Adultery is witnessed on television shows and movies and read about in countless tabloids, magazines and novels. It has become so commonplace as to not be recognized as immoral anymore. Many don't realize adultery is still illegal in twenty-three states. In ancient times, it was a capital offense. Now we watch it every night on TV.

One only has to open the pages of the Holy Bible, a common dictionary or log onto any Wiki to find the definition of adultery. The contemporary world views it as voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than the lawful spouse (Merriam-Webster. From the Bible's perspective, if one is married and looks at, thinks about, or touches another person with lust (sexual desire) in their heart or mind, it is considered adultery. By this standard, lust is also adultery.

Oxforddictionaries.com states pornography is written or visual material containing explicit descriptions of sexual organs or activity intended to stimulate erotic (raw, sexual desire) rather than aesthetic (beautiful, pleasing) feelings. By this definition, pornography is lust.

Pornography is lust (sexual desire), and lust is adultery. Therefore, pornography is adultery.

Adultery is not just sexual intercourse

Adultery is not restricted to sexual intercourse between married people. In addition to lust of the flesh, "lust of the eyes" is also considered adultery 1 John 2:16, KJV.

In the Sermon on the Mount, the Savior pointed out higher laws. Not only is it unlawful to kill, but anyone who is angry is in danger of judgment Matthew 5:22, KJV. It is well-known anger can lead to murder. Thus, anger is a higher law-a higher commandment to keep.

One of the most powerful scriptures about adultery comes from our Savior, again from the Sermon on the Mount:

"Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

"But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." Matthew 5:27-28 KJV

These verses in Matthew clearly state looking on a woman with lust is adultery. Adultery is against the law, and lust is the higher law.

Adultery without sexual intercourse

In the Bible, adultery without sexual intercourse is referred to as "wanton eyes" Isaiah 3:16, KJV, or "eyes full of adultery" (See 2 Peter 2:14, KJV). These scriptures state plainly adultery is not only a sin of the flesh, but of indecent images seen by the eyes.

It is not coincidental that pornography is taken into the brain through the eyes. Since lust is defined as being consumed with sexual desire, pornographic craving to view woman after woman in obscene sex acts (read: multiple partners) is clearly adultery. Any spouse who is the victim of their partner's pornography addiction will equivocally agree pornography is cheating. Why not call cheating what it really is? Adultery.

Social media and adultery

Another way adultery is committed is via social media. Provocative words in a text, an email, or a chat room cause sexual arousal. This is pornographic, which is then adultery.

Men and women, who participate in social media porn, are, by definition, adulterers. Call it what it is.

Women and pornography

Women view internet pornography as well as men. In fact, one in three viewers of porn is a woman, and that statistic is rising.

Many women are addicted to "erotica," or what the world calls "romance novels." These books are explicit with titillating, immoral sex acts. Erotica is a synonym for pornography, and pornography is adultery.

Pornography statistics

Half of all divorces in the U.S. stem from pornography addiction. (See mind-armor.com or TechAddiction)

• Seven out of ten males view internet porn in the U.S. (that's 70%)

• 2.5 billion emails per day are pornographic (that's 8% of all emails).

• There are 116,000 searches for "child pornography" every day. Every day!

• Age eleven is the average age when a child first sees porn online.

• Utah has the nation's highest online porn subscription use at 5.47 per thousand.

Pornography addiction

In porn addiction, the viewing becomes an obsession, then a compulsion. The images must become ever more stimulating, atrocious and shocking to have the now-addicted appetite sated, just as a drug addict needs one more hit of crack; a smoker must have one more cigarette; a gambler needs one more roll of the dice.

Thou shalt not commit adultery

Modern-day streaming of pornography on the internet through computers, iPads, and smartphones has multiplied its use exponentially. The stigma of "adulterer" seems to no longer be a reason to stay away from the poison of porn. But beware-addiction may quickly capture one's soul with just one peak, turn of the page, or swipe of a finger on a smartphone.

It is argued here with semantics, statistics, and religious standards that pornography is lust and lust is adultery. Some may still dispute the classification, but perhaps others will experience an ah-ha moment and move past the gray question.

What do you think?

The post Why pornography is adultery appeared first on FamilyToday.

Get comfortable with the writing instrument you prefer: pen to paper; document on computer, laptop or tablet; digital recorder or whatever new technology is out there to record your thoughts, and let's play 20 questions. Better yet, hand the list of questions to a child or grandchild and have them interview you. It will be time well spent with a loved one.

Set the timer for one hour and be brief. This is an outline. Fill in the blanks only. Don't elaborate. You only have one hour. Ready, set ... write.

1. Full Name (include maiden name, if applicable)

2. Date and Location of Birth (day/month/year; name of hospital, city, county, state/country)

3. Residence at birth (city, county, state/country)

4. Parents' names, including mother's maiden

5. Other residences (city, county, state/country)

6. Name and Location of High School and College. (Just name your graduating high school, if more than one, and don't talk about the crush you had on someone in 11th grade. You only have an hour.)

7. Name of Spouse, including maiden name

8. Where Spouse is from (city, county, state/country)

9. Date and Location of Marriage. (Don't spend time on the wedding reception or number of bridesmaids here. The clock is ticking. There's time for that later.)

10. Residence When Married (city, county, state/country)

11. Other/Present Residence. (Yes, make a list, but don't tell us the color of your first house or how you added on a bedroom for the twins. Get to the next question.)

12. Occupations (What, where, dates, when retired, if applicable). Yes, list them all, but don't elaborate on why you left one job for another or how much you did or didn't get paid

13. Club Memberships/Volunteer Organizations

14. Name and Place of Church Attendance

15. Church Service/Callings

16. Hobbies/Talents/Awards

17. Children and their Spouses (include maiden names) and their present Place of Residence (city, county, state/country)

18. Grandchildren (number of boys and girls, or name each one)

19. Great-grandchildren (number of boys and girls, or name each one)

20. Siblings, their Spouses and Residences (city, state only)

Ding-ding-ding. Pencils down. You have just created the bones, or skeleton, of your autobiography. If you noticed, you have also written your own obituary. Surprised? Don't think it's morbid. Your relatives will be grateful when the time comes. Be kind and think of them as they prepare your eulogy. Thanks to you, they'll get it right.

If there is still sand in the hourglass, include other items in the outline, such as favorite Bible story, hymn, popular song, foods, color, vacation spot. The list is endless once you start reminiscing. Writing about your life is contagious. Keep going if you like, regardless of the hour.

The post Writing your own life story: One-hour autobiography appeared first on FamilyToday.

Many of us spend years of our lives turning the handles of microfilm readers, dulling our eyesight in front of a computer, even traveling the globe to trace our genealogy. Others take great pride in creating a scrapbook page worthy of framing.

But it is just as important to concentrate on our own personal history as it is to preserve our past by searching for ancestors, or by keeping a record of our children's smiles in scrapbooks. It's important that our posterity know who we are.

So why do some of us find it so hard to carry out the edict to write our own history?

Why should we write ours?

The answer is found in the faces of children and grandchildren - to let loved ones know "who I truly am,"� and "what really happened to me." No matter how close our friends and family might be, our memories cannot be adequately articulated by others.

Where were you when the first man walked on the moon? How did you feel about fighting in a war? When did you know you wanted to marry dad? These questions can only be addressed by telling the story ourselves, in our own words, according to our knowledge.

While pondering the "why write" question, others might crop up, such as:

• When will I find time?

• Where will I write this tale?

• How will I do it?

• Where do I start?

Sunday is a great day to take some time and work on a life story. Set a goal of writing for only one hour, then try to stop. It's contagious, once the memories flow and come alive on the page.

Keeping your own record

Plates of brass aside, there are many ways for us to keep a life record nowadays. Years ago, pen and paper, or a typewriter with ample white-out, were the only options. Nowadays, with technology growing by leaps and bounds every second, options include:

• Keep a running document in a word-processing program on a laptop, personal computer or even a Smartphone.

• Save e-mails to and from friends and family in a document. That, in itself, would be a hefty journal when printed out. (Don't forget page numbers.)

• Tech-savvy people can utilize the World Wide Web by creating a blog, short for Weblog. Friends and family members can read it instantly and make comments.

• The old standby - a good store-bought journal or diary, if the thought of technology or cyber-space might cause hives to form.

Journaling versus keeping a diary

Though a diary is for brief writing or record keeping, a journal is used to pour one's heart out. Interest lies in the details, feelings and using all five senses. How did the sky look, the green apple taste, the rose smell, the cricket sound, the sweater feel?

Explain everything as if telling someone from a foreign country who doesn't know you or the customs where you live. Our posterity will not know the activities in our unique time period. Use exact names when telling about friends, neighbors and places, and exact dates events take place.

Use descriptions and other fun facts, such as, how big, what color, how fast. An interesting detail to include while writing is "how much it costs," especially in ever-changing economic times.

Journaling also makes it possible to work out a problem in one's life, just by writing about it. This creates a learning environment for our children. They need to know how dad handled that exact quandary, or that mom had the same setbacks - and look how they overcame them.

Religious leader Spencer W. Kimball said, "What could you do better for your children and your children's children than to record the story of your life, your triumphs over adversity, your recovery after a fall, your progress when all seemed black, your rejoicing when you had finally achieved?"

So now that we know why it's important for us to write our life story, when to write and how to do it, one question remains - where to start?

If using a word processing program, one can begin anywhere in one's lifetime, and cut and paste into chronological order at any time. Another option - write by topic: faith, school days, courtship, funny things our kids said. Or start at the beginning: My name is... I was named after... It doesn't matter, as long there's writing on the page.

Spencer Kimball also said this about journaling: "Just do it." It's still good advice today. Help your posterity know that "you lived" and "this is what you did." And they'll be glad you did.

The post Writing your own life story: Getting started appeared first on FamilyToday.

Look at any of the questions from the outline to reminisce and write about your life. Pick one number for each writing session.

For example, number one asks for your full name. Now is the time to elaborate on where your name comes from. Is it a family name? You could also include your nickname and how you got it.

Number two on the outline is about where you were born. Most people were born in a hospital, but maybe you were born at home. Who delivered you? Tell about it. Your grandchildren will be interested.

Location, location, location! What do you remember about the first house you lived in? What color was it? Did you have a backyard with a swing set, or a tree fort? Who were your cohorts in the neighborhood when you were young? Do you remember their names? Of course, you do. Use all five senses. What did the grass smell like in the summer when you were rolling down the hill with your friends? Did you lie on your back to look at clouds, or stars? Do you remember listening to crickets chirping? Did you live in an area where you could catch lightening bugs?

Number seven from your outline addresses your courtship with your spouse. Where did you meet? When did you know he/she was "the one?"� Combine this with number nine and you can tell how many bridesmaids were part of your wedding. Where did you go for your honeymoon?

What clubs or organizations did you belong to as a child and youth? Here's where you will tell about Boy/Girl Scout Camp, gymnastics class, student council, high school musicals, etc. You were there. You're the only one who knows what happened.

Did you ever receive any awards? What are your talents? How did you acquire them? Did any of them lead to your occupation? Explain what you do in your job.

Where did you go to college? Tell about roommates, the campus, professors, classes, football games. Take your time and write these memories.

Did you serve in the military? How did you feel about serving your country? Did you travel overseas? What did you do there? How did this change your life?

If you'd like to stray from the 20 questions, feel free to delve into other realms:

• Do you remember your grandparents? Tell about each of them.

• Write some memories of each of your children. Remember the funny things they said and the cute things they did.

• Describe your family heirlooms: knickknacks, jewelry, books, furniture, etc. How will anyone know how much they mean to you, or who gave them to you, if you don't write it down?

• Make lists: favorite foods, songs, toys, color, car, pet - and why.

• Some people work well with writing prompts, such as, "My first memory of my grandfather was when ..."� or "The day my first child was born I felt ..."�

• List your pets

• Look at a photograph from your childhood. What's the first thing that pops into your mind?

Caution: it's important to take just an hour or so.You don't want this to be a burden. An hour on Sundays should do it, but you be the judge.

If using a computer, print out each writing session on acid-free paper and keep in a 3-ring binder. Copy and paste digital photos into the pages, or make color copies of photographs to add to binder. Create a blog, or a website with your own domain.

Have fun writing your life story and don't forget to share.

The post Writing your own life story: Elaborate appeared first on FamilyToday.