In this article we will talk with you about the important topic today - adultery. Many people have heard that this kind of sin is considered a punishable crime, baseness, dishonor, pollution of the soul, etc. But if you ask: "Adultery - what is it?", Not everyone can clearly answer. Therefore, in order for your knowledge in this area to become more extensive, below we will try to discuss this issue in more detail. However, first we recall what sin is and what deeds the church attributes to sinful ones.
Mortal sins
The list of violations of religious commandments (namely, the definition of “sin”) is very extensive, but not everyone is the main, or mortal. The latter include those vices that give rise to other impartial acts. We will not describe them in detail, since the topic of our conversation is somewhat different, we will restrict ourselves to simply listing. So what does the church mean by the phrase "mortal sins"? The list is represented by seven (in the Eastern Christian tradition - eight) positions:
- Pride.
- Envy.
- Anger.
- Discouragement.
- Greed.
- Gluttony.
- Adultery (fornication).
We’ll talk about the latter in more detail.
Adultery: what is it?
Adultery is a great sin and is part of the 10 commandments. It is usually associated with treason and infidelity. In the past, the perpetrator of such a sin was subjected to the death penalty, for an act of this kind was regarded as an unholy and evil deed. Succumbing to a love and sexual attraction to the opposite sex, a person violates marital fidelity, destroys the family. In addition, adultery is considered an extramarital intimate relationship between a woman and a man. This issue is especially acute in Muslim countries. In the Holy Quran, Almighty Allah pronounces the following words: "Do not approach adultery, for it is an abomination and a bad way." Also under the prohibition of this commandment is divorce, lust and lust in relation to other people's wives and husbands.
What exactly is adultery?
And yet, what do people mean when talking about such a sin as adultery? What it is? Is it only extramarital intimate life, a connection with someone else’s companion, or maybe something else? Many today cannot distinguish sin from human relationships, which are full of love and further plans for a happy joint life. In order for you to understand this issue, we give a few examples that clearly characterize sinful sexual relationships:
- A single unmarried guy has sexual intercourse with a married lady - this is a vivid example of adultery, which will be punished in the future.
- A married man has entered into a sexual relationship with a married lady - this also applies to the sin under consideration, for the woman’s heart belongs to another.
- Intimate relationships between relatives (brother and sister, niece with uncle, etc.) are also a mortal sin.
In addition to the above, adultery can be attributed to any sexual fantasy in which there is a woman who belonged to another man. So, for example, Yeshua said: "... anyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Now the question remains what is not adultery, and is it possible to enter into a relationship with an unmarried woman? Let us dwell on this point in more detail:
- The relationship between a single unmarried guy and an unmarried girl is not adultery only if the partners plan to enter into a marriage in the near future. If, after a perfect sexual intercourse, the guy does not dare to offer the lady a hand and a heart - this is called fornication.
- A man who is already in a marriage, having slept with an unmarried single woman, is obliged to make her an offer and call her second wife to his house, only in this case sexual intercourse will not be considered adultery, otherwise this kind of intimate relationship is called fornication .
Punishment for adultery
What is fornication and adultery, we have more or less sorted out, now we need to talk about the consequences and punishments that anyone who commits this kind of sin can suffer. For lust for the opposite sex, betrayal, dishonor, or for any other similar sin, an unmarried man deserves a hundred strong lashes, in addition, he is expelled from society for exactly a year. So adultery is punished in Islam. And, we dare to assure you, these are still flowers. And it does not matter who was caught in the misconduct - a man or a woman, both will be punished. Although, of course, women are in greater demand. As for the adulterers who are married, or were before they committed a sin, they are treated as cruelly as possible, stoned to the last breath. It is believed that an adulterous person will certainly burn in hell, and his only salvation is the atonement of sins and sincere repentance.
What exactly do Muslims consider adultery?
Adultery in Islam is considered a terrible crime. Note that the commandment dedicated to the sexual baseness of man has the name "zina" in them. For Muslims, “zina” is an intercourse with a female sex without a Sharia contract. In their opinion, it is precisely because of this sin that the world today is suffering terrible catastrophes and calamities. In addition, the sons of Allah believe that any intimate relationship with a woman who gave her innocence and heart to another man will sooner or later lead to collapse and the end of the world. The Prophet Muhammad also noted that all people who allow themselves to commit adultery are devoid of faith. If faith leaves a person, he weakens and becomes unprotected. Well, the question is: “Adultery. What is it for Muslims? ”Can be considered closed. To summarize:
- Firstly, for Muslims, “zina” is an extramarital intimate relationship with a strange woman.
- Secondly, this is a coveted look in the direction of a woman.
- Thirdly, even a lecherous word falls into this category.
The Messenger of Allah spoke of this sin as follows: “Adultery of the eyes is the look, adultery of the tongue is the words. Allah himself calls on all young people who today have the opportunity to get married to do this as quickly as possible, because the only chance to protect themselves from unnecessary views, promiscuous words and zina is marriage. If at the moment this is not possible - fasting is the only salvation.
What is the price of sweet sin?
Muslims today are being punished cruelly for adultery - Hadd. It implies bodily torture. However, such punishment is possible only if the sinner resides in the territory of Islam, is mentally balanced and not retarded, aware of sinful adultery. As you can see, everything is pretty serious. By the way, in the old days the punishment was no less severe. So, if a woman who was married was not a virgin, she was stoned to death, and if her husband gave a false accusation, he had no right to divorce her and was obliged to pay her father 100 shekels. Also, the death penalty was waiting for the man who allowed himself to dishonor the engaged bride. If a free woman was subjected to violence, only the perpetrator was killed, but if the unfortunate one was a slave, both were punished.
Orthodoxy and Adultery
And what is adultery in Orthodoxy? First of all, this sin means treason, an intimate relationship between a betrothed and a married person, as well as sexual intercourse of a free person with a betrothed. By exchanging rings during the wedding, the husband and wife vow their faithfulness and love before God, the Cross, the Gospel. Violating the previously promised, they thereby seem to be deceiving their witnesses. The sin of adultery in Orthodoxy does not imply corporal punishment of the offender, but it causes condemnation from God. In addition, it is believed that the guilty person is divided into two halves, as if torn between a spouse and a lover, or between a spouse and a lover. Many believe that a divided body will die sooner or later, taking with it all the bridles of marriage. Therefore, we can conclude that a broken promise of fidelity and love for each other will always be considered a sin that, one way or another, will affect the life of a traitor or a traitor. And remember that a marriage made before God cannot be divorced. Is that one of the spouses will go to another world.
1 Cor. 7, 39: "A wife is bound by law until her husband lives; if her husband dies, she is free to marry, for whom she wants, only in the Lord."
What consequences awaits a person for adultery?
Like any sin, adultery is fraught with consequences that can play a trick on a person. We offer a more detailed analysis of this issue.
- Many believers believe that a person committing adultery steals a piece of flesh from his neighbor, thereby committing theft.
- By committing a sin, a person automatically exists in this world along with animals.
- It is believed that an adulter is possessed by an unclean spirit, he is equated with the devil, who is not able to cleanse himself from sin. The Bible called this state a deep human abyss.
- Muslim zina contributes to the destruction of human flesh. Sin destroys the health of the offender. It is believed that the sinner chooses for himself the path that as a result will lead him to death.
- A person who commits adultery loses his property. One who, before committing sin, lived richly and bathed in luxury, will surely become a beggar.
- Having sinned, a person gives rise to gossip and gossip, brings shame on himself, which directly harms his reputation. Here, the statement “When a person dies - notoriety continues to live!” Is appropriate.
- Adultery entails the death penalty. "If anyone commits adultery with his married wife, if anyone commits adultery with his neighbor's wife, then they shall be put to death both the adulterer and the adulterer."
- Without repenting of his sins, man destroys the soul. Lust is said to accompany the sinner and his soul into the flames of hell.
- The adulterer destroys not only his soul, but also the soul of the chosen one. In fact, this is one of the most terrible consequences of adultery, because, having sinned, the guilty person drags to hell and the soul of a partner.
- The Lord can be angry with an adulterer and deprive him of reason and reason.
- In a family where there is a place for adultery, there will never be love and understanding.
Woman and adultery
Once, in order to place Jesus in an awkward position for Him before the whole people, the religious leaders brought the harlot, who would later be called "a woman taken in adultery." According to the law of Moses, they had to kill her, throwing stones at her. The leaders skillfully took advantage of the situation, proposing to destroy the fallen female. In fact, their only goal was to tempt Jesus, to catch on a crooked word, in order to have a reason for general condemnation. But all their efforts were in vain. The only thing Jesus said was something like this: "Who among you is without sin, let him first throw a stone at her." Of course, the square where the crowd gathered began to be freed, and ultimately only the sinner and He remained on the street. Since then, everything has changed, the former adulterer repented and promised not to return to her former way of life. The moral is: it’s never too late to repent of your sins, the main thing is to realize in time your desire to righteously exist in our world.
Atone for the sin of adultery
In the Qur'an, Allah says: “Verily, the forgiveness of Allah is for those who commit a bad deed of ignorance and soon repent. Allah forgives such. Verily, Allah is knowledgeable, wise! ”Many people know how to repent for many misdeeds committed in life and not to repeat them again. But remorse is half the battle. Behind him is atonement. And here everything is much more complicated. How to atone for the sin of adultery? A lot of people address this question to a spiritual mentor or to a priest in a church. The question, of course, is complicated. As stated above, adultery is one of the deadly sins that destroys human lives. Nevertheless, according to the ministers, if sincerely and truly with great faith to repent, ask for forgiveness, the Almighty will forgive the sinner and give a chance for further existence. In order to further protect ourselves from the temptation of sin, there is one good remedy - prayer from adultery and fornication.
How to protect yourself and your soul?
Each person must answer this question independently. After all, someone, having read this article, will react to all of the above with neglect; someone in his life has repeatedly come across adultery, but does not know how to deal with it, and therefore will not try; there are those people who will draw the right conclusions and try to live their life with dignity. How to protect yourself from the temptation? Probably, here you just need faith, faith in yourself and in your life partner. Sincere, pure love, respect and mutual understanding, reason and the ability to control oneself will do their job: you will certainly live a long and happy life full of meaning with your soulmate. And finally, we advise only one thing: fill your life with good, kind, bright deeds, respect your relatives and loved ones, love your wives, husbands and children, pray for your health and those around you and, most importantly, never commit adultery!