Managing Faith: The Saddest Company in the World

Okay, that subject line is a bit dramatic. The company I'm about to describe may not be the saddest company in the world. But it certainly took my breath away when I heard about it yesterday.

I was reading an article in a business magazine about an online dating service that runs on little to no overhead (fascinating) when I read a passage about some of this company's competitors. One particular company stood out. I had to read the premise of the company several times, because I literally couldn't believe my eyes.

It was a dating service for people who want commit adultery.

I was appalled--still am. I'm not going to reveal the name of this website, because the last thing I want to do is promote it in any way. But I do want to talk about it.

First, the website claims to have 3.8 million users. That, to me, is astounding. That's a lot of people. I know we're all human--we have weaknesses, temptations, faults, doubts. People make mistakes. But there's a big difference between making a mistake and intentionally signing up for a website catering toward people wanting to make a mistake.

Second, this company...wow. A company built around the premise of helping people break the sixth commandment. The company's website claims that, "Providing a service like ours does not make someone more likely to stray any more than increasing the availability of glassware contributes to alcoholism." Really? Is that the analogy you're going to use? I think it's more analogous to a website that tells alcoholics that it's okay to get back on the bandwagon and provides coupons for free drinks.

There are plenty of companies out there that do immoral things. In fact, one could probably find immorality in some aspect of every company. But do we really need a company that thrives on immorality? That directly profits from it?

In the end, a positive spin could be that although almost 4 million people use this site, there are many millions more who don't. There are many millions more who stay committed to their relationships, and if they're not happy or not in love, at least they don't actively pursue an affair. They work it out or they break up. They choose not to sin. I applaud those people, and I pity this company.