Do you believe fornication should be illegal?

[JohnB445]

Yes or No.

Looking for a discussion here, where Christians share their views on the matter. Some things to note are.
1. How will this benefit society?
2. Is this something God would want?
3. What risks will be eliminated?

 

[dogs4thewin]

It would be pointless as really it for the most part assuming that is consentual is a victimless "crime" ( even with STDS if one partner lets the other know and partner B is OK with it they cannot claim to be a victim. Also, it would be pretty much impossible to have a hope of enforcing as it usually happens behind closed doors and since it is basically victimless what business is it of anyone else's? Also, there are people who for whatever reason choose to remain legally unmarried, but are in a committed relationship. For example, oftentimes disabled people will lose benefits if they get married, so they may choose to legally remained unmarried, but yet still are in a committed relationship and may even consider themselves married ( sometimes called common law).

 

[HTacianas]

Yes or No.

Looking for a discussion here, where Christians share their views on the matter. Some things to note are.
1. How will this benefit society?
2. Is this something God would want?
3. What risks will be eliminated?

If you go back about sixty or so years and count up all the deaths, abortions, fatherless children leading to countless murders in the streets, hundreds of thousands of court hours spent adjudicating child support and paternity cases, and the cost of treating venereal diseases you'll find all kinds of reasons to make it illegal.

 

[PloverWing]

Also, it would be pretty much impossible to have a hope of enforcing as it usually happens behind closed doors and since it is basically victimless what business is it of anyone else's?

This is an important reason to think very carefully before making sex between consenting single people illegal. What does enforcement look like? Can a police officer follow you home and look in your bedroom window to see what you do at the end of your date? Do we want that in our society?

If you go back about sixty or so years and count up all the deaths, abortions, fatherless children leading to countless murders in the streets, hundreds of thousands of court hours spent adjudicating child support and paternity cases, and the cost of treating venereal diseases you'll find all kinds of reasons to make it illegal.

I don't know how often consensual sex causes death. That would be a very bad date indeed.

Fatherless children is a legitimate point. However, for the children who are conceived outside of marriage, if sex outside of marriage is illegal, how do you see the state proceeding? Imprison both parents? No child support at all, because the mother committed a crime by conceiving a child and thus is entitled to nothing? Something else?

As for abortions and sexually-transmitted diseases: these may actually go up if sex between single people becomes illegal. If I become pregnant and I'm single, the easiest way to keep my crime undetected is to quickly get an abortion. If I get an STD, I may be afraid to get treatment, because I'd be confessing to a crime, so maybe I stay untreated and continue to infect others. I suspect that making fornication illegal would have consequences that we don't actually want.

 

[zippy2006]

2. Is this something God would want?

The Old Testament approach is interesting (link).

 

[SavedByGrace3]

I do not know how it could be made illegal or enforced. Perhaps people should be held responsible for any results. If a child is conceived, the parents should be made to support the child.
It is more of a cultural thing. It will likely continue if the culture does not frown upon it. Today, many things are culturally accepted that are Biblically sinful. It is everywhere. I am unsure how laws could be made or enforced to stop it. Nature will take care of some of the wickedness. The trouble is that much of that remedy comes down on the entire culture, even the innocents. So when the land vomits out its inhabitants due to abominations, the good people may go with them. Today, in America, wickedness is being accepted and encouraged by culture, the government, courts, and even churches. It will come down hard, and I don't think many will escape the suffering. I believe the law of sowing and reaping exists at every level, including national and cultural. The day of retribution is very soon.

 

[dogs4thewin]

If you go back about sixty or so years and count up all the deaths, abortions, fatherless children leading to countless murders in the streets, hundreds of thousands of court hours spent adjudicating child support and paternity cases, and the cost of treating venereal diseases you'll find all kinds of reasons to make it illegal.

Remember, just because someone is legally married does not mean they will willingly support their children. Likewise, there are men who are not legally married to the mother who are still in the child's life. To say that fatherless children is a reason to make sex outside of marriage illegal makes no sense as really all legal marriage is is a piece of paper giving couples certain rights ( that are decreasing by the way) Same thing with STDS today there are not blood tests and even if there were I do not think that would prevent people from getting married due to an STD that was more to check for relation than anything. Also, even if you included child support just because someone is married at the time of conception does not mean they will remain so for the between 18 and 21 years plus nine months that the child is considered a minor, so I can be married to someone say now conceive a child that does not mean that five, ten, fifteen years down the line I will still be married to him, yet if the resulting child is a "regular" child (meaning no special needs he would be legally required to pay child support until AT LEAST the child's 18thh birthday ( unless he signed away his rights or loss them by court order before that time. Sometimes with special needs children it can go longer than that ( especially if their needs are such that they cannot care for themselves.

 

[seeking.IAM]

Perhaps people should be held responsible for any results. If a child is conceived, the parents should be made to support the child.

I do not know how people can be made more responsible. In the U.S. we have legal mechanisms for establishing paternity (e.g. responsiblitity), child support, garnishment of wages etc. for those who do not pay support, etc. It is not like we can take them outside of the city and stone them anymore. And, if we would it is pretty tough to get child support out of someone we just stoned (or incarcerated). Single mothers face a possible lifetime of struggle, poverty, and raising a child without support. Forced responsiblity and natural consequences are certainly present for moms of absent dads.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

We all know that laws can be enacted and piled as high as the moon. But if the culture does not obey them, they are just wishes. Attempts to outlaw things like alcohol and drugs have failed and resulted in more crime. Now, things like shoplifting and vandalism are accepted by courts, police, and culture. In many places, the laws are not enforced. Laws will change nothing if people as a whole do not follow them. So, I doubt the culture will follow any laws forbidding fornication. There are not enough police, jails, courts, judges, or prisons to deal with them.

 

[Arcangl86]

Yeah, I would have to say no. Such a law would be a nightmare to enforce and would require a level of government intrusion in people's private lives that I really don't think can be justified by any so called benefits.

 

[Danny&Annie&theChristmas]

I don't see how that can be enforced, but I do think on a related matter that alienation of affection and adultery laws should be brought back to give modern marriages at least a fighting chance to survive in this eroding society.

 

[JacksBratt]

Yes or No.

Looking for a discussion here, where Christians share their views on the matter. Some things to note are.
1. How will this benefit society?
2. Is this something God would want?
3. What risks will be eliminated?

No.

It's a sin, for sure.
It's detrimental to mental and physical health.. for sure.
There is all kinds of reasons why it has a negative impact on people and civilization.

However, if you start controlling people with anything that is free will for consenting adults... it makes it hard to know where you stop.

What next? What is considered too far when two people are together? What about clothing? What about opposite and same sex? How do you police it? What about gluttony and obesity?

It's a slippery slope.

Choose to sin... Choose to suffer.

God gave us free will and punishment for not following His ways.

Mankind shouldn't take away free will that is given by God.

 

[WolfGate]

No.

It's a sin, for sure.
It's detrimental to mental and physical health.. for sure.
There is all kinds of reasons why it has a negative impact on people and civilization.

However, if you start controlling people with anything that is free will for consenting adults... it makes it hard to know where you stop.

I agree with JacksBratt comments here.

Beyond that, only a tiny minority of our citizens would support making fornication illegal. Among those who are not people of faith, support would be essentially non-existent for that ban. Being a country where people of faith and those who lack faith are supposed to have a voice in the square of public debate, and given this is not an issue where protecting the rights of a minority constituency come into play, the will of the majority should determine legality.

Should God's people avoid fornication even as it is legal? Of course, and that gives His people a chance to stand out and influence, rather than wanting to control, those who are not in His nation of followers.

 

[dogs4thewin]

I don't see how that can be enforced, but I do think on a related matter that alienation of affection and adultery laws should be brought back to give modern marriages at least a fighting chance to survive in this eroding society.

and how would that be enforced? Police (unless you are in a small town do not know who all is married to whom and frankly unless you are talking about civil court locking people up for cheating is something we cannot afford to do there are other crimes to deal with that need those beds.

 

[Ephesians321]

No, I do think it can be illegalized and enforceable by laws but it sure would make the world a much, much better place. But Christians are ordered to flee from sexual immorality.

 

[Tuur]

I do not know how it could be made illegal or enforced.

I once came across a novel approach in court records (research during a college history class). Apparently, at that time (very early 1800s), it was a crime in a particular state. A couple was living together out of wedlock and appeared in court on charges. The couple stated their intent to wed, and claimed to be waiting for the circuit preacher to pass through the area, and the judge let them off. Next term of court, same couple, same claim. Memory's hazy, but I think it was the third time they came before the court and made that claim, the judge had them married then and there, with the jury serving as witnesses.

Out of curiosity, I checked a legal code, circa 1860 (it's amazing what you can find online), checked the index, and yep, it was still illegal then. What's interesting is that it specifies that the couple who lives together in a state of fornication may be brought up on charges. That might have been a nod to the difficulty in proving it. The couple could be fined up to $500 (keep in mind this is in 1860) and/or spend 60 days in the county jail, but could suspend prosecution or punishment by marriage (if a marriage could legally take place).

Just something interesting.

 

[Godsunworthyservant]

Yes or No.

Looking for a discussion here, where Christians share their views on the matter. Some things to note are.
1. How will this benefit society?
2. Is this something God would want?
3. What risks will be eliminate

Fornication has several connotations in the KJV translation of the Bible. I will assume you use the word in reference to sexual sin. I will also assume that you are asking a serious question. So, my serious answer is NO! Christ never told us to care what worldly laws or society dictates (aside from the idea that we should submit to earthly laws as long as they are not in conflict with our ability to worship God) and He taught that we should spend our time and resources doing God's work and leave governing to those in power.

To answer your specific questions, 1. It wouldn't benefit society because it would be impossible to enforce and if it were enforced it would be extremely expensive and would only result in more overcrowding of our already strained legal system. 2. Again, God never said He wants anything from governments. He only says what He wants from believers. 3. I can't think of any risk aversion that it would accomplish.

With that in mind, shouldn't we as Christians spend our time and energy doing what Christ taught us to do and quit worrying about those things that He didn't? We know that sexual sin is against God's law, so why should we worry about what earthly law says? (unless earthly law should somehow require us to engage in sinful behavior.)

 

[SoldierOfTheKing]

I once came across a novel approach in court records (research during a college history class). Apparently, at that time (very early 1800s), it was a crime in a particular state. A couple was living together out of wedlock and appeared in court on charges. The couple stated their intent to wed, and claimed to be waiting for the circuit preacher to pass through the area, and the judge let them off. Next term of court, same couple, same claim. Memory's hazy, but I think it was the third time they came before the court and made that claim, the judge had them married then and there, with the jury serving as witnesses.

Out of curiosity, I checked a legal code, circa 1860 (it's amazing what you can find online), checked the index, and yep, it was still illegal then. What's interesting is that it specifies that the couple who lives together in a state of fornication may be brought up on charges. That might have been a nod to the difficulty in proving it. The couple could be fined up to $500 (keep in mind this is in 1860) and/or spend 60 days in the county jail, but could suspend prosecution or punishment by marriage (if a marriage could legally take place).

Just something interesting.

Likely the main purpose of the law was to suppress prostitution.

 

[Tuur]

Likely the main purpose of the law was to suppress prostitution.

If it was, the 1860 code wouldn't specify living together. I just checked the 1860 code again and couldn't find prostitution (or harlotry) in the index, but adultery is also specified in the same code.

This is 4418 in the Code of the State of Georgia, 1861, found on archive.org, if anyone wants to double-check. 4420 address "open lewdness" and keeping bars open on the "Sabbath day or Sabbath night." 4421 addresses houses of ill repute and what today would be called "No tell motels."

 

[Tropical Wilds]

Yes or No.

No, and it’s a stupid idea that’s unenforceable.

1. How will this benefit society?

It wouldn’t as it would make normal people criminals for engaging in consensual, private behavior, which is a tenuous moral crime as opposed to a societal crime or one that is an act against the public good or wellbeing.

2. Is this something God would want?

Absolutely not. God wants us to choose to be moral and follow his teachings, not be compelled to them legally, if you even believe God is against premarital sex to begin with.

3. What risks will be eliminated?

None. Existing risks would remain the same and new ones would pop up.