A Definition of Prostitution

[Rose Garden]

We are all familiar with the normal definition of prostitution. I would like to suggest a broader interpretation. What if prostitution, in the Lord's eyes, is doing something (anything) for the sole purpose of earning money. Let me explain further....

No one pays a mother to care for her own child. Her work is priceless. The work of caring for a child is only worth money when someone else does it.

No one pays a man to work in his own home. His work there is priceless. But if someone else works in his home, that person will usually expect to be paid.

We generally recognize that a woman's care for her child is valuable, even though she doesn't get paid. But we don't always value a man's work with the same regard. We are quick to put a price tag on a man's work. What if all work is sacred and priceless and we are devaluing it every time we pay for it? What if the man (and women but the man in particular due to the traditional role of breadwinner) is being exploited by being obligated to work for money?

You cannot tax the work that a man does in service to his family and friends. You can only tax a man when you take him out of the home and pay him wages for his work. The more you draw him out of his home, the more you can manipulate the return he receives for his work.

I don't want to get into a debate over the necessity of a means for exchange. I am just presenting a different perspective on the value of work. If we viewed each person's work as priceless, how would that change the world? If we felt that taking a man out of his home to work was asking him to make a great sacrifice, would we try to pay him the greatest amount we could for his work? Would we do whatever we could to help men stay home and only encourage outside work when it was absolutely necessary? Would we be more inclined to group together as family and friends to do larger work projects instead of hiring other people? What do you think?

[dafty]

What in the world are you talking about?

funny that, thats an exact question I wanted to ask you, on one of your threads... :o)

[diligently seeking]

Positive reinforcement is always helpful if one's work and effort is seen as "priceless". This elevates and extends ones vision and happy levels. "The laborer is worthy of his hire" amongst the many meanings of this scripture represents a redistribution of wealth. If one's efforts are seen as priceless--- that is a rare employer indeed whose heart would be filled with righteousness. Money and more things / possesions would not be the source of motivation for him or her. As the laborer received equal pay from such a benevolent employer the employer could only hope that the laborer would in a similar way have a kind and charitable righteous disposition about how they go about their business / lives. The love of money is the root of all evil though and is a powerful carrot satan dangles in front of us to make our fallen dispositions all the more difficult. A Holy Spirit filled / converted ready to enter Zion society / person is the answer to effective salvational ACTIONS of representing the joy of pricelessness in those around you which in turn would help to perpetuate that love by the receiver.

[mes5464]

I get it.

3 Nephi 20:38

For thus saith the Lord: Ye have sold yourselves for naught, and ye shall be redeemed without money.

[Rose Garden]

What in the world are you talking about?

Perhaps if you could specify which parts are confusing to you, I could clarify.

[Silver]

As I've been learning more about the historical context within which the revelations contained in the Doctrine & Covenants were given, I've come across so much good material. Recently, I read about Joseph's plans for cities (Zion, Far West, Nauvoo). The first thing he stressed was for those cities to remain small and surrounded by farms which could supply the city with items necessary for sustaining life. Joseph laid the cities out with an open sort of town square in the center of the city which would contain a temple. It was envisioned that all could live within the city, but the farmers could get to their property quickly. I think those plans would come close to your idea of the father/man/priesthood holder being able to stay with his family. If the city's population outgrew the size of the city, then another small city could be laid out nearby according to Joseph's plans. Thus, extended families would not have to live in widely separated conditions.

I realize this idea may seem impossible now, but we all suffer from recency bias. If the prophet's ideas had been given the time and space to come to fruition, we might live in a much more peaceful and less hectic albeit a more agrarian society now.

[Michelle]

As I've been learning more about the historical context within which the revelations contained in the Doctrine & Covenants were given, I've come across so much good material. Recently, I read about Joseph's plans for cities (Zion, Far West, Nauvoo). The first thing he stressed was for those cities to remain small and surrounded by farms which could supply the city with items necessary for sustaining life. Joseph laid the cities out with an open sort of town square in the center of the city which would contain a temple. It was envisioned that all could live within the city, but the farmers could get to their property quickly. I think those plans would come close to your idea of the father/man/priesthood holder being able to stay with his family. If the city's population outgrew the size of the city, then another small city could be laid out nearby according to Joseph's plans. Thus, extended families would not have to live in widely separated conditions.

I realize this idea may seem impossible now, but we all suffer from recency bias. If the prophet's ideas had been given the time and space to come to fruition, we might live in a much more peaceful and less hectic albeit a more agrarian society now.

Yes. I believe this is God's plan. Isaiah 5:8 "woe unto them that join house to house and land to land"

I don't believe God made a mistake when he sent Adam to till the earth. I don't believe our modern life and technology are an improvement on God's plan. I believe Ezra Taft Benson was right when he said there was enough and to spare for all mankind that may be on the earth. He said there was 5 acres of good tillable land for every man woman and child on the earth. I check every so many years, we are still at just under 5 acres at the current world population, per person!

If we lived as Joseph taught we wouldn't be crowded. We wouldn't overburden land or resources. We would be self reliant. We would be closer to God and family. We would be closer to Zion.

[Michelle]

We are all familiar with the normal definition of prostitution. I would like to suggest a broader interpretation. What if prostitution, in the Lord's eyes, is doing something (anything) for the sole purpose of earning money. Let me explain further....

No one pays a mother to care for her own child. Her work is priceless. The work of caring for a child is only worth money when someone else does it.

No one pays a man to work in his own home. His work there is priceless. But if someone else works in his home, that person will usually expect to be paid.

We generally recognize that a woman's care for her child is valuable, even though she doesn't get paid. But we don't always value a man's work with the same regard. We are quick to put a price tag on a man's work. What if all work is sacred and priceless and we are devaluing it every time we pay for it? What if the man (and women but the man in particular due to the traditional role of breadwinner) is being exploited by being obligated to work for money?

You cannot tax the work that a man does in service to his family and friends. You can only tax a man when you take him out of the home and pay him wages for his work. The more you draw him out of his home, the more you can manipulate the return he receives for his work.

I don't want to get into a debate over the necessity of a means for exchange. I am just presenting a different perspective on the value of work. If we viewed each person's work as priceless, how would that change the world? If we felt that taking a man out of his home to work was asking him to make a great sacrifice, would we try to pay him the greatest amount we could for his work? Would we do whatever we could to help men stay home and only encourage outside work when it was absolutely necessary? Would we be more inclined to group together as family and friends to do larger work projects instead of hiring other people? What do you think?

I don't agree 100%, but I have had many similar thoughts over the years.

I believe it is not God, but Satan's plan to have the husband gone. If the husband's two main responsibilities are to provide and protect, he only does 1 when he works away from home: provide. How can he protect his family if he is gone?

In a more agricultural life he might not be in the house, but he was most often on the property and available in an emergency. If we did more for ourselves, produced as much as we could of our needs, worked with our neighbors, and lowered our expectations concerning modern technology and leisure, I truly believe we would be closer to God, closer to family, closer to Zion.

[Rose Garden]

As I've been learning more about the historical context within which the revelations contained in the Doctrine & Covenants were given, I've come across so much good material. Recently, I read about Joseph's plans for cities (Zion, Far West, Nauvoo). The first thing he stressed was for those cities to remain small and surrounded by farms which could supply the city with items necessary for sustaining life. Joseph laid the cities out with an open sort of town square in the center of the city which would contain a temple. It was envisioned that all could live within the city, but the farmers could get to their property quickly. I think those plans would come close to your idea of the father/man/priesthood holder being able to stay with his family. If the city's population outgrew the size of the city, then another small city could be laid out nearby according to Joseph's plans. Thus, extended families would not have to live in widely separated conditions.

I realize this idea may seem impossible now, but we all suffer from recency bias. If the prophet's ideas had been given the time and space to come to fruition, we might live in a much more peaceful and less hectic albeit a more agrarian society now.

Yes. I believe this is God's plan. Isaiah 5:8 "woe unto them that join house to house and land to land"

I don't believe God made a mistake when he sent Adam to till the earth. I don't believe our modern life and technology are an improvement on God's plan. I believe Ezra Taft Benson was right when he said there was enough and to spare for all mankind that may be on the earth. He said there was 5 acres of good tillable land for every man woman and child on the earth. I check every so many years, we are still at just under 5 acres at the current world population, per person!

If we lived as Joseph taught we wouldn't be crowded. We wouldn't overburden land or resources. We would be self reliant. We would be closer to God and family. We would be closer to Zion.

Perhaps the most important aspect of Joseph's plan is that people would be working to provide for themselves instead of depending on a remote system where you have no idea how your products are really made, what's in them, everything needs to be trucked in from far away, the fruits are picked unripened, and so on and so forth with all the issues we see in our subpar products of today.

[Rose Garden]

We are all familiar with the normal definition of prostitution. I would like to suggest a broader interpretation. What if prostitution, in the Lord's eyes, is doing something (anything) for the sole purpose of earning money. Let me explain further....

No one pays a mother to care for her own child. Her work is priceless. The work of caring for a child is only worth money when someone else does it.

No one pays a man to work in his own home. His work there is priceless. But if someone else works in his home, that person will usually expect to be paid.

We generally recognize that a woman's care for her child is valuable, even though she doesn't get paid. But we don't always value a man's work with the same regard. We are quick to put a price tag on a man's work. What if all work is sacred and priceless and we are devaluing it every time we pay for it? What if the man (and women but the man in particular due to the traditional role of breadwinner) is being exploited by being obligated to work for money?

You cannot tax the work that a man does in service to his family and friends. You can only tax a man when you take him out of the home and pay him wages for his work. The more you draw him out of his home, the more you can manipulate the return he receives for his work.

I don't want to get into a debate over the necessity of a means for exchange. I am just presenting a different perspective on the value of work. If we viewed each person's work as priceless, how would that change the world? If we felt that taking a man out of his home to work was asking him to make a great sacrifice, would we try to pay him the greatest amount we could for his work? Would we do whatever we could to help men stay home and only encourage outside work when it was absolutely necessary? Would we be more inclined to group together as family and friends to do larger work projects instead of hiring other people? What do you think?

I don't agree 100%, but I have had many similar thoughts over the years.

I believe it is not God, but Satan's plan to have the husband gone. If the husband's two main responsibilities are to provide and protect, he only does 1 when he works away from home: provide. How can he protect his family if he is gone?

In a more agricultural life he might not be in the house, but he was most often on the property and available in an emergency. If we did more for ourselves, produced as much as we could of our needs, worked with our neighbors, and lowered our expectations concerning modern technology and leisure, I truly believe we would be closer to God, closer to family, closer to Zion.

Good point!

[gardener4life]

This really is a wonderful thought for this thread. It's very true. Also if we could accept people more this way then everybody would have a place in the kingdom; which is the goal of Heavenly Father, in terms of at least those that are worthy to go there. Someday we'll have to live in a way that everyone can have a life and we can only do that if we live simply enough to allow everyone to have an opportunity to live and also for all to have opportunities at home too.

[Irrelevant]

If we felt that taking a man out of his home to work was asking him to make a great sacrifice, would we try to pay him the greatest amount we could for his work? Would we do whatever we could to help men stay home and only encourage outside work when it was absolutely necessary?

I certainly feel that way about my own time and try to spend as little time away from my wife and children as possible while providing everything they need. Part of what my kids need is me.