A Brief Marriage?

A brief news item was posted in the newspaper back about the middle of May which was quite unusual. Along with a story about a swimmer drowning and two being arrested after a two-county chase was the mention of a man being caught who had made arrangements to have sex with a prostitute. That, in itself, would not necessarily rank as unusual, since such stories have been reported with frequency. The unusual element of this story is seen in the headline of the one-paragraph description: “Cops: Newlywed Caught in Prostitution Sting.”

Yes, the man and his bride were staying at “an upscale Orlando-area resort” on their honeymoon! Some men have reportedly cheated on their wives in their first year of marriage, but few begin this soon. What kind of thought process is going through a person’s mind to try something this dumb?

Apparently, there is a popular website, called Backpage.com, which “allows users to post classified ads,” but they are not supposed to sell or engage in anything that is illegal. An undercover deputy posed as a prostitute. All totaled, 92 men and women were charged with solicitation (or a related offense) as a result of that operation, including a youth minister who had made arrangements with what he thought was a 14-year-old girl. So far as is known, however, only the one fellow was on his honeymoon at the time of his response.

He left the Omni Hotel to travel to another county to meet with what he thought was a prostitute. “His wife reported him missing at the time.” Was he planning to come back with an explanation, or just leave her there? “Sorry I was late for dinner and, in fact, all of last night, but I ran into an old friend and just lost track of time.” No, that seems a little far-fetched. What kind of excuse does one invent for suddenly ducking out of a honeymoon?

So, Mohammed (age 21) from Illinois, instead of enjoying the area’s attractions, gets on the Internet and decides to visit a prostitute while abandoning his bride. He sounds as if he might be Muslim, and if so, perhaps he thought he was entitled to three more wives (if he had been reading the Qur’an). His lawful wife, thinking that something must have happened to him, reported him missing; the police then apparently checked a database and informed her that he had been arrested. He also had marijuana in his possession.

Nothing was reported about the wife’s reaction to these things, but it should not be difficult for her to obtain a civil divorce under the circumstances. Chances are she will not have to wait long for a Scriptural reason once he is released. A man who would leave his wife on their honeymoon to be with a prostitute probably does not have any thoughts of remaining celibate. Why did he agree to marry in the first place?

Don’t young couples still make wedding vows? Isn’t there something about loving one’s mate for better or for worse? What about “forsaking all others for her alone”? No one could have that poor of a memory—to violate such a pledge within days. Apparently, whatever vows he made, Mohammed had no intention of keeping them. Whatever his concept of marriage, it did not come from the Scriptures, which teaches one man and one woman for life (Gen. 2:18-24). If there is a silver lining in this dark cloud, it is that she found out what he was like sooner rather than later.