Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 2:02am
Thank God for prostitutes
Column: God In Real Time
I just wanted to stand up and shoot the tube when Ben Stein on national Fox television justified Eliot Spitzer's behavior with a prostitute by stating the scripture: Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Then he went on to briefly explain the issue surrounding that scripture with the woman caught in adultery. So instead of looking for the nearest shotgun, I actually sat down and watched the entire almost 70 percent ultra-liberal dialogue and actually began to thank God for prostitutes, because at least this situation has caused us as a nation to examine our moral compass and bring God back into the conversation. Because nearly every commentator on the segment had something to say about God and religion, whether he or she agreed about God's moral standards or not. God is an expert at PR. He knows how to get people talking about him any time he wants. And to Ben Stein, I would like to ask: Did you read the rest of the verses concerning the matter of not casting stones? God told the woman GO AND SIN NO MORE. And she did not.
Therein lies the problem, America. We hate calling sin — sin. Despite all our best efforts to ignore the moral compass that God gave to all mankind, we just can't. That's why when an issue like this come up, we know that something is not right about it but just can't seem to decide whether we are going to follow the compass or whether we are going to side with the doctrine, which is constantly being pushed down our throat, that there are no absolutes. Which leads to an even deadlier doctrine — that if it is right to you, it's OK and nobody has the right to tell you otherwise. That doctrine works perfectly fine if you get rid of God. But if God is anywhere in the picture, it's an issue — a big issue. God is going to call you to a place of accountability, and sin has to be dealt with.
Ben, I do agree with you on this point: None of us is in a position to judge anyone. We all know that if we had been standing there that day, we could not have picked up a stone and slung it either. It appears that you also alluded to the forgiveness of God and his pushing us to go on with our lives, even after our worst mistakes. Yet at the same time he does not condone sin. He hates it, wants it exposed and dealt with. He does not hate us. He hates some of the things we do, because he knows they cause so many personal devastations and have far-reaching effects, some of which cannot be reversed.
This is why I think the nation is struggling with the situation. We have demoralized sex so badly that all it has become is an act. If it is only an act, then sex is sex and it does not matter with whom you are involved. Because all you are doing is having sex, and doesn't everybody do that these days? So who cares, was the attitude of one commentator. It's easy to be liberal when the situation is far away from home, but when your daughter become the prostitute or when you have to face the weeping of your own wife and the heartbreak she experiences after the affair, then you understand why God says don't do it. Then you will see that sex is more than an act, unless your own conscious is so seared and depraved that you have no feelings.
So here it is, America — do you want the compass or not? If you want the compass, then this is what the good book says — sex is a beautiful thing, not an act. It is a gift from God to married couples. Married couples, according to the Bible, consist of a man and a woman. Then we have to agree to treat our spouse as God has ordained. This is what he said, in a nutshell — love your spouse and treat him or her better than you would treat yourself. Be faithful to your spouse until death do you part. Make your spouse happy and secure all the days of your life. Put your spouse's needs before your own, make love often and bless your spouse daily. This takes work, people. If we do it this way, every single sexual dysfunction will be eliminated along with all the consequences that come from tossing the compass. But you know what — God does not force us to use the compass. It is our choice.
Outside of Ben's wild card, it was the other commentator who got to me. Some 20-year-old-ish chiming in, let's just legalize prostitution, then all the problems will go away. Only one person on the panel had a real good defense about why that would be a nightmare, but he could only talk about a few of the problems they are having in Europe in certain countries where prostitution is legal. I said to myself, Is that all they can think of as to what makes this a horrific thought?
Ask a decent court attorney what he or she thinks about the idea of legalizing prostitution. Bet you will get an earful. They know all about the real dirt and depravity of human traffic, the corruption, the drugs — the total dark side of the equation. That would be like opening Pandora's Box a second time, and the first time was bad enough. I would challenge any media person to read attorney Herman Jimerson's book "The Defender," and I truly believe you will seriously reconsider allowing a remark like that to be made on public airwaves. Matter of fact, this would be excellent for anybody to read. Especially extremely liberal people who don't readily see consequences to actions. Humanity out of control is darker and more depraved than ever, and this book exposes it like nothing I've ever seen.
I tell you what God would really appreciate America or any other nation, for that matter, to decide — do you want me. If you don't, it's really not my problem, but it will be yours. He says in his word, I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you would be cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of my mouth (Revelations 3:15-16). America, we've got to stop sitting on the middle of the fence. God can appreciate a person who is truly for him and he can respect a person who truly wants nothing to do with him, but those in the middle — that's a big problem.
America, too many of us are in the middle. Our moral compass gets really upset when public officials do what we know is not right morally, ethically and legally, but we really don't want to put sex in its proper place, because that means that all of us will have to be accountable for our actions. I like the way Pastor Tony Evans put it in one of his sermons: Sex is a fire, and fire is best kept in a place — a fireplace. God gave us a fireplace — marriage.
— — —
Rev. Linda Leon is a person who loves God and enjoys inspiring people. She is the author of several books. Her latest books are "Where Are You, God," designed to inspire the hurting soul, and "Better Life Better Love Better Sex," a heartwarming biblical approach to building better marriages, God-style. For more information, contact her at {email dearlinda1@yahoo.com}dearlinda1@yahoo.com{/email} or visit her marriage blog at lifeis2good.wordpress.com. © Copyright 2008 by Linda Leon.
Therein lies the problem, America. We hate calling sin — sin. Despite all our best efforts to ignore the moral compass that God gave to all mankind, we just can't. That's why when an issue like this come up, we know that something is not right about it but just can't seem to decide whether we are going to follow the compass or whether we are going to side with the doctrine, which is constantly being pushed down our throat, that there are no absolutes. Which leads to an even deadlier doctrine — that if it is right to you, it's OK and nobody has the right to tell you otherwise. That doctrine works perfectly fine if you get rid of God. But if God is anywhere in the picture, it's an issue — a big issue. God is going to call you to a place of accountability, and sin has to be dealt with.
Ben, I do agree with you on this point: None of us is in a position to judge anyone. We all know that if we had been standing there that day, we could not have picked up a stone and slung it either. It appears that you also alluded to the forgiveness of God and his pushing us to go on with our lives, even after our worst mistakes. Yet at the same time he does not condone sin. He hates it, wants it exposed and dealt with. He does not hate us. He hates some of the things we do, because he knows they cause so many personal devastations and have far-reaching effects, some of which cannot be reversed.
This is why I think the nation is struggling with the situation. We have demoralized sex so badly that all it has become is an act. If it is only an act, then sex is sex and it does not matter with whom you are involved. Because all you are doing is having sex, and doesn't everybody do that these days? So who cares, was the attitude of one commentator. It's easy to be liberal when the situation is far away from home, but when your daughter become the prostitute or when you have to face the weeping of your own wife and the heartbreak she experiences after the affair, then you understand why God says don't do it. Then you will see that sex is more than an act, unless your own conscious is so seared and depraved that you have no feelings.
So here it is, America — do you want the compass or not? If you want the compass, then this is what the good book says — sex is a beautiful thing, not an act. It is a gift from God to married couples. Married couples, according to the Bible, consist of a man and a woman. Then we have to agree to treat our spouse as God has ordained. This is what he said, in a nutshell — love your spouse and treat him or her better than you would treat yourself. Be faithful to your spouse until death do you part. Make your spouse happy and secure all the days of your life. Put your spouse's needs before your own, make love often and bless your spouse daily. This takes work, people. If we do it this way, every single sexual dysfunction will be eliminated along with all the consequences that come from tossing the compass. But you know what — God does not force us to use the compass. It is our choice.
Outside of Ben's wild card, it was the other commentator who got to me. Some 20-year-old-ish chiming in, let's just legalize prostitution, then all the problems will go away. Only one person on the panel had a real good defense about why that would be a nightmare, but he could only talk about a few of the problems they are having in Europe in certain countries where prostitution is legal. I said to myself, Is that all they can think of as to what makes this a horrific thought?
Ask a decent court attorney what he or she thinks about the idea of legalizing prostitution. Bet you will get an earful. They know all about the real dirt and depravity of human traffic, the corruption, the drugs — the total dark side of the equation. That would be like opening Pandora's Box a second time, and the first time was bad enough. I would challenge any media person to read attorney Herman Jimerson's book "The Defender," and I truly believe you will seriously reconsider allowing a remark like that to be made on public airwaves. Matter of fact, this would be excellent for anybody to read. Especially extremely liberal people who don't readily see consequences to actions. Humanity out of control is darker and more depraved than ever, and this book exposes it like nothing I've ever seen.
I tell you what God would really appreciate America or any other nation, for that matter, to decide — do you want me. If you don't, it's really not my problem, but it will be yours. He says in his word, I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you would be cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of my mouth (Revelations 3:15-16). America, we've got to stop sitting on the middle of the fence. God can appreciate a person who is truly for him and he can respect a person who truly wants nothing to do with him, but those in the middle — that's a big problem.
America, too many of us are in the middle. Our moral compass gets really upset when public officials do what we know is not right morally, ethically and legally, but we really don't want to put sex in its proper place, because that means that all of us will have to be accountable for our actions. I like the way Pastor Tony Evans put it in one of his sermons: Sex is a fire, and fire is best kept in a place — a fireplace. God gave us a fireplace — marriage.
— — —
Rev. Linda Leon is a person who loves God and enjoys inspiring people. She is the author of several books. Her latest books are "Where Are You, God," designed to inspire the hurting soul, and "Better Life Better Love Better Sex," a heartwarming biblical approach to building better marriages, God-style. For more information, contact her at {email dearlinda1@yahoo.com}dearlinda1@yahoo.com{/email} or visit her marriage blog at lifeis2good.wordpress.com. © Copyright 2008 by Linda Leon.