Quote:(a) What do you mean? How could making the choice to commit adultery not be deliberate?
(b) Do you feel there are cases where adultery did not cause harm or suffering to someone along the line?
This is of particular interest to me, though I've never been there myself. It's of interest because I think in certain circumstances adultery is acceptable. Not ideal, but acceptable.
In the first instance, I believe that "Every person is solely responsible for their own happiness".
Secondly, when people get married, their happiness becomes partially tied to that of their husband/wife.
Many marriages, for whatever reason, end up being unhappy (or happy in some part, and unhappy in other parts). Many individuals within a relationship, seek (and hint, and hint, and talk and hint to the other) their 'needs' from the other person (whether for attention, creation, love, intimacy or other) without getting anywhere (that they do this imperfectly is another topic altogether).
If after multiple attempts, the other person is not 'making' you happy, the only person left to 'make' you happy, is yourself (the only person left to look after your happiness, is yourself). To not seek your own happiness shows a lack of respect for yourself, and is a betrayal of yourself (again - we are all solely responsible for our own happiness)
Sometimes, for whatever reason, one person (or both parts) of the partnership ends up tired / bored / irritable / lonely / miserable / frustrated / angry /crying themselves to sleep or any combination thereof.
In seeking to look after your own happiness, you may choose a path (in this discusssion, Adultery) that may possible end up in the hurt of the other party (the husband / wife). There is no intention to hurt the other party (in the form I'm talking about), merely a desire to fill a missing void in the persons life...and hence they engage in adultery - obtaining their 'need' from a person willing to fulfil their need.
Now, I think there are better ways of dealing with a dying marriage - a marriage that isn't growing is dying (which is the situation where most adulteries that I'm talking about occurr), however, for many reasons, people in dying marriages want to 'try and make it work' (yes, while sleeping with another person).
The another down side of such is that it hurts the person indulging in it, as they have to deceive their husband/wife to hide the activity.
Of course a worse form of adultery (that's right, there are degrees), occurs when a man/woman believes that sleeping around during marriage is 'normal', or do so 'because they can', not realising that this is disrespectful (among other things), and genuine love can't exist without respect.
) Evil is the bad stuff that happens that's thought out, planned, ordained by someone, whatever. Killing someone just for sport, because you want that $20 in their wallet. I don't believe demons are sitting on everyone's shoulders telling them all these bad things to do to dishonor god or whatever. It's just people being people. I think there's a little bit of evil in all of us. Some more than others.
