Just food for thought. Sorry to disappoint those of you looking for humor this time.<P>Below is an excerpt from a Sunday Washington Post column in the "Outlook" section. The full article is here: <A HREF="http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A80311-2001May26.html" TARGET=_blank>http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A80311-2001May26.html</A> <BR>_______<BR>I'm neither a lawyer nor a politician, so I would never dream of telling Attorney General John Ashcroft how to run the Department of Justice. When it comes to Bible study, though, which he conducts in his office at 8 a.m. each workday, the attorney general is in my ministerial territory. I'm all in favor of Bible study. But in 15 years as a pastor, I've found the Scriptures to be full of volatile material, capable not only of inspiring the soul and stimulating the intellect but also of challenging<BR>contemporary notions of justice. With this in mind, I offer a series of lesson plans for the study group:<P>LEVITICUS 20:10 "And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbor's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death."<P>Debate whether adultery should be a federal crime -- and, if so, where among the federal sentencing guidelines' 43 levels of "offense seriousness" it should fall. Should it be a capital offense?<P>LUKE 16:18 in which Jesus says: "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery."<P>If adultery were to become a federal capital offense, discuss the budgetary implications of executing all those who fall under this definition of adultery and are thus subject to the death penalty. (See Leviticus 20:10, supra.)<BR>_________ <P>It sure FEELS like adultery should be a crime in the eyes of the government. But, because the governments sanction divorce, they're a willing participant, I guess. Actually, in my state, adultery is a misdemeanor, but is never prosecuted. Pretty far from the death penalty.<P>BTW, in LEVITICUS, I would replace the word "even" with "especially" to be consistent with the commandmants.<P>WAT

Dave,<P>You could make a serious argument that focusing on the crime of adultery should be a top priority of the Justice Dept. Many people feel that crime, drug and poor education problems can be blamed in large part on the breakdown of the family and all the broken homes caused by the high divorce rate and adultery must be a leading cause of divorce. <P>Of course cracking down on adultery and making divorces harder to obtain would not totally stop divorce, but it would over a period of time help to change societal norms so that a lot WSs would see the costs as too high. It might not change the "rate" of adultery, but it might make staying to work at the marriage look like a much better option.<P>Unfortunately in this day and age where everyone trips over themselves to be p.c. and accept everyone just as they are, this is fantasy to even think about. An interesting thought though. Thanks for posting the excerpt.

Interesting post Dave. Apparently some states in the US consider adultery when determining divorce settlements, but where I am, it has no bearing on anything....other than to be a reason to get divorced prior to one year separation.<P>There was an article in the paper last week, but I can't remember where it happened. Canada or US, not sure. A guy tried to sue his wife for mental cruelty and trauma because of adultery, but the judge threw it out, saying something along the lines of "there is nothing in the law that says you must be faithful in your marriage". Maybe it was in your papers too.<P>Exhausted - how are you doing? Haven't seen an update from you, but hope that you are OK.<BR>

Guess I would have been stoned by now . . .<P>In some countries, a woman can be burned alive if she commits adultery whether she is sorry or not for her sins. And, I guess that is just another reminder for me to be thankful that I believe in the saving grace and forgiveness of my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. And, to be thankful, this memorial day, that I live in a country - not where people are burned for committing adultery and where sin runs rampant, but in a land that believes that a person can make a change for the better, that a person can be forgiven.<P>Yes, I too, think that adultery is wrong, that divorce should not be an option, that it comes too easy and is often taken in haste, but I do thank God, for sending his son into the world so that I, and others like me, who are sorry for what they have done and who have turned from sin, a second chance. I, too, see that divorce leads to the disolution of "family values," and think that every couple considering divorce should have to go through marital counseling prior to final separation.<P>Guess I vote for NOT making adultery a capital offense punishable by death.

Hi all,<P>I doubt that either of those is true. As to the oldest crime, what about Cain and Abel?<P>There are a lot of things in the Ten Commandments that are not governed by the criminal code, and I don't think adultery should be either. But I DO think it should be considered in cases of divorce, child custody, alimony, etc.<P>And let's not start discussing Ashcroft, please......<P>Peppermint

Just to stir up the pot a bit with a non-biblical viewpoint... adultry, and the expectation of faithfulness has not been around since the beginning of human existence. Anthropologists suggest that many pre-historic tribes had no notion of marriage or 'faithfulness', making this perhaps a relative recent 'crime'. Don't take me wrong, this says nothing of my personal belief on the subject. Also, what do you mean by it sure FEELS like it should be a crime "in the eyes of the government?" That's a slippery slope!! Wouldn't you rather argue they need help instead of criminal prosecution? You just drive it further underground and/or punish their spouse further!!<BR>

It is a crime in my state, but it still makes no difference to the courts. Maybe if it were grounds for loss of custody, or if having a married man live with you were grounds for having social services launch an investigation, the OW wouldn't have been quite so anxious to have my H move in with her. People in this state have been investigated for homeschooling or for having had the misfortune of having a child with brittle bone disease, but it is perfectly ok to flaunt an affair in front of children and teenagers. <P>The saddest thing is the number of murders of children that have resulted from adultery. There was a couple in the next town who had a baby, and the father moved out and with a couple of weeks the woman's lover moved in. A few weeks later he beat the child to death. <P>Children are at the highest risk of being abused, both physically and sexually, by their mother's boyfriends. My H's OW must have been a complete idiot to allow a man that she had only known for a few months, whose family she didn't know, and whose history was unknown to her, to move into her house when she had a teenage daughter. I'm sure she doesn't have anything to worry about, but she had no way of knowing that. Putting her daughter at risk like that is child abuse.

Worthatry,<P>It is a profound thought. I think it would rank with abortion. The only way for it ever to end is not through legislation but through talking to people and convincing them that it is morally wrong. Even if it were banned and punishable by law people would still do it. I strongly believe that each person would have to be convicted in his or her heart that it is wrong for it to truly stop.

...more than being punishable by law would be for it to become socially unacceptable. If there was enough social pressure against adultery maybe less people would do it. It seems to me that there are too few people who tell the WS to "go home" or what they are doing is wrong. <BR>Today, you read about public figures who have been trapped in dead marriages just for the kids. The media talks about how they have to put up with irrational spouses etc...Of course, they always have their "soulmate" and new relationship that is being hindered by the "dead and loveless" marriage.<BR>So much for peer pressure....

cleopatra,<P>I concur with you about the whole take on infidelity that the media has propagated. How are OP supposed to tell a WS to go home and work it out, when all we see are covers on People magazine talking about Meg Ryan and her passionate affair with Russell Crowe? We've gone to far to roll back the clock now.<P>If infidelity were illegal, you'd see too many big-wigs - celebrities, millionaires, sports stars, etc. - being charged with it, and you *know* that would never happen!<P>belld

Well, I guess this worked. I was just sharing something I thought would be of interest on this forum. I wasn't taking sides. Clearly, adultery will never be punishable by death in this country when capital punishment for first degree murder is still being argued. <P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Bill9999:<BR><B>Also, what do you mean by it sure FEELS like it should be a crime "in the eyes of the government?"</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>What I meant was that I sure feel like I've been violated. I've never been a victim of, say, burglary or of a violent crime, but I imagine I would feel violated by that as well and those things are crimes.<P>WAT<P>

No, adultery is not the oldest crime, murder is. Cain slew Abel. But it sure comes close.<P>According to the civil laws at the time of the Old Testament, it was only adultery when a man slept with a married woman who was not his wife. This means that a married man could sleep with a single woman and not be committing adultery. In other words, a married woman could not sleep any man not her husband period. In addition, during those days, it was not uncommon for men to have many wives.<P>I, for one, prefer the more modern interpretation of adultery and monogomous relationships.<P>Zorweb<BR><p>[This message has been edited by zorweb (edited May 30, 2001).]