Nobody is immune to temptation. Adultery is a sexual relationship between a married person and another who is not his or her spouse. Several state legislatures prohibit adultery. It is punishable by law. Contrary to popular belief, there are three types of adultery.
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Sexual adultery
An adulterer is a man who had sexual intercourse with a woman who is not his wife. An adulteress is a woman who had done the same with a man who is not his husband. A lot of people regard adultery as a great sin and a great social wrong. The law views adultery as an offense causing injury to public morals. It is also considered as a mistreatment of the marriage relationship. This is a ground to file for divorce.
Adultery with no sexual intercourse
Some believe that one can commit adultery by lusting after a person. This is cheating on your spouse. Lust is a strong desire of any kind for something that belongs to someone else. Having no sexual intercourse will not make it a ground to file for divorce. But it is still considered as infidelity. It can turn to a ground for divorce if the couples are not staying together anymore for a year or so. Many will still regard it as adultery if one of the spouses is staying with someone who is not his or her spouse. Especially if the adulterer or adulteress cohabits with someone he or she has an affair with.
Spiritual adultery
Spiritual adultery is when a spouse has an emotional affair with someone who is not his or her spouse. When a spouse grows fond of that person then the marriage will become shaky. The term spiritual adultery has a different connotation now. It describes any inappropriate emotional relationship between a man and a woman. It doesn’t matter if there were no sexual acts involved. It is misleading to use this term but people still use it.
The punishment or consequence of adultery varies from one place to another. The Code of Hammurabi in Babylonia provided death punishment by drowning for adultery. Ancient Greece and Roman law punish an offending female spouse by death. But a male spouse who committed adultery can go unharmed. Ancient Hindu law considers marriage as an indissoluble sacrament. A wife’s adultery cannot sever the legal tie and dissolve the marriage act. There are societies that consider marriage a less-permanent arrangement. Extramarital sex is less condemned in these societies. Attitudes toward adultery vary between cultures and traditions.
Adultery is a ground for divorce in western Europe. The same goes for North America. It is possible to forgive your partner who cheated on you. Especially if you want to save your marriage. If you think that enough is enough then you may want to end your hurtful relationship. It is better to have reliable divorce attorneys in San Antonio by your side. They will help you make the divorce process as smooth as possible.
