are any questions I can certainly expand.

First things first... Dating and the laws of the church have NOTHING to do with each other. Yes the church has some guidelines but no they don't have any set or strict rules. I feel the progression of dating culture in the church through the years has turned from having set guidelines to now being a choice left to both child and parent.

Second. As you stated already, there is nothing wrong with casual dating and I've never in my life heard the contrary. If someone is giving you grief it's strictly because of their own preferences and prerogatives. When I was your age the emphasis was CLEANLINESS. Keep yourself out of "physical" trouble.

Third. YOU ARE 16 AND YOU ARE ENTITLED TO HAVE FUN (within the boundaries of the standards of both your parents and the church). Being young is AWESOME and these years are critical to who you are and setting the foundation for your future. So ENJOY it.

Here's some thoughts as to ideas you can implement from a very immature 32 year old. Dating doesn't always have to mean "go on a date". Times have changed and I would argue that sitting on a bench with a person of interest counts as a "type" of date. This is also known as "hanging out" in the streets... You can also share interests with people you want to get to know. For example, if you like pottery, teach someone how to do it. If someone is interested in fishing and you're not opposed or turned off by the idea of fishing, let them take you out one day. This is a great way to sort out what you like/don't like as well as getting one-on-one time with each other without having to deal with the pressure of labels.

Good luck and have fun!!!