My thoughts on the whole Ashley Madison Debacle

                Perhaps you aren’t a person that pays any attention to what is going on in the media.  Doing so isn’t always a bad thing, but the Ashley Madison hack is trending right now and I wanted to take a moment to share my two cents.

                If you aren’t aware there is a website called Ashley Madison.  Their slogan is “Life is Short. Have an Affair.”  The whole thing is a twisted odd “dating” website for married people.  That is so beyond unbelievable to me.  God believes in marriage, and he ordains it between a man and a woman. This is not something  that is okay in His eyes.  I only found out about it a few months ago when the hacking became news.  There aren’t enough times that I could “facepalm” the fact it is in existence. 

                What is causing all the drama is that someone hacked into the Ashley Madison website and has been exposing who were the users, and blackmailing others.  There have been some notable people that have been exposed.  It’s been said that the whole ordeal is a divorce lawyers Christmas morning, and I believe that. 

                I am not a perfect individual, and as I keep shaking my head at this story I have tried not to be too judgmental.  What amazes me is how people often believe their sin will not find them out.  The Bible is clear that this is not the case.  What is done in darkness will be brought to light.  While yes people fall and make mistakes, what is clearly different about some of these examples is they weren’t just one time things, but habitual things that went on for years.  What has shocked me is the attitude of people rejoicing over some of the ones that were exposed.  A certain public individual’s sexual preferences are splashed all over the internet.  That is appalling! It was wrong that he did what he did, but we can’t rejoice when it’s exposed.  That man’s family is falling apart.  We should be praying for him, his wife, and children.  To him who is without sin should cast the first stone. (John 8:7)

                As of writing this I learned that over 400 pastors in the US and Canada were on the Ashley Madison list.  I think it’s time the church wakes up and realizes that pornography is an issue in the church.  We have to stay accountable to each other.  I am beyond saddened at the ripples this will have in congregations and those families.  Porn destroys lives.  It is not innocent. 

                I can’t figure out this culture.  We are a culture that celebrates the idea of marriage, but yet has a 50% divorce rate.  We will sit for hours and watch “Say Yes to the Dress,” but yet we turn on “Divorce Court” and think nothing of it. Somehow covenant in marriage has become like a cheap single ply toilet paper, that when it breaks down we’ll just get more.  We are a culture that has lost what it means to be accountable to people.  We are too busy on our cell phones to look up and live our own lives, yet wonder why relationships are crashing around us.

                Let’s be real, marriage is hard work.  Not committing adultery is the in those 10 commandments that our society keeps getting in fights about whether they should be in a government building.  Perhaps if they were posted in those judicial buildings more, then more people would realize that God believes in marriages.   Temptation is real, but we can’t give into it.  We have to do what the Bible says and flee from it. 

                What I see, what is really happening in our culture isn’t just about some pornographic website.  It’s about the breakdown of the family in our society.  Families are splitting, lives are being shattered, fathers are leaving, mothers are spread too thin, and it’s all in the name of selfishness.  When are we as a people going to wake up and realize that life isn’t all about us?  We have to learn the delicate dance of living our lives in such a way that the needs of others are before our own.  We have to realize that as that is done our needs will be met too.  We have to realize that we are all in this boat of life together, and failure or quitting isn’t an option.  We have to get back to the fact that our word is our bond and commitments are more important than a moment of sinful desire.   We cannot continue to raise our culture bowing down to the “Fifty Shades of Gray.”  But we must rise up as a family, a society and as a team.  Just because something “feels good” does not mean one should do it.  Sin may seem okay for a moment but in the end a lives are ruined and hopes are downtrodden.

                It is time for us as a culture to raise a standard.  It’s time for us to put down our cell phones for a moment and have family dinners.  It is time for us to fall in love again with our spouses.  It is time for us to order our priorities and get our lives together.  It is time for us to put God back in the center and focus of our lives.  I don’t believe it’s too late for our society to change.  It can change if we all take a stand for righteousness sake.

                God has awesome plans in your life.  Get excited!