Articles
What Do We Expect?
The hoopla over the Ashley Madison website evokes several reactions. First, adultery is such a horrendous breach of covenant that even the Lord gives it special consideration: it is the only action that justifies a lawful remarriage after divorce (Mt 19:9). To brazenly foster such an egregious sin and trivialize it with “Life is short. Have an affair” is deplorable.
Second, the hypocrisy of outed members is breathtaking. Let me get this straight: you signed up on this website expressly to break a covenant, to defraud your mate, and you’re upset that someone broke your “covenant of anonymity” with Ashley Madison? Someone “cheated” by hacking the website and “victimizing” you? What’s that again about the pot and the kettle?
Third, Ashley Madison’s promise of anonymity now seems comical, in a sad sort of way. After the disastrous security breach the AM home page still says: “Over 39,645,000 anonymous members!” And down at the bottom: “Ashley Madison is the world’s leading married dating service for discreet encounters.” (Emphasis theirs.) There are also three icons promising that AM is a secure site. Are you kidding? What can you do anonymously anymore? Cameras, cell-phones, microphones, hackers, drones, etc. are everywhere. But spiritually speaking there is a willful denial of the fact that God is always aware of what we do, not to mention His knowledge of our thoughts and intentions: “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Heb 4:13). These embarrassed philanderers who are now being questioned by their spouses, employers and the media have a far more intensive interrogation awaiting.
Finally, the inappropriateness of the website aside, I want to ask those who seem shocked by Josh Duggar and other clients of AM: What do you expect??
- We are told by evolutionists that adultery is natural; we are genetically hardwired for adultery to guarantee that our genes survive to the next generation. Should we then be shocked when people act on what they read in Time, Newsweek, The New York Times and other inadvertent hawkers for Ashley Madison?
- We are inundated by sensual images in all media. Most disturbing is the sexualizing of younger children which stokes the pedophilia advocates (viz. Jared Fogle of Subway fame).
- We are fed a constant diet of celebrities who cheat on their mates, divorce at will, form and dissolve blended families, etc. The underlying message in all of this is that unfaithfulness is “normal,” these things just happen and are nothing to get too upset over.
And then we act totally shocked – shocked! – that people actually do this sort of stuff. Really? Is there a total disconnect between what people do and what motivates them to do it? Actually, yes. Our society prefers to dabble in and babble out fantasies rather than face reality. For example, we glamorize the consumption of alcohol and are then mortified when drunk drivers kill people or frat boys assault half-naked, equally tipsy coeds. We dehumanize unborn babies and then are miffed when Planned Parenthood (a true misnomer) is caught selling fetal tissue. The mock outrage is usually window-dressing. It salves society’s conscience to rail against such atrocities but rarely results in significant change.
We have lamented in previous articles the ease with which unseemly imagery is available online. Yes, adultery has always happened; yes, pornographic material has always been marketed. But availability is not the only issue, though the internet has made it possible to travel the world and indulge our lusts in countless ways without ever leaving home. The deeper issue is the shameless advocacy of perversion and immorality so rampant in our society. Sometimes more conservative mores hold sway, but at present rank deviancy is shamelessly promoted and legitimized by the scientific community, legal system and entertainment industry. They “not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them” (Rom 1:32).
One other consequence of Duggar’s involvement in AM: it paints all Christians as hypocrites. Again, what do we expect? The world does not want to legitimize integrity and godliness, and so it pounces on such contradictions in order to justify itself. We who are Christians are held to a higher standard by society, as we should be. So let us examine ourselves and make sure our actions match our professions. Let it not be said of us: “For ‘the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,’ as it is written” (Rom 2:24).
