Question - Why the Preoccupation with Harlots?

Trey Smith

If you haven't noticed, the Christian God doesn't seem to think too highly of one his creations: women. It is not uncommon at all in the verses of the Old Testament for this God to compare the wayward Chosen People to a harlot (i.e., prostitute). To offer just one example, take a look at Jeremiah 3:6:

The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.

There are a multitude of other verses in which God likens the downfallen to a whore. What I find interesting about these references is that there is almost no mention of the people that make prostitution possible -- men seeking sex with women for money!

I don't remember a verse -- though there may be a few -- in which God chastises his followers for being johns. In the so-called illicit sex trade, it takes two to tango, but God appears to place the onus of sin solely on those individuals on the receiving end. Why is it that men who go outside of marriage for sexual gratification don't seem to incur the same amount of godly wrath?

Of course, the answer to this question is that -- at least in terms of the OT -- women typically aren't viewed as human beings; they are property! Selling your body for sex despoils the value of the property. Some poor schlep -- whomever it is that holds "title" to the particular woman -- will lose out on the all important dowry somewhere down the road.

Sniff!

To see what other questions I've asked about the Christian Bible, go here.