What is committing adultery?

What is committing adultery? Adultery is the act of practicing extramarital relations, that is, maintaining sentimental or loving relationships with those who are not married. In many cultures and religions, adultery is punishable, because it represents a nonsense for the morals and beliefs they maintain respectively.

There can be many views on what we might define as adultery. However, we can agree that this is nothing more than relationships that are had with people outside or third to a marriage, which frames an act of infidelity towards the couple with whom you have the commitment.

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Etymology of the term adultery

What is committing adultery? Adultery, in its Greek translation, Umoíqueia, refers to the practice of having sexual relations with someone who is not part of the marriage. In some religions, such as Christian and Catholic, adultery is denoted as marital infidelity, which is explained as one of the sins of the flesh.

Some opticians might agree that the act of adultery begins long before the practice of extramarital sex. It is considered that adultery takes a starting point at the moment in which certain dynamics such as dating, certain physical touch, emotional correspondences, etc. are consented.

In either case, we can observe that adultery warns of the breaking of the covenant of fidelity from one person to another. One of the two parties of the marriage begins to exchange with someone outside of marriage, violating their commitment to their partner and the church itself.

Practicing adultery has different consequences for the person responsible. This is because, both morally, socially and legally, adultery is considered nonsense for marriage. Therefore, the person who commits this act is usually stigmatized, also suffering some sentences in the legal area.

What does the Bible say about adultery?

In multiple passages of the Bible we can find various interpretations about adultery. Some of these subscribe as follows:

Proverbs, chapter 6, verses 32-34

‘He who commits adultery has no understanding; He who does it destroys his soul. Wounds and shame he will find, and his affront will not be erased. For jealousy infuriates man, and he will not forgive in the day of vengeance.‘

Corinthians, chapter 1, verses 6-91 Corinthians 6:9

‘Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the immoral, nor the idolaters, nor the adulterers, nor the effeminate, nor the homosexuals’

Matthew, chapter 1, verses 19-9

‘And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for infidelity, and marries another, commits adultery.’

We can observe, with the reading of these three fragments, that adultery is a condemnable act, which entails the death of the soul itself, therefore, it is a practice that must be repudiated from the same thought. This, based on the morality that the Bible instills in us with the interpretation of adultery, which refers us to these conclusions.

Legal consequences of adultery

After adultery has become evident, many couples go through a separation process, which ends, in legal terms, in a divorce. In this process, the couple will litigate in the court of law to determine the due sentences to each member of the marriage.

When the causes that explain the reason for the divorce do so through adultery, the jury and the judge proceed to take action on the person responsible for the infidelity. In other words, some processes such as division of property and child custody could favor the victim of adultery.

In some cases, adulterers may pay compensation for emotional damage to their partner. We are talking about amounts that have been able to range from 500 to 100,000 dollars in certain cases. Courts condemn adultery as an act that attacks society itself and the family.

Psychological consequences of adultery

The couple who has suffered adultery experiences multiple situations such as:

Trust problems: The victim of infidelity tends to have problems trusting their spouse again. This usually compromises the way in which the couple integrates, finding serious difficulties to perform their daily activities.
Difficulties in the couple itself: In the face of emotional difficulties, the couple will find problems for their dynamics such as intimacy, the act and privacy itself. This is usually one of the points of no return as part of the consequences of infidelity.
Resentment: On many occasions, the couple develops resentments towards each other, which makes their exchange a more complex process. Scenarios of verbal and/or domestic violence may arise, putting their own integrity and that of their children, if any, at risk.

Problems establishing agreements: Due to conflicts, the couple could experience serious problems reaching an agreement on multiple issues such as their children’s duties, their property and compensations if any.

Adultery implies, in this way, a strong regression for the couple , which, on many occasions, ends up undoing the relationship, and with it, the family project once proposed by peers.

Not all scenarios end the same way, finding that, with professional tools and assistance, many couples have been able to replenish their relationship. Thanks to this, many couples have shown themselves able to cope with this situation until they heal their wounds and reconcile.

Conclusion

Adultery is the act of breaking into the commitment of monogamy that a couple agrees at the moment they swear their union before church and state. Its practice has various consequences both socially and legally for those involved. Depending on the country in which we are, we can observe that there are different legal effects in each case.

Someone who commits adultery can respond to different reasons, some of pathological origin even. Each case deserves an exhaustive review, although this is not always carried out, either due to disinterest or malpractice on the part of the professionals in charge of the legal case.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adultery

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