Should prostitution be legal?

[BethFromVA 5]

all I can say to you, Donna, is 'you are a rude person.' I hope you feel good about yourself and your insensitive comments.

What did she say that was so rude and insensitive??

And frankly, though I have a devout belief in God and the Bible, the way you present it sounds much ruder than anything Donna said. Because I know God and His Word, I know what you're trying to say but are failing horribly in the tact department.

[BJean 16]

Green I love reading your posts. It beings some intellect to the table as well as some civility.

Beth, I have to agree with you about Donna's comments not seeming rude and certainly not rude like Ron's, er I mean pattygreen's.

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

worst.thread.ever.

Well, besides the "I ate a double double burger from In N Out two days post op" thread.

[losingjusme 12]

What did she say that was so rude and insensitive??

And frankly, though I have a devout belief in God and the Bible, the way you present it sounds much ruder than anything Donna said. Because I know God and His Word, I know what you're trying to say but are failing horribly in the tact department.

so well put it deserves to be repeated....

:cursing: :cursing:

[plain 12]

worst.thread.ever.

Well, besides the "I ate a double double burger from In N Out two days post op" thread.

Agreed. Let's find the OP and stone her. And by that, I mean I'll invite her to my parents' basement, put on some Portishead, and let the magic begin.

[BJean 16]

Plain, you're pretty funny, dude. Is a Fluoride Dope the same as a Fluoride Junkie?

[pattygreen 5]

so what your saying is 'if the rest of the people feel it's ok to do this or that, then it's morally ok.' You have no creator. In other words, whatever you decide is immoral , will be in your eyes.

Also, refering to your previous post: You have it backwards. the bible is only contradictory to unbelievers, those who haven't read it from the beginning to the end. (most unbelievers will not take the time to read it in its full content for it is a long book) And it is the unbeliever who cherrypicks it. (for they want to live according to their own ways and not God's ways and they therefore pick and choose the scriptures they want to abide by and those that they don't) You did that in your past post when you spoke about slavery in the bible. God spoke of slavery in the bible because it was what man chose to do and was doing, but he never approved of it. Also, in the beginning of creation, God permitted multiple wives for procreation sake. ( So the earth could become populated. ) But He ended that later. Man decide to continue with what he wanted to do.(have more than 1 wife) You are right when you say in other countries it is acceptable to marry at the onset of puberty. Mary, the birthmother of Jesus was 14 years old when she gave birth to him, so obviously it was and is acceptable to God. I am therefore ok with it also. But because I live here where it is frowned upon, I will abide by this law because It hurts noone to wait until you are 18 to get married. Where the prostition issue comes in, I see that in not abiding by God's ruling in this circumstance, there are ill consequences. As far as people choosing to worship according to their geographical location. you are right to an extent. But it's not geography, it's parents teachings. But not in all cases. I was born into a catholic family and was taught their doctrine. When I got older I chose to read the bible on my own. After reading it, I determined that I could no longer be catholic for they taught me many, many things that were not biblical. (hence why they kept the reading of the scriptures away from their congregants for so many centuries) I have 4 friends who were raised in Islamic families, yet found the truth in the Bible. You obviously have not done a careful examination of the bible, as you called it. for if you had, your life would have changed. There are not too many people who have read God's words (in full, not bits and pieces) who were able to walk away from its teaching unchanged and believing it.

[pattygreen 5]

Beth, why don't you read her past posts to find out? She said that I don't use my brain before I open my mouth. That is pretty rude to me. And if you know God, then you must know that he tells us not to be ashamed of him and his gospel or he will be ashamed of you on that day. I did not say anything untactfully. I stated why I don't feel that anything God would call SIN, should be legalized.

[stevegoad 32]

I posted my thoughts on this one back on page 1 (or maybe 2, who can keep up).

I don't believe it should be legal. I am sure my Christian background plays into it, but I left my arguements on the social level. I did this because I am a Christian.

One thing I learned spending many years as a Christian, going through 4 years of Seminary, spending 7 years pastoring churches, spending another 6 years doing special ministry to people with mental retardation and autism, and spending some time doing homeless ministry and other "non-traditional" ministry is that you don't get anywhere using the Bible as an offensive weapon.

Standing up saying "This is against the Bible" or "That is against God's will" doesn't tell people who do not come from your background anything.

Faith is vital, and like I said, my beliefs in God through Jesus are the deciding factor in most everything I do... But using the Bible without taking the world's needs into account doesn't strengthen the arguement, only weakens the world's opion of your faith.

Sorry for those who are not looking for faith arguements... I am off my soapbox now.

[green 6]

What I am saying, Pattygreen, is that mankind is a social organism. One single man cannot survive on his own. We need each other in order to survive. We need, as a society, farmers, the folks who bring the food they produce to market, manufacturers, labourers, doctors, dentists, etc. Man can only survive as a tribe. Therefore, those good practices that assist in the survival of the tribe - no stealing, no murdering, helping one another out in times of distress, etc - will logically form the basis of our morality and these strictures will be taught by all religions, I think you will find.

Why does man do those very things which are counterproductive to the survival of the tribe? It is because he, as an individual, also has a desire to survive and he may feel that his chances of surviving are enhanced by theft and murder. Thus we see these two contradictory urges in our human tribe. (It may be argued that these two contradictory and very human urges are well displayed each and every time a woman decides whether to carry her foetus to term or not.)

Anyhow, I happen to believe that we are hardwired to be fairly moral individuals and that is why all religions teach us more or less the same lessons concerning our behaviour. When a society is treating its own members badly, murdering them and stealing from them, this is a sign of a dysfunctional society.

[BethFromVA 5]

Beth, why don't you read her past posts to find out? She said that I don't use my brain before I open my mouth. That is pretty rude to me. And if you know God, then you must know that he tells us not to be ashamed of him and his gospel or he will be ashamed of you on that day. I did not say anything untactfully. I stated why I don't feel that anything God would call SIN, should be legalized.

Nobody said I am ashamed of Him!! However, I have NEVER beaten anybody over the head with the Bible because all it does is piss people off. How many people do you draw to Christ by your accusatory tone, your condescending manner? Few to none, I would imagine.

Just remember how Christ handled the prostitutes and other sinners. He was never condescending, EVER. He gave them the Word, and they either accepted or they didn't. Berating people by smashing them in the mouth with God's Word does nothing for the people you think you are trying to reach OR God.

That's all I'm saying. I meet people like you all over the 'net and all I have ever seen happen is more people are turned off from Christ than are turned towards Him. Y'all do more damage than good, imo, in HOW you present what you believe.

[BethFromVA 5]

You obviously have not done a careful examination of the bible, as you called it. for if you had, your life would have changed. There are not too many people who have read God's words (in full, not bits and pieces) who were able to walk away from its teaching unchanged and believing it.

See, there you go again. I doubt God would be too happy with your prideful nature.

[green 6]

Pattygreen, in my opinion Beth's comments to you make a lot of sense. There is something awfully alienating about your judgemental style. I am certain that your God did not appoint you to be His hall monitor, nor His judge.

It is the practice of most judges, when sentencing felons, to look at the circumstances behind their crimes/sins. Someone who kills a burglar who has invaded his home and is threatening his family is unlikely to get the same sentence as rapist-murderer. Your comments indicate your lack of flexibility and, yes, kindness when viewing the activities of your fellow man.

Most of us who have posted here feel that it is wrong for you to smack us with your Bible. Should you wish to teach, you must do this by providing explanations to back up your statements. If you are not up to this task, then perhaps you should consult your pastor. You could even reread your New Testament: Jesus was an excellent teacher. Simply announcing to us that according to your God and your Bible prostitution is a Sin and no mercy should be shown to those who Sin is terribly counterproductive.

Prostitution is a complex issue and has been around since the beginnings of civilization. It is possible that many of those women who turn to prostitution have done so because of earlier Sins (to use your term) against them: rape, incest, child abuse, poverty.... Why should we, as a society, seek to further punish them? And do remember that there would be no prostitutes without men eager to buy what they are selling.

[BethFromVA 5]

And the thing is, in God's eyes, sin is sin. The person who gossips is committing an equal sin to those who murder.

And Patty, if you read your Bible as you say you do, you know the times we are in. They were prophesied. You can lead by example, but using the "strict teacher method" on people never warmed their hearts against lessons they may not be very open to. Not everyone will "hear" the message, and even fewer will hear YOUR message because it is presented completely opposite of how Christ intended and did it.

Christ's message was one of forgiveness and love; yours is one of condemnation. Now if you were on the outside looking in, which one do you think would speak to you more? Condemnation, or love?

[Donna113 2]

Christ's message was one of forgiveness and love; yours is one of condemnation. Now if you were on the outside looking in, which one do you think would speak to you more? Condemnation, or love?

Ooh, ooh! Can I answer for her? Clearly, she'd pick condemnation as it speaks to her. Those who condemn usually do so because of a sense of superiority. Therefore, they are clearly drawn to any organization that they can interpret and tweak to use as a weapon to condemn others while silently or not so silently congratulating themselves at their own superiority.

p.s. Does that sound a bit superior?

Edited January 13, 2009 by Donna113