A College student narrated how her friends are taken care of by several men. According to her, these men give them money. In return, these girls give them the satisfaction they need. This practice is said to be prevalent in many African universities and Kenya is not immune. Are these college students prostitutes in the same form as the Nairobi’s’ Koinange Street Night runners are. Who is a prostitute?
Historians describe prostitution as the world’s oldest trade. The implication is that prostitution is not a moral issue; rather, it is a business enterprise! The point is true: Prostitution has been there for a long time. Against the definition given by dictionaries, let us define prostitution from a philosophical and biblical history. Prostitution is the act of a person selling their sexual state to another person for money or benefit. In this case, a man buys a lady tusker at Kengeres expecting that she will avail herself for his sexual satisfaction: one beer, chips and sausages, a dress, necklace, single latte, or a ride in a Toyota pro-box: the gift is beneficial!
Within this definition, it is not the giving of money to a woman, or man for that matter that defines prostitution. There is nothing wrong with buying a lady lunch, dress, necklace or café’ latte, rather it is doing this with a directed conscience that, “ I am doing this act in order to get sexual favor in return.” Buying favor makes prostitution a business. Where it becomes a moral issue is because humanity must always judge all their events on the basis of who they are before their creator. In other words, God created THEM in his own image, and He is the one who defined the limits. What limits did he set for trade? Not just sexual trade, but human trafficking, slave trade, and any other selling of a person? Man is sacred not merchandise!
When Israelites became spiritually dead, God the creator and God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Ishmael through the prophet Jeremiah warned, “Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices. And when you choose some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will lead your sons to do the same. Jeremiah 34:15ff (NIV) the use of prostitution in this passage is based on the Command 1 -5 (Exodus 20). “Thou shall have no other God besides me.” The idea is that the relationship between man and His God is monogamous in thought and action: Human beings are not to have multiple gods and basically offer themselves to other Gods for their spiritual satisfaction in exchange for preservation.
The sexual relationship between a man and a woman is not to be entered in without a clear commitment of one to the other. That in the conscience of the person when entering into a relationship, it is not done with an intention of, “ I will buy her coffee so that I can sleep with her.” Or vice versa. That the entry into the relationship is within the, “I love him or her therefore I will have a relationship with her.” When it is entered into purely on benefit, then it is prostitution. However when there is a falling away within the human category of sin, the relationship is not judged as prostitution. For there has to be an intention of conscious! Read 1st Corinthians 7:1ff. The Biblical presentation by many is devoid of this grace. But Paul Knowing the complexity of human relationships put a waiver that preachers avoid. It is here divorce and re-marriage, break ups and disagreements are covered: All within purity of conscience.
Prostitution is exchanging one’s body for benefit. In other words, the person’s act is withdrawn from a conscious within which there is intention of commitment. This applies then to any relationship whose purpose is just pleasure. Within this then, any relationship whose IT (conscious) is withdrawn from any intention that, “this woman or man is mine for keeps”, is prostitution. Notice that the idea is conscious acts. Thus the polygamous state is not prostitution and its “crime” within biblical notice fall on a different category of divine mercy and grace.
Therefore, the act of intentionally jumping from one bed to another having a conscious that is withdrawn from the individual as mine is prostitution. Within this definition, only the virgin daughter or son is innocent. Therefore, virginity of a believer becomes perfection! This definition is within absolute nature as intended by God in Genesis. But man sinned and Christ had to die on the cross. “Thanks be to God”! Imagine if He never gives grace and judgment is only on merit. Who would qualify?
Teddy Njoroge Kamau (PhD) HTBluff Associates. @HTBluff
