Consequences of Cheating

I wanted to add this thought, adultery can be forgiven, but we must repent and when we have shown sufficient sincerity and remorse the Savior will intercede. (John 8: 2-11). The rest of this post is straight out of the textbook I wanted the reader to understand the seriousness of the sin.

There are spiritual consequences associated with all types of infidelity. Elder Richard G. Scott (1994, p. 38) has warned, “Intimate acts are forbidden by the Lord outside . . . of marriage because they undermine His purposes. . . . When experienced any other way, they are against His will. They cause serious emotional and spiritual harm.” Apart from the spiritual impacts, infidelity has other negative consequences.

Infidelity is one of the leading factors in divorce (Amato & Previti, 2003); infidelity produces traumatic impacts on the spouse who was cheated on and turns one’s world upside down (Baucom, Snyder, & Gordon, 2007). The spouse often feels nauseated, repulsed, depressed, undesirable, insecure, helpless, abandoned, anxious, and even suicidal (Hall & Fincham, 2006).

Children whose parents have been unfaithful also tend to be confused and disillusioned, and at times also experience despair (Lusterman, 2005). Infidelity has also become a significant public health issue. With the rapid spread of sexually transmitted diseases, individuals who engage in sex outside of marriage not only risk exposing themselves but also their spouse to these diseases. With the constant threat of HIV, infidelity can “literally become a matter of life and death” (Hall & Fincham, 2006, p. 155). Use of pornography results in distinctive negative impacts, including the objectification of people, overemphasis on the visual, overemphasis on sex, and the expectation of instant gratification (Valentine, 2005).

References

Gardner, S., & Greiner, C., (2016). Honoring marital vows with complete fidelity. In Hawkins, A. J., & Dollahite, D. C., & Draper, T. W., (Eds.), Success marriages and families – proclamation principles and research perspectives. pp. 59-68. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University

#Infidelity #adultery #divorce