While the Internet has become a fairly successful venue for singles seeking singles, some dating agencies have used it to promote adultery. And the “success” rate for matchmaking marrieds is increasing. In fact, the technology consulting firm Jupiter Research has discovered that of people registered with an online dating service, 12 percent are married.
It’s easy enough just to lie about your marital status to dating agencies that forbid extramarital searching (not all of them do by any means), and some places such as Yahoo and msn.com offer chat rooms for flirty married people. But there are agencies that cater specifically to spouses who want to cheat on spouses—and encourage ones who are just thinking about doing so.
Two of the biggest agencies are based in Canada. One is the Ashley Madison Agency, whose membership jumped 50,000 during the summer—to 220,000 clients. Coining the slogan “When Monogamy Becomes Monotony,” its success is leading to the establishment of other sites like it in the States. The homepage of the other large Canadian agency reads, “Helping you sort out your thoughts, provide some direction for your extramarital affair, and a safe, secure outlet for your extramarital desires is our mission.” Some sites even offer storytelling hints to create alibis.
The decadence is another unquestionable sign that we have lost the art of marriage, and that is crippling us. One family counselor, Brett Williams, commented on the ruination of marriages via the Web: “They’re basically destroying the fabric of our society. … Our society is built on family units. Once that decays, we’re not going to have much of a society” (Fox News, August 5).
For God’s perspective on the subject of marriage, request a free copy of our booklet Why Marriage! Soon Obsolete?