Is Prostitution An Abomination?

1408 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Religious influence on sexual education

In this verse, the author alludes to the fact that prostitution is an abomination. “For they also built for themselves high places, pillars, and sacred poles on every high hill and under every green tree; there were also male temple prostitutes in the land. They committed all the abominations of the nations that the LORD drove out before the people of Israel.” 1 Kings 14:23-24. In these verses, it is revealed that in this specific biblical context there were male prostitutes in Judah. Male prostitutes were looked down upon greatly because like regular prostitutes they committed “abominations” like that of the wicked nations who inhabited the promised land before the Israelites. The Lord had already previously decreed against these foreign people as well as their evil ways and the Israelites were not supposed to copy them. This verse displays that male prostitutes were deemed as truly wicked by the Lord because of the “abominations” they committed like the previous inhabitants.
A good handful of the disapprovals concerning prostitutes come from the book of Proverbs. This verse condemns prostitutes’ casualness concerning sexuality. “Then a woman comes toward him, decked out like a prostitute, wily of heart.” Proverbs 7:10. There are negative connotations associated with prostitution as the woman comes out dressed like a prostitute which is a reference to raunchiness and a lack of modesty. In the biblical context, modesty was a virtue and thus another reason that prostitutes were looked down upon was because they were open about their sexuality and dressed proactively. In addition, the woman breaks biblical gender roles as she takes the lead in the situation and “comes towards him”. Not only were a prostitutes’ sexual acts, but a...

... middle of paper ...

...ses.
Throughout the Bible prostitutes are not only condemned and face disapproval but they also face societal shame because of their disobedience to the commands against prostitution. In this example, prostitutes are shamed by the fact that they are compared to dogs. “They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria; the dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes washed themselves in it, according to the word of the LORD that he had spoken.” 1 Kings 22:38. For context, the King of Israel had just died in battle and it is stated that prostitutes washed themselves in his blood while the dogs simultaneously lick it up. There is no real explanation to this behavior, yet this mention alludes to the fact that prostitutes are low on the social ladder. While dogs lick up the blood, the prostitutes are on their level in the societal context as they also bathe in the blood.

Show More
Related

  • Should Prostitution Be Legal in the USA?

    917 Words  | 2 Pages

    Critics of prostitution are concerned with the ethics of the service. They argue that, prostitutes do not have morals because they are having intercourse to make a profit. This also ties into religion; most religious people believe intercourse should be shared between a man and his wife. Prostitution is seen as a nontraditional and shameful profession. Women and men are taught to treasure their body, and some think selling your body is a sign of being worthless and having low self-esteem. Also most people think prostitution is not safe for one’s health. The stigma that prostitutes are not clean and do not use contraception make people believe sexually transmitted diseases are high amongst people involved in this service industry. Some think that a person’s body, especially a woman’s is of high value and prostitution strips it of its glory. The argument here is that a person who partakes in prostitution is immoral and does not value their body.

    Read More

  • What Are Brothels In Pompeii's Lupanar?

    773 Words  | 2 Pages

    Modern sensibilities cause us to assume that brothels and prostitution were underground operations. However, there is evidence in Martial 7.61 that Emperor Caligula enforced a tax on prostitution, “which was pitched at a high rate and enforced with great vigour, in many places collected by the military” (McGinn, 18). Additionally, there seems to have been a relationship between politicians and places where sex may have been sold-- “the dice throwers ask for Cn. Helvius Sabinus” (CIL IV 3435). It has been suggested that in the Roman world, prostitution was seen almost as a necessary evil off of which money was to be made. In fact, one of the first recorded negative opinions was that of Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, in the third century CE, where he says, “...having entered the brothel, the location of the sewer and the slimy black hole of the rabble, he has befouled his own sanctified body, God’s temple, with hateful filth…” (Ep. 55.26 [CCSL 3.1.289]). This suggests, but does not by any means confirm, that the thought of prostitution as a terrible practice was not introduced until the Christian era, and was therefore not prevalent at

    Read More

  • Prostitution in Pompeii

    2765 Words  | 6 Pages

    "Virtue is something lofty, elevated and regal, invincible and indefatigable; Pleasure is something lowly and servile, feeble and perishable, which has its base and residence in the brothels and drinking houses" (Cornell & Lomas,39). Prostitution, though, not only took place in brothels and taverns. Women worked as prostitutes in brothels, inns, or baths open to the public (Pomeroy,192). They either walked the streets or stopped and stood outside the brothels, which were not allowed to open until 3 pm (Balsdon, 224). Sometimes prostitutes were used as after dinner entertainment (Edwards, 188), and many hotel owners provided their guests with prostitutes (Shelton, 327).

    Read More

  • Prostitution Should Be Legalized

    1421 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many people are so quick to judge a person by their actions and life style, but don't know the history. It is one of the worlds oldest professions and still stands strong in our country today. Prostitution has been around since the Sumerian times dating all the way back to 2400 B.C. Prostitution was first introduced to America in the 16th century during the Colonial times when the British invaded America. During the 1700s, prostitutes started to invade the cities of Boston and New York. On July 5, 1870, The Board of Health gained power through an act called The Social Evil Ordinance that allows and "requires registration" for prostitutes to be ...

    Read More

  • Prostitution as a Form of Deviance

    620 Words  | 2 Pages

    In sociology, the term deviance refers to all violations of social rules, regardless of their seriousness (Essentials of Sociology 136). Deviance is an individual or organizational behavior that violates societal norms and is usually accompanied by negative reactions from others. According to a sociologist S. Becker, he stated that it is not the act itself that makes an action deviant, but rather how society reacts to it.

    Read More

  • Sex- Prostitution and The Value of Sex

    1535 Words  | 4 Pages

    Elizabeth Anderson makes a claim that “The attempt to sell gift value on the market makes a mockery of those values.”(Anderson 188) Anderson uses this claim to object commoditized sex (prostitution). There are two premises that Anderson uses to support her claim. The first premise being the gift value of sex cannot be realized in commercial terms and the second premise being that the gift value of sex is more significant that the use value of sex itself.

    Read More

  • Prostitution in the United States and the World

    1236 Words  | 3 Pages

    Prostitution has been as issue in many societies around the world for almost all of recorded history. There has been evidence of brothels and prostitution dating far back into human history. Many different societies have different views, ideals, and reservation about the matter. Some cultures around the world view it as a necessary evil for people who need to support themselves and their families. Others view it as morally evil and socially destructive; helping to rot our society from the inside out. Even still there are cultures who don’t view it as evil at all and even a normal part of life. A person’s view on the act is formed largely based on the culture they are living in. Even sub cultures inside of larger one can have different view on the matter, such as religious groups that denounce it, to some groups in the same culture that say it is okay. Even the gauge of how industrialized a country can determine how that culture views prostitution, with many third world countries being more lenient on the matter, and many first world countries being much more strict on the matter, such as the some of the countries in Europe and also the United States.

    Read More

  • Legalizing Prostitution

    2503 Words  | 6 Pages

    Prostitution is looked down on as an immoral activity. Some people do not even consider it to be a profession. It is indeed morally wrong but maybe it is considered so because of social norms. Women who participate in this profession are seen as harlots and tramps and a disgraceful member of society. Some of these women are addicted to drugs, they have no other choice but to be involved in the profession while others have been coerced into it. Most of their backgrounds involve terrible role models while others have parents that forced them into doing these acts.

    Read More

  • Prostitution In Victorian England

    1023 Words  | 3 Pages

    Victorian women of reputation did not consider intercourse pleasurable and felt that intercourse was a duty that they were obligated to do for their husbands. This was different from women who were prostitutes because they were considered women who enjoyed intercourse. This was not necessarily true. Biblical ties to the ideology of fallen women can be tied to the Book of Genesis. The story of when Eve was tempted to eat the forbidden fruit and how she fell from the grace of God and became the original sinner. In Victorian London during the year 1841, there was an estimated 55,000 prostitutes in the Greater London area. A common belief was that if a women was abandoned by her community and then lost her job, that prostitution was one of the only ways to make money. Prostitution was a way of survival for woman that had no other way to support themselves. Statistics also show that women who came from poor families were more likely to become prostitutes rather than women who come from a middle or upper class family. With Victorian society, once she chose the profession of prostitution is was not allowed back in the respectable society. According to Mason Long

    Read More

  • What Would Kant Think About Prostitution?

    514 Words  | 2 Pages

    Presenting the issue of prostitution which is defined as “the practice or occupation of engaging in sexual activity with someone for payment” would not be living life in accordance to Kant’s beliefs. In Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Kant asserted that rational beings can never be treated merely as a means to an ends, they must always also be treated as an ends themselves. In prostitution men are using women as a mere means to their ends, to achieve sensual pleasure, but it is also true that women are so agreeing to be used as a means to achieve their ends, to earn money.

    Read More

  • The Conflict of Prostitution

    1085 Words  | 3 Pages

    To begin, prostitution is known as one of the oldest professions, and it dates as far back as 2400 BCE (Sexton and Cushman, Web). No one can pinpoint the origin, but is it really expected? Obviously, people have been sexually active for all of our existence. This is known because we are sitting here right now. Prostitution is treated differently everywhere in the world, and it continues to change as the times change. As more and more time passes, people become reluctant to the idea of prostitution, but back in the day they were all for it. For example, Greek literature references prostitutes continuously. One type of prostitute in the Greeks writings was called Hetaera which was an educated prostitute who was able to live dual lives. One life as a regular citizen and another as a prostitute, yet both of her lives were completely acceptable in these times. According to tradition brothels, places where prostitution was held, were “government-supported” and prostitution was an acceptable job in the the Greek era (Head, Web). In previous times sex was used as a form of payment and now sex is seen as a sign of affection.

    Read More

  • The Legalization Of Prostitution

    1428 Words  | 3 Pages

    Evidence of prostitution was documented by the Sumerian’s, one of the first educated and organized civilizations known to historians. Throughout the ages other countries legalized “consensual sex acts for pay”. In 600 BC China allowed commercial brothels as a means for increasing the state’s income.(ProCon). In Ancient Greece you could see state sponsored brothels, whom imposed taxes on all of it’s workers. Roman empires imposed specific sanctions on worker as well as taxes. Applicants would register by giving their name, age, birth place and the alias under which she would work

    Read More

  • Prostitution Should be Legalized

    1770 Words  | 4 Pages

    Prostitution is known as the oldest profession in the world, however, many states in the U.S. outlaw it. The textbook definition of prostitution is the "act or practice of engaging in sexual acts for money" ("Prostitution," Macmillan 805). Nevada is the first in the United States to legalize prostitution. Although the long term effects of legalized prostitution is uncertain, the short term effects have been economically beneficial. Prostitution should be legalized because not only could it financially benefit the country, but it could also reduce crime.

    Read More

  • Prostitution Should NOT be Legal

    1064 Words  | 3 Pages

    Prostitution is considered to be the oldest profession in the world. Many people support the idea of legalizing prostitution, while others do not. This controversial debate has been ongoing since the beginning of time. I desire to take a stand on the value of human worth, which is why I oppose the legalization of prostitution between consenting adults in our State.

    Read More

  • Reflection About Prostitution

    1198 Words  | 3 Pages

    In many cases society has tried to tell you that prostitution is bad, weather it is through movies, books, religious text and many other influential aspects of society, due to the nature of the people who they portray in the act. I believe if people were properly educated into the science of sex, having sex for money would not be considered such a bad thing. When I attended prep school, I met many other kids from Europe, and let’s sat they were a little more comfortable with their sexuality, and in a few of their countries prostitution was even legal.

    Read More

More about Is Prostitution An Abomination?

Open Document