A bride presented her father with a 'certificate of purity' on her wedding day to prove she was a virgin.

Brelyn Bowman gave the framed document to her proud father, who is a pastor, before tying the knot with her groom Timothy earlier this month.

The statement on the signed certificate confirmed that her 'hymen is intact', citing a passage from the Bible that some Christians interpret as instruction to abstain from sex until marriage.

Mrs Bowman faced criticism online, with many finding it strange that she chose to share such intimate details about her sex life with her father.

Scroll down for video

Brelyn Bowman gave the 'certificate of purity' to her father pastor Michael Freeman on her wedding day

The statement on the signed certificate confirmed that her 'hymen is intact', citing a passage from the Bible that some Christians interpret as instruction to abstain from sex until marriage

The certificate, which Mrs Bowman gave to her father pastor Michael Freeman on October 10, contains this passage from Corinthians 6:20.

It reads: 'Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.'

The document was signed by both Mrs Bowman, who is in her twenties, and her gynecologist, who appears to have conducted tests to check whether she is a virgin.

The certificate reads: 'On the 10th of May 2006, I, Brelyn Freeman, made a vow to glorify God in my body and spirit which are God's because I have been bought with a price (Jesus).

'I have kept this commitment and present this certificate to my father Dr Michael A. Freeman to show how I have honored God and my earthly father in my body by maintaining my purity and that my hymen is intact on this 10th day of October 2015.'

Mr Freeman told BuzzFeed that he was not expecting to be presented with the certificate and was caught off guard when he was asked to stand during the wedding reception.

Brelyn Bowman gave the framed document to her proud father, who is a pastor, before tying the knot with her groom Timothy (pictured together)

He said: 'I was totally unaware of what was about to take place. During the remarks, she shared that she wanted to honor me by not allowing any man to touch her before her husband.'

The pastor added that all of his children said they would save themselves for marriage, with his eldest daughter Brittany presenting him with a similar document at her wedding six years ago.

However, he said his son had engaged in pre-marital sex.

He added: 'It's not about what they did for me, rather what they did for themselves.'

Mrs Bowman faced criticism online, with many finding it strange that she chose to share such intimate details about her sex life with her father.

Lou Ellen Partridge Doty wrote on Facebook: 'I find it rather disturbing. I was a virgin on my wedding night, but that was between my husband and I. My father had nothing to do with it.'

Mr Freeman, a pastor, said he was not expecting to be presented with the certificate and was caught off guard when he was asked to stand during the wedding reception

People said the certificate, signed by both Mrs Bowman (pictured with her husband) and a gynecologist was 'disturbing' and 'weird'

The certificate, which Mrs Bowman gave to her father pastor Michael Freeman on October 10, contains this passage from Corinthians 6:20

Sareta Ashraph said: 'Leaving aside the whole issue of the apparent importance of women being virgins when married (esp when this standard isn't applied equally to men), why on earth is she presenting such a certificate to her *father*.

'It's almost like saying "I belong to one man (my dad) but now that I am going to belong to another man (my husband) and there's been no other man of note in between". This whole thing comes across less as religious than it does disturbingly patriarchal.'

Kim Daniels Boyd added: 'If this is such a Christian Family, why couldn't the dad just take his daughters word for it?? Why did she have to have medical proof for him to believe her??

'And why do they feel the need to make it public, viral at that, when it's something that should be between her, her new husband and God. Yes, they are weird!'

Mr Freeman hit back on Twitter, writing: 'A lot of your hate mail will come from those who don't feel good about who they are. #prayforthem'