Wednesday, September 23, 2009

7th Commandment Debate on Nightline

Posted by Michele Olson

Nightline, the ABC night time news program is doing a series on the Ten Commandments. Tomorrow night’s installment is on the 7th Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery.

The Nightline producers are starting the debate in a church setting with some of the participants invited that advocate open marriage. Interesting arena to hold the debate which was attended by many church goers. Topics include pornography, secret lives, sexless marriages and more. ( I put more because some of the topics made me cringe a bit to even type!)

Nightline’s goal is obviously healthy discussion and they have done their best to populate the panel with some guests that could only be described as controversial.

If you want to be part of the discussion…watch the show or set your VCR/DVD to tape it.
Titled: Are we born to cheat? it promises to be a very healthy debate. Feel free to express you opinion on this blog on Friday!

See the Nightline website and take a 10 Commandments Quiz.

5 comments:

Collin said...

Speaking of adultery, you might find "Is Pornography Adultery?" (Douthat, October 2008 Atlantic) of interest.

They've got some provocative articles related to marriage, a recent one being "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" (Tsing Loh, July-Aug'09). Check out the October letters column when it comes up online, too.

thinkmarriage.org said...

Thanks for sharing the aricles Collin...a different point of view, but I also wish, especially in the "Le's Call the Whole Thing Off" that she had explored Marriage Education as a tool to a satisfying marriage. It's more in-depth than "weekly date night." It's also a reminder that counseling unto itself is not the magic bullet for many couples. It takes a specific type of marriage friendly counselor to not jump to individual concern and lean toward divorce right out of the gate. We also know from social science research that just ending the marriage doesn't give the desired or expected results. From General Social Survey: 86% of those who rated their marriage unhappy in the late eighties and were still married five years later said their marriage had become happier, even with no outside intervention!
There is help in the form of marriage education and relationship coaching...all of which are not counseling. (Counseling is a great tool, but it's not the only tool)

Interesting articles to add to the discussion, but the really good news is, there is more for people to help than these article suggest.
Thanks for blogging!

M. Denise Wilmer Barreto said...

Finally watched the DVR - wow.

While there are many statistics that can support the physiological stance of "born to cheat", I have to agree with the pastor. We make choices.

I am so torn up from hearing from the teenager whose family was ripped apart by adultery. Interesting enough this debate was not really a debate. Most folks up there just wanted to justify their belief and belittle (try to at least) the pastor.

We are all born sinners and this act is indeed a sin. However there is redemption and hope when it happens.

That's what I want to see talked about on national tv - how do we help people survive and thrive after this shattering experience? That would be newsworthy to me.

thinkmarriage.org said...

Great points M...
This type of programming usually does just want to get every viewpoint out there...usually without solutions. The only good thing is ...if it is the press..that is what they should be doing, unbiased reporting. We just don't see it that often! Hopefully it will compel people watching to examine their own lives and motives and move them in the right direction.
Keep blogging!

M. Denise Wilmer Barreto said...

Ok - I just read the Atlantic article.

WOW.

There is a complete loss of hope out there and unfortunately a whole slew of people who are looking for the answer in friends and finding more despair.

It struck me that one of the women in the article did not consider divorce until her friend did it - which is why marriage education and relational wellness can make a difference. What would have happened if instead of announcing her divorce - she announced that she and her husband were taking steps to grow closer and understand one another better? Perhaps that method would have been contagious as well.

Sigh.