Hello Brad,

I just looked up the word adulterate in the dictionary.  That is the word
from which the word adultery comes.  This is what I found:
To make impure by adding extraneous, improper, or inferior ingredients.
and Synonyms: adulterate, debase, doctor, load
These verbs mean to make impure or inferior by adding foreign substances to
something: adulterate coffee with ground acorns; silver debased with
copper; doctored the wine with water; rag paper loaded with wood fiber.

When a spouse commits adultery, this is what happens to the marriage
relationship if I am understanding correctly.  I read it as saying that the
marriage is made inferior by adding foreign substances or other people
or  distractions from it.

Can it be said then that the abuse and neglect which comes when a spouse is
in a continual state of drunkenness or drug use, that a foreign substance
has been added to that marriage relationship, causing it to be inferior to
what God intended?  Not necessarily the chemical content of the alcohol,
but the consequences brought about by it.  A marriage relationship can be
so diluted that there is not much left that is of the Lord.

Perhaps this sounds far fetched, but just sharing my thoughts.

Helen



000

At 01:24 PM 1/18/04 -0600, you wrote:
>Helen,
>
>That is a tough thing. I know when I was studying in some counseling
>training tapes/seminars  I had, I posed similar in my mind. What does a
>person do if a dangerous situation is at hand? Well first removing oneself
>from danger does not necessarily mean divorce at the moment. Many people
>think that divorcing will remove the situation, and it can but not a given,
>especially if kids are involved. It is tough because Jesus said it is
>better for them to stay together that the other one might, as well, become
>a believer. What a sacrifice is there in that act of staying and enduring
>for the sake of another, that goes humbly by without regard and often taken
>for foolishness or stupidity.  Jesus said there is no better thing we can
>do but to die for our friend, how much then is it similar to live for them
>in such a situation? I know of situations you and Mat talk of, but I guess
>we need to, as anything else, look at what the word says. I doubt it is a
>"hell sending sin" to divorce in a situation like this, but I guess what
>might be God's will according to his word. I wonder, can we find scripture
>to back divorcing in such situations? That would be interesting to see.
>I've found  scripture to do opposite of divorce  but not in favor of it
>minus the exception Jesus spoke of. Anyway you look at it, it is a tough
>situation isn't it? And, as I mentioned before, in many cases of drug,
>alcohol, and abuse, infidelity exists and that might help the conviction if
>it exists. How hard it is to live up to God's word at times.
>
>Brad