Wow, you have found the worst type of prostitute and branded all cultures and civilizations that don't meet your ethical standards as being shameful. Doomed to face any number of retributions because of their illicit acts. But it’s just the way it is, people do pretty much whatever they like unless they have religion, or they are forced to behave in a certain way due to retribution.
For me Christianity is the only way to salvation, God has given us the right to choose between good and evil and displaying a vision of utopia, will not change the fact that the world has been handed over to Satan. Judge not, less you be judged.
Mathew, may I take this opportunity to wish you and all your readers a very Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year.
Thank you, Gary. Here are some of my observations, taking your reply point by point:
1) I'm not sure what you mean by "worst type of prostitute". Personally, I'm not really interested in passing judgement on that. All I know is that there are people who sell themselves for sex. In terms of money-making, this person is one of the more successful workers in the sex trade.
2) I did not “brand all cultures and civilizations that don’t meet [my] ethical standards as being shameful.” The focus of my piece is the broader cultural phenomenon of normalizing and celebrating behaviours that, historically, have often been seen as destructive to societal cohesion. This isn’t about imposing my personal ethical code. Instead, it’s an examination of how certain trends—particularly the commodification of intimacy—signal a larger societal shift and its consequences. It's about a collective failure. As for imposing ethical codes, my article is a warning to our society: if we don't get our act together as individuals, and encourage each other, and model for each other, good behaviours, they will be imposed by authoritarians, probably in the guise of religious movements judging by current trends. Christendom (which is really an anti-Christian political and worldly system) and "theocratic" fundamentalist Islamism, to name the two major operators in this area, will create societies that are even worse than those we are now experiencing. All that said, and returning to the initial point, I do have standards, like Christians should have, and I do judge many cultural practices as shameful. For example, I do think it is shameful that millions of people now think it is fine to make a spectacle of sexual intercourse and turn this special and loving act of procreation into a money-making venture.
3) You are correct that people often “do pretty much whatever they like” unless constrained by religion, law, or other frameworks of accountability. My concern lies precisely here: in the absence of shared values or guiding principles, society risks drifting into what I refer to as a moral vacuum, where the pursuit of instant gratification eclipses long-term well-being. This isn’t about wishing for a utopia, as you suggest; it’s about advocating for practical frameworks that can stave off cultural and societal collapse.
4) My intent in this article was not to advocate for any particular religion but to explore how civilizations historically grounded themselves in shared values—whether through religion, philosophy, or pragmatic consensus. These shared values often served to protect people against the very type of moral and social erosion we’re witnessing today.
5) As for “Judge not, lest you be judged,” this is a powerful scriptural principle, but what does it mean in practice. Clearly, it doesn't mean that we shouldn't use judgement or even judge individuals, condemning them to punishment even; otherwise, we would have a complete breakdown of society within days. Rather, I believe the scripture is referring to eternal judgement or basically saying that someone is irredeemable. That is for God to judge. In any case, my article is not focused on judging one individual. For a start, that individual is just one part of a transaction, with her entourage, the 100 men (and more to come), her hundreds of thousands of followers, and the mass media and its readership who are arguing over the "rights" and "wrongs" of this circus. That said, calling attention to destructive cultural trends isn’t about condemning individuals but critiquing the systems and narratives that perpetuate these behaviours. There’s a distinction between holding people accountable and offering a roadmap for societal improvement versus moralizing from a pedestal. My intent is the former.
6) Finally, regarding your point that “the world has been handed over to Satan,” this theological perspective offers one lens for interpreting the state of modern culture. But what does it mean? Since the Garden of Eden, it can be argued that the world has been handed over to Satan, but this does not mean that we should not try and do things to improve our situation. Jesus was not instructing his followers to just give up on trying to make things better. In any case, my aim here is to foster a conversation about rebuilding cultural anchors, not to dismiss the spiritual dimension.
Finally, I think I will write many more articles like this in the future. I've always talked to people on a one-to-one basis about these things, but it seems like now I must take more responsibility and speak to a wider audience. Perhaps if we all did the same, we might improve the situation.
Well said Mathew, I didn't expect such a well written coherent response to my few trivial sentences. In many third world countries and even in our affluent societies people prostitute themselves to survive, but generally our sex trade is managed, however I’m sure it would have an underbelly of corruption. Humans are complicated creatures, we are a product of our environment and our morals and ethics govern us all to some degree. But when it comes to sexual promiscuity, we tend to choose our own direction despite the obvious consequences. Thanks Mathew
Got to admit I was hoping for a more entertaining blow by blow-by-low account of Lily’s video, there is definitely an element of disbelief in the story. 😉
Reminds me of Livia in I Claudius, an old series on the Romans in the time of Claudius, or maybe an old girlfriend.
Wow, you have found the worst type of prostitute and branded all cultures and civilizations that don't meet your ethical standards as being shameful. Doomed to face any number of retributions because of their illicit acts. But it’s just the way it is, people do pretty much whatever they like unless they have religion, or they are forced to behave in a certain way due to retribution.
For me Christianity is the only way to salvation, God has given us the right to choose between good and evil and displaying a vision of utopia, will not change the fact that the world has been handed over to Satan. Judge not, less you be judged.
Mathew, may I take this opportunity to wish you and all your readers a very Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year.
Thank you, Gary. Here are some of my observations, taking your reply point by point:
1) I'm not sure what you mean by "worst type of prostitute". Personally, I'm not really interested in passing judgement on that. All I know is that there are people who sell themselves for sex. In terms of money-making, this person is one of the more successful workers in the sex trade.
2) I did not “brand all cultures and civilizations that don’t meet [my] ethical standards as being shameful.” The focus of my piece is the broader cultural phenomenon of normalizing and celebrating behaviours that, historically, have often been seen as destructive to societal cohesion. This isn’t about imposing my personal ethical code. Instead, it’s an examination of how certain trends—particularly the commodification of intimacy—signal a larger societal shift and its consequences. It's about a collective failure. As for imposing ethical codes, my article is a warning to our society: if we don't get our act together as individuals, and encourage each other, and model for each other, good behaviours, they will be imposed by authoritarians, probably in the guise of religious movements judging by current trends. Christendom (which is really an anti-Christian political and worldly system) and "theocratic" fundamentalist Islamism, to name the two major operators in this area, will create societies that are even worse than those we are now experiencing. All that said, and returning to the initial point, I do have standards, like Christians should have, and I do judge many cultural practices as shameful. For example, I do think it is shameful that millions of people now think it is fine to make a spectacle of sexual intercourse and turn this special and loving act of procreation into a money-making venture.
3) You are correct that people often “do pretty much whatever they like” unless constrained by religion, law, or other frameworks of accountability. My concern lies precisely here: in the absence of shared values or guiding principles, society risks drifting into what I refer to as a moral vacuum, where the pursuit of instant gratification eclipses long-term well-being. This isn’t about wishing for a utopia, as you suggest; it’s about advocating for practical frameworks that can stave off cultural and societal collapse.
4) My intent in this article was not to advocate for any particular religion but to explore how civilizations historically grounded themselves in shared values—whether through religion, philosophy, or pragmatic consensus. These shared values often served to protect people against the very type of moral and social erosion we’re witnessing today.
5) As for “Judge not, lest you be judged,” this is a powerful scriptural principle, but what does it mean in practice. Clearly, it doesn't mean that we shouldn't use judgement or even judge individuals, condemning them to punishment even; otherwise, we would have a complete breakdown of society within days. Rather, I believe the scripture is referring to eternal judgement or basically saying that someone is irredeemable. That is for God to judge. In any case, my article is not focused on judging one individual. For a start, that individual is just one part of a transaction, with her entourage, the 100 men (and more to come), her hundreds of thousands of followers, and the mass media and its readership who are arguing over the "rights" and "wrongs" of this circus. That said, calling attention to destructive cultural trends isn’t about condemning individuals but critiquing the systems and narratives that perpetuate these behaviours. There’s a distinction between holding people accountable and offering a roadmap for societal improvement versus moralizing from a pedestal. My intent is the former.
6) Finally, regarding your point that “the world has been handed over to Satan,” this theological perspective offers one lens for interpreting the state of modern culture. But what does it mean? Since the Garden of Eden, it can be argued that the world has been handed over to Satan, but this does not mean that we should not try and do things to improve our situation. Jesus was not instructing his followers to just give up on trying to make things better. In any case, my aim here is to foster a conversation about rebuilding cultural anchors, not to dismiss the spiritual dimension.
Finally, I think I will write many more articles like this in the future. I've always talked to people on a one-to-one basis about these things, but it seems like now I must take more responsibility and speak to a wider audience. Perhaps if we all did the same, we might improve the situation.
Well said Mathew, I didn't expect such a well written coherent response to my few trivial sentences. In many third world countries and even in our affluent societies people prostitute themselves to survive, but generally our sex trade is managed, however I’m sure it would have an underbelly of corruption. Humans are complicated creatures, we are a product of our environment and our morals and ethics govern us all to some degree. But when it comes to sexual promiscuity, we tend to choose our own direction despite the obvious consequences. Thanks Mathew
If this is what Lily wanted to do, I don’t have a problem with it.
Hello whiskeys,
Got to admit I was hoping for a more entertaining blow by blow-by-low account of Lily’s video, there is definitely an element of disbelief in the story. 😉