Adultery
People utilize many different words to describe, define and even attempt to dismiss adultery; unfaithfulness, infidelity, playing the field, extramarital relations, having an affair are just a few. The net result of this choice however is the destruction of a personal reputation, trust and respect, while at the same time laying waste to spouse and children alike. Even in the earliest days of civilization adultery was understood to be destructive, thus earning its own “Thou Shalt Not”, in addition to, at least 40 other less than positive references and assorted stories in the Bible. Many societies, including our own, have gone so far as to outlaw this practice; in some cultures penalties range up to death. So why do we allow the choice of adultery to be romanticized on many television shows, movies and novels? If centuries of humanity believe this to be a crime, a sin, an abomination, why is it allowed? We are responsible for slowly allowing adultery, a moral, ethical, and legal breech of contract to undermine family structures and lower the standards for acceptable behavior in society.
Morality in a marriage is more than a religious concept; there is a basic understanding that to be married is a choice and thus an exclusive commitment to ones spouse. Billy Graham who is world renown for his upstanding character and Christian beliefs was well aware of the attraction of adultery and the weakness of his own humanity. He, being wise, took precautions to safeguard his values and reputation by instructing that his staff “never leave me alone in a room with a woman who is not my wife.” (Miller). This measure may seem a bit drastic; however, maintaining a level of personal accountability and understanding of morality...
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Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “ The Scarlet Letter’’ is a classical story about sin, punishment and revenge. It all began with a young woman named Hester Prynne who has committed adultery, and gave birth to a child in a Puritan society. Through the eyes of the puritans Hester has gone against their religious ways. Hester must now wear the symbol of the letter “A” on her clothing for the rest of her life as act of shame. Hester Prynne faces a long journey ahead and her strength enables her to continue on.
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The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a cult classic. And with good reason. Anyone who simply believes that the title of this book just signifies that the protagonist wears a scarlet “A” on her dress in punishment of her adultery is ignorant. Obviously this paper would not be required if such were true. Instead, The Scarlet Letter is extremely ambiguous. One can argue that the scarlet letter is a character itself. I intend to flesh this out in literary, historic, and symbolic terms.
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In the article “An Anthropological Look at Human Sexuality” the authors, Patrick Gray and Linda Wolfe speak about how societies look at human sexuality. The core concept of anthology is the idea of culture, the systems of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors people acquire as a member of society. The authors give an in depth analysis on how human sexuality is looked at in all different situations.
Many times people are tested every day and struggle with the moral duty with what is right and what is wrong. For example Many Americans are married with children and know that entering the sanctity of marriage, understanding that no man or woman shall come between them. However, many marriages end on the bases of adultery between one or the other. Knowing and understanding as young adults that committing adultery is wrong. Many Americans still continue to cheat on their spouse. Knowing the moral value of marriage, but still risk breaking the value of marriage. During this moral dilemma of adultery, many wrong doings have been violated, such as dishonesty that comes with adultery and the moral commitment that was taken for granted. Other ethic principles are violated when one or the other commits adultery. Trust issues will arise if a person has been caught committing destructive ethical act. Violation from using household money to commit adultery for outings, hotel stay, buying gifts. Along with other financial necessity to commit adultery. Quality time spent away from family while committing adultery is also an ethical violation in the sanctity of marriage. Even abuse of alcohol could be a factor in
...beral - perhaps amoral - society, adultery can be justified if we are truly in love or somehow deceived in marriage. There are many in our society today that would teach that adultery is not a great sin, but rather the guilt is the sin. They would say, "I am no devil, for there is none." In general, if you declare something not to be a sin, or at least a justifiable sin, you can do away with the guilt. According to Christian theology, however, there is a catch that states, in 1 Corinthians 32:12, "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." When we know of our self-deception perfectly, hell has arrived, the day has passed, and we are no longer able to repent. From a Christian's perspective, you can deny or disagree with what God declares to be sin, but only temporarily ...
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People tend to associate with others who share the same values and morals as they do. People who are unfaithful tend to assume that everyone is, while those who remain faithful tend to believe that extramarital affairs are unusual. Since infidelity takes on several different forms, it is appropriate to consider the fact that many people believe that this sort of behaviour would be considered acceptable.