Adultery

[[File:Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky on February 28, 1997 A3e06420664168d9466c84c3e31ccc2f.jpg|thumb|right|225px|President [[Bill Clinton]] with Monica Lewinsky during his affair.]]
{{sex}}
'''Adultery''' is what adults do with adults other than their spouses (spice?) when they have [[sex]] with people they haven't agreed that it is ok to have it with. It is also the subject of a countless number of songs by people who have run out of ideas of what to sing about.

It is also a truism that infants do not have anywhere near as much fun in infancy as adults do in adultery.

But seriously, it's not nice to cheat (although cheating is not required in order to commit adultery); it hurts your spouse.

==Implication of deceit==

The term "adultery" is somewhat [[Loaded language|loaded]]. There are two possible definitions of adultery: 

# The traditional definition is "[[sexual intercourse]] between a married person and someone who is not that person's spouse". Note that this does not include [[premarital sex]] between two unmarried persons.
# As people today use the word "adultery", they tend to equate it with the word "cheating" — that is, Person A, who is married to Person B, has sex with person C (who may or may not be married) without the consent of B. While all cheating is adultery, not all extramarital sex is cheating — examples would include "swingers" who regularly have sex with other people, such as in "wife swapping" or a "keys party".  While two married couples who swap partners might be technically committing adultery, it can't be argued that they are cheating, since they all know about each other's "affairs" and there is no [[deceit|deception]] against anyone.

Make sure to figure out which definition a person is using when having an argument about it.

==Adultery and the law==
Most ancient societies had laws proscribing adultery, since it can be a major source of division and conflict within communities (not to mention a complication for inheritance laws in dividing the property of a male decedent — sure, a man's kids are supposed to get shares of his property, but what if some of his kids aren't actually his?), and was often punished by the [[death penalty]]. The [[Torah]] law of the [[Old Testament]] is an example of this. [[Jesus|Jesus Christ]] is reported to have saved an adulteress from being stoned to death ("let he who is without sin cast the first stone"), although some extreme [[conservative]]s, not being happy with the concept of forgiveness or the anti-death penalty stance of the story, dispute the validity of this incident.<ref>See [[Andrew Schlafly]]'s "essay" on the subject [http://www.conservapedia.com/Essay:Adultress_Story here].</ref> [[War on Science|Pity they can't show the same skepticism]] with Bible verses that contradict science, such as the two contradictory creation stories in Genesis.

The definition of adultery used in the [[Old Testament]] was narrower than how the term is used today. In the Old Testament, a sexual act was considered adultery ''only'' if it involved a married woman having sex with a man who wasn't her husband. A married man having sex with an unmarried woman didn't qualify as adultery. This was because a wife was considered the property of her husband, not the other way around. (King [[Solomon]] reportedly had [[polygamy|700 wives]] and 400 concubines, and the Old Testament treated him as one of the wisest men who ever lived.)

Most modern societies have removed laws against adultery, regarding it as a personal issue rather than a societal one, although it is often grounds for a [[divorce]] or [[marriage]] annulment. In the [[United States|U.S.]], several states have laws against adultery. While an adulterer or adulteress may find this to be quite unreasonable for obvious reasons, cheating on a spouse, to whom a person is wed, is basically the same thing as breaking a contract. Still, these specifics, if even enforced at all, are mostly settled out of court. Adultery is still a criminal offense in some nations, largely [[Muslim]] ones with a harsh interpretation of [[Sharia]] law, such as [[Iran]] and [[Saudi Arabia]]. These societies use the first definition of adultery above, so any sexual activity by an unmarried couple could be classed as adultery.

In 2002, a Nigerian woman named {{wpl|Amina Lawal Kurami}} was convicted of adultery when she became pregnant out of wedlock, some time after being divorced from her husband. She was sentenced to death by stoning, which was later overturned not because it would be a severe violation of [[human rights]], but because Sharia law recognises the concept of "extended pregnancy", asserting that a woman's gestation can last up to five years. Thus, the verdict of the appeal was that she could hypothetically have been carrying the child of her estranged husband rather than having committed adultery.

Of non-Islamic nations, some of the [[United States]] ([[Michigan]], [[Maryland]], [[Pennsylvania]], as well as the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the criminal law of the [[United States Armed Forces]]) still nominally have adultery laws, although prosecutions are rarely made and the statutes (outside the military) are likely unconstitutional.

==Christians and adultery==
Adultery is listed as [[Ten Commandments#Seventh Commandment: Adultery|Number Seven]] in the [[Ten Commandments|Big Ten]]. Jesus mentions it over twenty times in the New Testament. He even talks about "adultery of the mind", whatever that is.  

''5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath [[thoughtcrime|committed adultery with her already in his heart]].''<ref>http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/mt/5.html#28</ref> Some Christians interpret that as meaning that a man can’t even look at his own wife that way.<ref>http://www.ewtn.com/library/papaldoc/jp2tb42.htm</ref>

Jesus mentions [[homosexuality]] zero times. Yet, the single greatest threat to fundamentalist marriages is apparently homosexuality, not adultery. Or divorce, for that matter. Or both, right [[Newt Gingrich|Newt]]?

===Self-proclaimed conservative Christians who have committed adultery===
* [[Garner Ted Armstrong]], [[televangelist]]<ref>http://www.religionnewsblog.com/4538</ref>
* [[Jim Bakker]], televangelist<ref>http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g1epc/is_bio/ai_2419200062</ref><ref>http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0507/14/lkl.01.html</ref>
* Paul Barnes, homophobic minister<ref>http://www.denverpost.com/ci_4817067</ref>
* [[Graham Capill]], former leader of the Christian Heritage Party. Serving a 9-year sentence for assault on 2 girls under 15.<ref>http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10330188</ref>
* Senator [[Larry Craig]] ([[Republican Party|R]]-[[ID]])<ref>http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/08/28/craig/,</ref>
* [[Dinesh D'Souza]], Christian apologist<ref>http://www.worldmag.com/2012/10/king_s_crisis</ref>
* Reality Star Josh Duggar<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/reliable-source/wp/2015/08/20/close-reading-the-strange-josh-duggar-adultery-confession/ A close reading of the strange Josh Duggar adultery confession]</ref>
* [[Newt Gingrich]], former Speaker of the House of Representatives (R-[[GA]])<ref>http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2006/0607.benen.html</ref>
* Marvin Gorman, minister<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Swaggart#Exposed</ref>
* [[Rudy Giuliani]], former mayor of [[New York City]]<ref>http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2006/0607.benen.html</ref>
* The heterosexual [[Ted Haggard]], homophobic minister &#8212; [[Homosexuality|with men]], [[Haggard's Law|of course]] (but he's not gay)<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ted-haggard-says-hes-bisexual/</ref>
* [[Rush Limbaugh]], [[conservative]] [[talk radio]] show host<ref>http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com/2006/10/mark-foley-and-unmasked-republican.html</ref>
* Senator [[John McCain]] (R-[[AZ]])<ref>http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2006/0607.benen.html</ref>
* [[Bill O'Reilly]], conservative commentator and all-around douche<ref>http://www.moveleft.com/moveleft_essay_2005_01_22_lust_bill_oreilly_told_his_producer_she_has_sspectacular_boobs.asp</ref>
* [[Richard Mellon Scaife]], billionaire bankroller of conservative crusades<ref>[http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/02/scaife200802 A Vast Right-Wing Hypocrisy] - ''Vanity Fair'', Feb 2008</ref>
*[[Jimmy Swaggart]], televangelist<ref>http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE5DA1E3BF936A25753C1A967958260</ref>
* [[Donald Trump]], 45th and 47th [[President of the United States]], failed businessman, and [[January 6|attempted usurper]] (R-[[NY]])<ref>[https://graziamagazine.com/articles/donald-trumps-infidelity-takes-centre-stage-at-the-us-congress/ DONALD TRUMP’S INFIDELITY TAKES CENTRE STAGE AT THE US CONGRESS] by Erin Van Der Meer, ''Grazia Magazine''</ref>
* Senator [[David Vitter]] (R-[[LA]])<ref>http://blog.nola.com/updates/2007/07/former_prostitute_confirms_vit.html</ref>
* Representative [[Mark Sanford]] (R-[[South Carolina|SC]])<ref>[http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124584667616347147 Sanford Odyssey Ends in Tears]</ref>

===The Wicked Bible===
[[File:Marked Wicked bible.jpg|thumb|right|[[Donald Trump]]'s favorite Bible{{nofact}}]]
In 1631, a printing error resulted in a version of the [[King James Bible]] to be printed with the commandment "Thou ''shalt'' commit adultery", leading it to be dubbed as the "Wicked Bible". The incident resulted in printers Robert Barker and Martin Lucas losing their printing license and being saddled with a heavy fine. Most of the copies were destroyed, but the few that still exist are considered rare collectors' items.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/02/rare-wicked-bible-that-encourages-adultery-discovered-in-new-zealand Rare ‘Wicked’ bible that encourages adultery discovered in New Zealand], Eva Corlett, ''The Guardian'' 2 May 2022</ref>

==Ashley Madison==
[[File:Ashley madison logo.png|thumb|right|165px|Ashley Madison logo]]
Ashley Madison is a [[Ontario|Toronto]]-based dating site founded in 2002 and marketed toward married people seeking extramarital affairs (the site's slogan is "Life is short. Have an affair".).<ref>Patricia Pearson, "[https://torontolife.com/city/two-timers-club/ The Two-Timers' Club], ''Toronto Life'', 1 January 2009</ref> The site's user data {{w|Ashley Madison data breach|was leaked}} by a group of [[hacker]]s known as the "Impact Team" in July 2015.<ref name="krebson1">"[https://krebsonsecurity.com/2015/07/online-cheating-site-ashleymadison-hacked/ Online Cheating Site AshleyMadison Hacked]", ''KrebsonSecurity'', 19 July 2015</ref> The hackers' stated motivation was that the site's "full delete" feature – for which it charged a $19USD fee – did not permanently erase users' personal information, as the site retained credit card data that included users' addresses and real names.<ref name="krebson1" /> Thirty-six million users had their personal data exposed by the leak.<ref>Alice Wallbank, "[https://www.shoosmiths.com/insights/articles/the-ashley-madison-data-breach-could-it-happen-today The data breach at controversial dating site Ashley Madison exposed 36m users in 2015. It heralded a new age of global data protection laws, but could it happen again?], ''Shoosmiths'', 25 July 2024</ref> Notable people linked to accounts include [[Josh Duggar]],<ref>Dana Ford, "[http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/20/us/josh-duggar-ashley-madison/ Josh Duggar after Ashley Madison hack: 'I have been the biggest hypocrite ever']", ''CNN'', 21 August 2015</ref> [[Mark Robinson]],<ref>Natalie Alison, "[https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/19/north-carolina-lt-governor-mark-robinson-ashley-madison-00180107 Email address belonging to Mark Robinson found on Ashley Madison]", ''Politico'' 19 September 2024</ref> and [[Christopher Rufo]],<ref name="rufo1">[https://x.com/lawindsor/status/1836932778933313704 Tweet] by Lauren Windsor (@lawindsor)</ref><ref name="rufo2">[https://x.com/stevanzetti/status/1837172969367359653 Tweet thread] by Steven Monacelli (@stevanzetti)</ref> as well as over 15,000 people with .gov or .mil email addresses.<ref>Olivia Evans, "[https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a44445309/ashley-madison-celebrity-names-hulu/ Which Celebrities Were Caught On Ashley Madison?]", ''Women's Health'' 5 July 2023</ref> At least two people who were exposed by the hack committed [[suicide]].<ref>Morgan Sharp, "[https://www.reuters.com/article/technology/two-people-may-have-committed-suicide-after-ashley-madison-hack-police-idUSKCN0QT1O6/ Two people may have committed suicide after Ashley Madison hack: police]", ''Reuters'' 24 September 2021</ref> As of 2024, the hackers are still at large.<ref>[https://www.sportskeeda.com/us/shows/fact-check-were-ashley-madison-hackers-ever-caught-explained Fact Check: Were the Ashley Madison hackers ever caught? Explained], Soniya, ''sportskeeda'' 24 May 2024</ref>

The hackers also exposed the fact that 95% of the users were men and the vast majority of the "women" on the site were chatbots.<ref name="newitz">Annalee Newitz, "[https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26234952-100-what-everyone-gets-wrong-about-the-2015-ashley-madison-scandal/ What everyone gets wrong about the 2015 Ashley Madison scandal]", ''NewScientist'', 12 June 2024</ref> Internal e-mails included in the leak revealed that Ashley Madison's parent company had hired "a small number of workers" to create [[scam|70,000 fake female "engager" profiles]].<ref name="newitz" /> A woman sued the company for $20M in 2013, alleging that a "three-week stint furiously typing out" 1,000 fake profiles for the site's [[Brazil]]ian version gave her carpal tunnel syndrome.<ref>Kevin Collier, "[https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/ashley-madison-doriana-silva-lawsuit-dating-site-fake-profiles/ Woman who wrote fake profiles for Ashley Madison sues the company, citing sore wrists]", ''The Daily Dot'', 1 June 2013</ref><ref>Maggie Lange, "[https://www.thecut.com/2013/11/ashley-madison-sued-by-profile-faker.html Ashley Madison Sued by Profile Faker], ''The Cut'', 12 November 2013</ref> The case was dismissed a few months before the leak in 2015.<ref>"[https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ashley-madison-adultery-website-ex-employee-lawsuits-dismissed-1.2917076 Ashley Madison adultery website, ex-employee lawsuits dismissed]", ''CBC News'', 18 January 2015</ref>

==See also==
*[[Actions which demand the death penalty in the Old Testament]]

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

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