Fornication

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Fornication refers to any sexual activity between unmarried partners. Sex between unmarried persons is distinguished from adultery by use of the term 'simple fornication'; whereas relations in which at least one of the parties is married, is considered 'adultery' [1].

The etymology of the English word leads to the Latin word fornix, meaning "an archway" or "vault" (a reference to a location in Rome where prostitutes could be solicited).

United States law

Historically, in the context of the laws of states of the United States, fornication is generally defined as (vaginal) sexual intercourse between two unmarried persons of opposite sex and has been a crime; however, those laws were either repealed, are not enforced, or were struck down by the courts as unconstitutional. See also State of New Jersey v. Saunders, 381 A.2d 333 (N.J. 1977), Martin v. Ziherl 607 S.E.2d 367 (Va. 2005).

With respect to fornication between same-sex persons, or sodomy, the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Lawrence v. Texas rendered the states' remaining laws unconstitutional.

Islamic law

Fornication is a crime in many Muslim countries, and is often harshly punished. However, there are some exceptions. In Pakistan, for example, occasionally a charge is filed in order to prevent the accused from leaving the judistriction (for instance it is often used against drug smugglers, against whom it may not be possible to show a prima facie case for trial, but a charge of fornication, which requires a lower threshold, can be filed in the interim as the investigation unfolds.) In certain countries where parts of Islamic law are enforced, such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, fornication of unmarried persons is punishable by lashings. This is in contrast to adultery, whereas if one of the convicted were married, their punishment would be death by stoning. Historically speaking, corporal punishment for sexual crimes are part of law enforcement in the Abrahamic faiths when comprehensively carried out. Similar guidelines are also mentioned in the Old Testament. However, later, Christian scholars identified Jesus, Son of Mary's message as repealment of older Israelite laws.

Christian contexts

Fornication is often used in a biblical context, where the word is a common translation of the Koine Greek word porneia, from which is derived the English word "pornography." However, many believe that this is a mistranslation and that the term porneia does not include premarital sex but refers to adultery, incest and idolotrous prostitution.

In the Bible, fornication is forbidden in both the Old and New Testaments (see 1 Corinthians 6:9, 18; Ephesians 5:3-5; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Deuteronomy 22:13ff.). As Friedrich Hauck and Siegfried Schulz state in the Dictionary of the New Testament, (edited by Kittel and Friedrich), "The New Testament is characterized by an unconditional repudiation of all extra-marital and unnatural intercourse with animals. In this respect it follows to a large degree the judgment of Old Testament and Israelite preaching." (Vol.6, p.590).

For the spiritualizing of Fornication, see Hosea 1-3, Ezekiel 16, Jeremiah 2:20-36 and James 4:4.de:Unzucht fr:Fornication pt:Fornicação ru:Любодеяние simple:Fornication sv:Otukt