Sexual Ethics Test

One Hundred Plus Questions

Related to Sexual Right and Wrong

Cluster 4

Version 1.9

1. Who makes a marriage?

1. God.
2. The church or other religious institution.
3. The state.
4. Those being married.
5. Family members of those being married.
6. The social group to which those being married choose to belong.
7. It depends on the culture.
8. I don't know.
9. Other. Please elaborate.

2. In what ways do the social processes of becoming wed (marriage license, ceremony, etc.) have moral value as opposed to simply living together?

1. They entail celebration of a special moment in life.
2. They provide legal protection for the parties, especially with respect to their property and children.
3. They provide legitimacy for any children.
4. They provide social support for the marriage.
5. They provide for social sanctions against parties that cause offense to the marriage.
6. They entail bringing the parties to a decisive moment of mutual commitment.
7. They mean avoidance of social stigma that may attach to the alternatives.
8. They mean being free from reproach.
9. They mean having a sense of truly belonging.
10. They mean having ultimate claim upon one's spouse, which no one else can gainsay.
11. They entail recognition as one's spouse's next of kin.
12. They entail access to insurance for members of the family.
13. They mean fulfillment of a romantic dream.
14. They mean living in a state of blessedness rather than a state of sin.
15. They mean approval of religious institutions.
16. They mean approval of one's family.
17. They entail participation in tradition.
18. There are no values that outweigh the drawbacks. Please elaborate.

19. I don't know.
20. Other. Please elaborate.

3. In what ways does wedding in a religious ceremony have moral value as opposed to wedding in a secular ceremony?

1. A religious ceremony has special beauty.
2. It entails participation by one's primary community, the religious congregation.
3. It means elevating one's marriage to the level of a sacrament.
4. It means living in a state of blessedness rather than a state of either sin or ordinariness.
5. It means approval from religious institutions.
6. It means approval from one's family.
7. It entails participation in tradition.
8. It entails pre-marital admonition by moral figures.
9. It means receiving a religious kick-off for the challenges ahead.
10. It means acceptance of God's sovereignty over one's marriage.
11. It serves as a public dedication of the marriage to a religious life, and marriage should entail a religious life.
12. It recognizes that true marriage has a spiritual component.
13. There are no values that outweigh the drawbacks. Please elaborate.

14. I don't know.
15. Other. Please elaborate.

4. Are the social processes of becoming wed worth preserving?

1. Yes, they are worth preserving and should be the primary vehicle of social acceptance for sexual relationships.
2. Yes, they are worth preserving, but only as one option among many.
3. No, they are not worth preserving.
4. No, not in their present form; but yes, perhaps, in some other form. Please elaborate.

5. I don't know.
6. Other. Please elaborate.

5. Regarding women who become pregnant without the benefit of marriage, with which statement(s) do you generally agree?

1. They should be honored and supported as mothers.
2. They should be treated with compassion, counseled with regard to all of their options, and supported in their choice.
3. They should be treated with compassion, counseled with regard to their options, and steered away from abortion.
4. For the sake of upholding moral standards, they should be stigmatized for life or until they publicly repent.
5. For the sake of society, they should be socially stigmatized until they marry.
6. For the sake of society, they should be socially stigmatized, provided that an effort is made to find the fathers, to stigmatize them as well, and to require them to help support the children.
7. To stigmatize a person is to treat him or her as an image, a representation, rather than as a person; and that is morally wrong.
8. Stigmatizing unwed mothers is inherently sexist and therefore wrong.
9. Stigmatizing unwed mothers creates a climate that encourages abortion, and the creation of such a climate is wrong.
10. Unwed mothers-to-be should be encouraged to abort, for that is or often can be the right thing to do.
11. Unwed mothers should be encouraged to give up their children for adoption.
12. The treatment of unwed mothers should be relative to the needs of the culture and the degree of demand that unwed mothers and heir children place upon that culture.
13. I don't know.
14. Other. Please elaborate.

     

6. Regarding serial marriage -- that is, marrying several people, but only one at a time, and ending one or more such partnerships by divorce -- with which statement(s) do you generally agree?

1. Serial marriage is morally acceptable, for it serves the pursuit of happiness.
2. Morally speaking, serial marriage is worse than honestly contracted marriage to two or more people at the same time.
3. Morally speaking, honestly contracted marriage to two or more people at the same time is worse than serial marriage.
4. Morally speaking, an honestly contracted marriage to two or more people at the same time is no different from serial marriage; both are morally acceptable.
5. Morally speaking, an honestly contracted marriage to two or more people at the same time is no different from serial marriage; both are wrong.
6. Serial marriage is morally wrong, because true monogamy does not subsist when more than one partner, ex-partner or not, is alive.
7. Any moral wrongness with serial marriage has to do with divorce, which can occur with any form of marriage; marriage is indissoluble.
8. Any moral wrongness with serial marriage has to do with divorce, which can occur with any form of marriage; marriage is not indissoluble; but, with certain exceptions, divorcing one's spouse is wrong for other reasons.
9. Serial marriage is morally wrong for a woman but not a man; it is morally permissible for a man to have more than one spouse or ex-spouse living, but not for a woman.
10. Serial marriage is morally wrong for a man but not a woman; it is morally permissible for a woman to have more than one spouse or ex-spouse living, but not for a man.
11. Serial marriages are wrong if certain brands of religiously established marriages are part of the chain, but not if all are secular.
12. Any moral wrongness with serial marriage has to do with circumstances and not with serial marriage per se.
13. It is inappropriate to apply moral categories to marriage patterns, such as serial marriage.
14. I don't know.
15. Other. Please elaborate.

7. Do you agree or disagree with this statement: For a man to have more than one wife at a time is intrinsically wrong.

1. I agree.
2. I don't know.
3. I disagree.
4. It depends. Please elaborate.

8. Do you agree or disagree with this statement: For an unmarried man to have ongoing sexual relationships with more than one woman at a time is intrinsically wrong.

1. I agree.
2. I don't know.
3. I disagree.
4. It depends. Please elaborate.

9. Do you agree or disagree with this statement: For a man to love more than one woman at a time is intrinsically wrong.

1. I agree.
2. I don't know.
3. I disagree.
4. It depends. Please elaborate.

10. Do you agree or disagree with this statement: For a woman to have more than one husband at a time is intrinsically wrong.

1. I agree.
2. I don't know.
3. I disagree.
4. It depends. Please elaborate.

11. Do you agree or disagree with this statement: For an unmarried woman to have ongoing sexual relationships with more than one man at a time is intrinsically wrong.

1. I agree.
2. I don't know.
3. I disagree.
4. It depends. Please elaborate.

12. Do you agree or disagree with this statement: For a woman to love more than one man at a time is intrinsically wrong.

1. I agree.
2. I don't know.
3. I disagree.
4. It depends. Please elaborate.

13. Do you agree or disagree with this statement: For a man to have more than one wife or for a woman to have more than one husband is intrinsically a sexist arrangement.

1. I agree.
2. I disagree.
3. It isn't sexist, provided that society allows both.
4. I don't know.
5. Other. Please elaborate.

14. Regarding the value of marriages with more than two partners, with which statement(s) do you agree?

1. Such marriages have value, because they enable facets of each partner's personality to be engaged which might otherwise be ignored.
2. They have value because they allow for more variation among the partners in sexual drive, hence better control of the passions.
3. They have value, because they involve people in intimate relational dynamics, which deepens our humanity.
4. They have value, because they enable more marital options for people, they enable more flexibility for people who might otherwise be left without marital partners, and they impose less than does strict monogamy.
5. They have value, because they have been shown to be socially workable in a variety of cultural settings.
6. They have value, because they tend to foster benign values, such as values that overcome jealousy.
7. They have value, because they allow for reconciliation of divorced partners, even if other marital partners are involved.
8. They have value, because they allow for following one's conscience, which might, at times, otherwise be at odds with monogamy as the only allowed marital form.
9. Polygyny, at least, has value, because it is the biblical pattern underlying many covenantal relationships.
10. Group marriage has value, because it tends towards the New Testament vision of doing away with distinctions between the sexes and with marrying in heaven.
11. Fundamentally the number of partners is a matter of personal preference and has no general value worth overriding personal preferences.
12. Marriages with more than two partners are intrinsically detrimental. Please explain.

13. I don't know.
14. Other. Please elaborate.

15. When is participation in a marriage that consists of three or more partners a moral obligation? (In the examples given below, assume the most benign configuration possible for such a marriage. Assume that all other parties are willing to consent to such a marriage as a solution. And assume that, in some cases, other obligations might outweigh a general obligation to participate.)

1. When one is already remarried and reconciliation with an eligible former spouse is possible. In such cases:
   1. One is obligated to have more than one spouse.
   2. One's present spouse is obligated to participate.
   3. One's former spouse is obligated to participate.
2. When one has remarried after a spouse has gone missing and the missing spouse returns and is eligible. In such cases:
   1. One is obligated to have more than one spouse.
   2. One's present spouse is obligated to participate.
   3. One's former spouse is obligated to participate.
3. When one is sexually deprived. In such cases:
   1. One is obligated to seek an additional spouse.
   2. One's spouse is obligated to assist one in finding an additional spouse if capable of doing so.
4. When one is otherwise unable to control one's sexual appetites. In such cases:
   1. One is obligated to seek an additional spouse.
   2. One's spouse is obligated to cooperate.
5. When one's spouse is infertile. In such cases:
   1. One is obligated to seek an additional spouse.
   2. One's spouse is obligated to assist one in finding an additional spouse if capable of doing so.
6. When one's spouse is infertile and having a child as heir is highly desirable, for instance, as heir to a throne. In such cases:
   1. One is obligated to seek an additional spouse.
   2. One's spouse is obligated to assist one in finding an additional spouse if capable of doing so.
7. When one both loves and is willing to commit to more than one romantically and more than one reciprocates. In such cases:
   1. One is obligated to have more than one spouse.
   2. Each love is obligated to participate.
8. When a man has made more than one woman pregnant and more than one is willing to give birth. In such cases:
   1. The man is obligated to have more than one spouse.
   2. Each woman is obligated to participate.
9. When a man already has a wife and makes another woman pregnant, a woman who is willing to give birth. In such cases:
   1. The man is obligated to have more than one spouse.
   2. The wife is obligated to participate.
   3. The other woman is obligated to participate.
10. When a woman has children by more than one man. In such cases:
    1. The woman is obligated to have more than one spouse.
    2. Each man is obligated to participate.
11. When a woman is pregnant and she is willing to give birth and paternity cannot be decided. In such cases:
    1. The woman is obligated to have more than one spouse.
    2. Each man is obligated to participate.
12. When a woman already has a husband and has a child by another man. In such cases:
    1. The woman is obligated to have more than one spouse.
    2. The husband is obligated to participate.
    3. The other man is obligated to participate.
13. When a married man forces a maiden to have sex with him, if he will be had as her husband. In such cases:
    1. Society is obligated to force him into such a marriage.
    2. The man is obligated to comply.
    3. The man's present spouse is obligated to cooperate.
14. When an imbalance of numbers exists between the sexes with regard to those who desire marriage. In such cases:
    1. Society is obligated to permit people to have multiple spouses (leaving open the question of whether it is obligated to do so regardless).
    2. A degree of obligation rests upon some individuals inclined to have multiple spouses to act on their inclination.
15. When the men are depleted in a society, so that the population can be replenished. In such cases:
    1. Society is obligated to encourage men to have multiple wives.
    2. Many of the men are obligated to have multiple wives.
    3. Many of the women are obligated to cooperate.
16. When one is already married and one is presented with a special opportunity to be kind by fully accepting as an additional spouse a person who would otherwise be facing hardship. In such cases:
    1. One is obligated to have more than one spouse.
    2. One's present spouse is obligated to participate.
    3. The other person may be obligated to participate depending on the nature of the hardship and the options available.
17. When one is already married and one is expected, under certain conditions, to serve as a substitute spouse on behalf of one's deceased relative (for example, to fulfill the duty of the levir; cf. Deuteronomy 25:5-10). In such cases:
    1. One is obligated to have more than one spouse.
    2. One's present spouse is obligated to participate.
    3. The widowed person is obligated to participate.
18. When one's spouse unilaterally demands that one have additional spouses. In such cases:
    1. One is obligated to have more than one spouse.
    2. One's spouse is obligated to participate.
19. When one's spouse unilaterally decides to have additional spouses. In such cases one is obligated to particpate.
20. When one is taught or told by one's parents to marry more than one.
21. When one is taught or told by one's religious community to marry more than one.
22. When one has an opportunity thereby to help produce proportionately more children for one's religion or people.
23. When having only one spouse is disallowed by the state. In such cases, the obligation rests upon those who would marry; and, if one would marry, one is obligated to conform.
24. When having more than one spouse is prohibited by the state and one feels impelled to protest by way of civil disobedience and example.
25. When one finds oneself in a polygamous marriage, regardless of the rightness or wrongness of previous decisions that led to such a marriage.
26. When having more than one spouse is right for oneself.
27. When one has taken a religious vow to have more than one spouse.
28. Whenever there is marriage. All marriages should consist of three or more partners.
29. Never. All marriages should be monogamous.
30. Never. Neither marrying nor being married is ever an obligation, much less having more than one spouse.
31. For a man to have more than one wife may sometimes be obligatory, but never for a woman to have more than one husband.
32. For a woman to have more than one husband may sometimes be obligatory, but never for a man to have more than one wife.
33. I don't know.
34. Other. Please elaborate.

16. Would an obligation to participate in a form of polygamy imply the possibility of an obligation to participate in a broader form of group marriage?

1. Yes.
2. No.
3. I don't know.
4. Other. Please elaborate.

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First draft completed, December 21, 1998; posted, December 21, 1998; new url, January 28, 2004; last modification, December 7, 2008

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