It’s pretty clear where Jesus stands on cheating on your spouse: “Thou shalt not covet they neighbor’s wife”. In Mathew 5:27-30 he said that if you even look at another woman with desire, then you should cut out your eye, because it’s better to “lose one of your members than to have your whole body go to hell”.
Since the Ashley Madison scandal broke, right-wing American christians have continued to campaign against family planning, gays and abortion (which Jesus never mentioned) but are totally silent about Ashley Madison and adultery. Such people, it seems, pick their sins, as convenient. We in turn guess their motives, but are too polite to write them down.
Where might Epicurus have stood on this issue? I think he would have extended understanding and compassion to any man or woman trapped in an unhappy marriage and genuinely and desperately seeking love. We should seek a pleasant life. But I also think he would have little time for people making a quick buck out of prurient temptation, and it is prurient temptation that Ashley Madison and the multiplicity of porn websites offer.
While others campaign against excessive wealth and greed, ( which Jesus warned against) these christians elevate it to become the “prosperity gospels”.
Boss quits
Toronto
The founder and chief executive of the infidelity website Ashley Madison has left the company after a third mass leak of emails, some of which suggested that, despite previous denials, he himself has had several affairs. Noel Biderman (pictured) stepped down “by mutual agreement” at the end of August. In July, details of 37 million accounts were stolen from the controversial website by hackers, and it has since been reported – though the company denies it – that only a tiny fraction of the site’s active users are women, and that most female profiles are in-house fakes.
As someone who knows a lot of Evangelicals (albeit British ones), I’m certain all of them would condemn adultery unequivocally, which makes the American Christian silence puzzling. Are British people more conservative? I don’t think so.
Regardless, adultery is wrong. Its a betrayal of trust. It has led to many a murder, suicide, or period of depression. It rips families apart. It is one of the most selfish acts a man can commit. Epicurus would be disguised; he didn’t approve of romance generally because it often leads to unhappiness. I don’t agree with his position, which I regard as quite extreme, but I accept that many romantic relationships end horrifically- and often with awful consequences for everyone affected. I would only add that individuals should be allowed discretion as to how they pursue romance. It may not work out, but people shouldn’t feel ashamed just for trying.