The Wages Of Sin Is Death: How Amber Menezes' Adultery Contributed To Her Death And That Of An Innocent Person And Indirectly Affected Five Others

To the best of my knowledge, neither of the parties involved in this story are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but this story illustrates why the LDS Church takes such a dim view of adultery and will generally excommunicate adulterers and adulteresses almost without exception. In this case, the wages of sin were, quite literally, death.

According to the Daily Mail, Mark Anders Chalin of Mankato, MN, pleaded guilty to criminal vehicular homicide in October 2012 in exchange for a recommended four-year prison term, to which he was sentenced in December 2012. Prosecutors say Chalin smashed into a car being driven by Jonna Martin, a 35-year-old engaged mother of four on August 7th, 2011, while driving on County Road 90. Also killed was Chalin's passenger, 23-year-old Amber Menezes, who was married to Chris Menezes, although another report indicates the two were legally separated at the time of the crash.

But it is the reason for the crash that arouses concern. Witnesses told police that just before the collision, they saw Amber Menezes straddling Chalin in the driver's seat, blocking his view of the road. It was subsequently confirmed that Menezes was on Chalin's lap and it appeared they had been having sex before Chalin veered into Martin's lane. Somewhat shameful was the response of Menezes' mother, Michelle Scholl, who attended the hearing and didn't support the plea agreement. She said, "I will never have grandchildren from my daughter. She was somebody who did something with her life. He is a repeat offender"

Committing adultery is not something that one would be proud to brag about having done with her life. And it cost her mortality. And imagine the conflicting emotions buffeting Chris Menezes; while he may think his wife got her just desserts, he also undoubtedly misses her. On the other hand, Michelle Scholl may have a difficult time with the idea that her daughter preceded her in death, so sanitizing her daughter's life may be part of the grieving process.

Four additional people were also affected by Amber Menezes' adultery; Jonna Martin's four kids and her fiance, Roger Thompson. So because Mark Chalin and Amber Menezes couldn't control their lust for one another, two people are dead, one is in prison, and five others are without someone they loved. The wages of sin can be fearsome.

Now you know why the LDS Church takes such a hard line on adultery. It's not as if it's impossible to avoid. Since we believe that "as man is, God once was, and as God is, man may become", this means our Heavenly Father went though mortality. He understands human emotions first hand; He undoubtedly knows how it feels to look upon a woman and lust after her. But by virtue of His Godhood, it is obvious He resisted those impulses during His mortality.

When our Heavenly Father tells us "Thou shalt not commit adultery", He knows what He's talking about. He didn't give us that commandment to oppress us, but to liberate us from sin and the sometimes drastic and unforgiving consequences of it.