The Internet - Land of Loud Wrong People
The internet has so much wonderful information. It has a lot of terrible stuff as well. I have a problem with the stuff that is sometimes difficult to categorize in either of these. With the popularity of blogs increasing, it is becoming even more difficult to find the experts; everyone is an 'expert'. It is easy for anyone to say anything, and give the implication that research has been done, and many will believe. I have fallen for this so many times in the blogosphere myself, and even passed misinformation on. I don't, honestly, know how to research anything without the net. Many in my generation (and following) are the same.
I have come across many blog posts that are simply false, but because they give the impression of previous research, they give the impression of truth. So many people on the web hope to be the source of knowledge (myself included even). Unfortunately, many are going on further misinformation found on the web. Thus misinformation becomes perceived truth due to simple quantity of perpetrators. When it comes to important stuff, a web consensus does not amount to enough research.
Now to a discussion I read on a blog recently. The post proposed that there is no biblical basis for pre-marital sex being immoral or a sin. The author's contention is that God condemns adultery, and since that only occurs when married, then sex before marriage is not a sin, and the author even seems to implicate that God would encourage promiscuous behavior before marriage. The author posts this in a blog purporting to be searching for the biblical truth, and to top if off, gets comments of people reluctantly agreeing, as though they too can find no biblical evidence against pre-marital sex. I provide this description instead of a link, since a link would serve to send people to a blog filled with many ignorant religious positions presented as fact. I will not do that, so you must take my word for it.
I provide you the simple grade-school (OK high-school) explanation of the flaw in this statement. The Bible says many times that sex before marriage is a sin. Unfortunately, the definition of sexual immorality (and adultery) has been changed in our society to exclude things like pre-marital sex. English is a living language, and therefore common use dictates the definition. Fornication and Adultery have been separated by definition. The definitions 2000-6000 years ago were not the same. The words used by Paul in I Corinthians 7 were typically translated to mean fornication (pre-marital sex) and adultery (now separated in english from fornication). The simple answer: Sex before marriage is a sin. God views marriage as a commitment between one man and one woman for life. This commitment begins prior to marriage, or even meeting your spouse. Adultery in God's eyes has always been sex outside of marriage.
Anyways, just my attempt to balance out some ignorant false claims on the internet. I am not sure it matters, but if this site gets bumped above any site claiming otherwise, I consider it worth the post.
Morality is God defined, not a democracy.