"Adultery"

In the book “The Scarlet Letter,” by Nathaniel Hawthore, there is a section that discusses adultery laws in the colonies of Massachusetts Bay and New Plymouth in the 1600’s. All of the laws that were created stated that adultery is punishable by death. Although the law stated that an adulterer should be put to death, many times people got away with being whipped severely and being banished from that colony. Today, death as a punishment seems so harsh and unrealistic. In the 1600’s, people held more firmly to the law of God which states that adulterers should be put to death. So what has happened over time that makes adultery much less of a deal than it was 400 years ago? Is it right to be more lenient now or should adulterers be put to death even today?
Today, adultery isn’t such a huge deal. If a spouse is caught having an affair, usually the married couple ends up getting a divorce and that’s it; there is no punishment by law on the adulterer. As soon as I started reading this passage, I thought of the situation that Tiger Woods recently found himself in. He had an affair with more than ten women and no punishment was given to him except humiliation from the media and possible separation from his wife. I don’t even think it crossed anyone’s mind that he should be put to death for such an act. However, if this were the 1600’s, Tiger Woods would be on trial and possibly be sentenced to death.
Although I do not think that anyone should be killed for committing adultery, I think it should be punished by law somehow. When a man and a woman get married, it is a legal covenant between the two where they promise to be faithful to one another. When one of the two breaks that covenant by committing adultery, it is almost like breaking a law since marriage is a legal thing. Society has compromised many standards and laws over the years including whether or not adultery is a big deal. I do not think it is right and I believe there should be some sort of legal punishment for the act.