Posted on 03/13/2008 6:11:19 AM PDT by Kaslin
Had New York Governor Eliot Spitzer reached out for the Gideon Bible in his fancy Washington, D.C., hotel room instead of, allegedly, a high-priced prostitute, he might have been forewarned of the dangers in such liaisons.
Such as: "A prostitute is a deep pit; an adulterous woman is treacherous. She hides and waits like a robber, looking for another victim who will be unfaithful to his wife." (Proverbs 23:27-28) And: "For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death, her steps lay hold of hell." (Proverbs 5:3-5)
But who speaks of such things today, a day in which, as C.S. Lewis wrote, "We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst."
Today's "morality" knows none of this. It is best summed up in what Spitzer's brother, Daniel Spitzer, a neurosurgeon, told The Wall Street Journal: "If men never succumbed to the attractions of women, then the human species would have died out a long time ago." Even the most ardent secularist would likely not defend prostitution as the best method of perpetuating the human race, when marriage and fidelity seem to have done a pretty fair job of achieving that objective over several millennia.
If Spitzer is guilty of what has been alleged, he not only broke the laws of man and of God, but also violated a public trust and dishonored his oath of office. In his brief statement, he alluded to failing to live up to a standard he set for himself. But if right and wrong are to be determined solely by an individual's standards for himself - or herself - then the prostitute, who clearly has a much lower standard, would be no more guilty of lawbreaking and immoral behavior than Spitzer. This attitude is reflected at the end of the Book of Judges: "in those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes." (Judges 21:25)
Many commentators are indicting Spitzer mostly for hypocrisy, but aren't we the real hypocrites? We watch and tolerate the most salacious television programs; we produce soft pornography to sell in grocery stores, displaying it on checkout line shelves, we post hardcore porn on the Internet; we feature on magazine covers women who have had babies with sperm donors they call boyfriends, but do not marry them; girls are sexualized at ever-younger ages; we equate shacking up with marriage as equal moral choices and then express shock when members of both political parties behave in ways that emulate what they see the rest of us tacitly approving.
Another thing: shouldn't there be a law against the injured wife appearing with her husband at these media events? She should be telling him, "Look, buster, you have humiliated yourself, you are not humiliating me. Go out there and deal with it on your own."
Did Spitzer think nothing of his wife while allegedly having sex with prostitutes? Did the faces of his three daughters never come to mind? How would he like it if his daughters were prostitutes? The prostitutes are someone's daughters. Did he not think their parents' hearts broke when they learned their daughters were selling their bodies for cash, bodies they used to cradle in their arms?
Culture once produced gobs of shame for people who engaged in such activities, but no more. Now the question becomes whether such laws are outmoded and if it should be considered a private matter between Spitzer and his family. This is the legacy of the Bill Clinton years. "It was only sex," cried Clinton's defenders of his tryst with Monica Lewinsky. It was no one else's business, except his family. Each time such behavior is excused, we ensure we will get more of it.
There's another verse in that hotel Bible that might have served as a warning to Spitzer and anyone else who might think of behaving in a similar fashion: "be sure your sin will find you out." (Numbers 32:23)
She’s also teaching those daughters of hers that their father’s behavior is acceptable, and perhaps even inevitable. Darned shame.
So is Spitzer’s brother is equating beautiful women with prostitutes? Is he saying that if it were not for all the slutty women who have existed throughout human history the human race would not have perpetuated itself?
“The affairs of state must take precedence over... the um affairs of state”
Governor William J. Le Petomane
“PROFESSIONAL HELP” ! ! ! ! ! !
For at least the last 5,700 years, members of the Judeo-Christian faiths have managed to deal with life and life's adversities with the Old/New Testament.
Only in modern day Big Sh*tty culture are “professionals” considered an essential to cope with life.
Thanks to such delusions as produced the Big Sh*tty Syndrome, schools now produce ‘grief counselors’ for any perceived “stressful situation”, talented/educated wives are in need of “professional counseling, and the Nanny State seems to have successfully sold its intrusions as “needful”, “helpful”, even “essential”.
Doesn't anyone take charge of, and accept responsibility for, their own life?.
Excellent article.
Obeying God’s instructions from the Holy Bible, a true prayer life, and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ makes all the difference in a person’s life . . . anyone without this can have all the money, college degrees, and political power in the world, yet remains a dismal failure, cut off from God and headed towards hell.
John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
I pray Mr. Spitzer and the rest of his family place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9-10). Only then can the true healing begin.
No doubt his wife had First Lady aspirations as well. I view her behavior in recent days as clinging to the hope that he would somehow survive this and stay in office which was the natural stepping stone to him running for POTUS.
And now maybe we have a glimpse of what attracted her and her husband to each other in the first place.
And the new governor will be eternally greatful for Spitzer’s stupidity.
From the Becker series to this who’d a thought it?
Rich, isn't it?
That's my read on it as well. She didn't want him to resign, even after this!
Sometimes people need others who are trained in some manner, and a distance from the emotion of the problem to help them endure it and find the right route to deal with it. In the days you speak of, the clergy was the source of most of the comforting. But, people always turned to others in addition to the comfort the might have found from religious readings. Often, if a religious person is involved, they pray with you and help to understand passages in the Bible that will give a person strength and clarity. Many therapists also use the Bible. You seem to have an anger about seeking help, yet even your reading and posting on here shows you feel the importance of hearing others' words and viewpoints. We all have some need for talking and listening to people who can clarify things for us, and help us form opinions, and make decisions. That is even more important when something rocks your world and your faith is being tested.
Yes, we have the Bible, and prayer, but God also sent His Son to guide us by example and offer words that gave people comfort and peace. Even He knew no one can, alone, overcome devistating challenges that bring great sadness. Our Lord, Jesus, was just such a "professional" in His ability to bring comfort to people, to show them ways to deal with situations, and to offer them hope and strength.
Scary thought!
that was a nice article...CS lewis quotes are always a nice touch.
don’t be too hard on his wife for staying by him: she may think it is best for her children.
However, if my husband cheated on me (especially with someone with masculine hands from new jersey) i would so get a divorce :P
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Yeah, they might pick up some Christian forgiveness, too. :-(
21Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
22Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. --Matthew 18:21-22 (KJV)
I don't believe in forgiveness without repentance. He has never apologized for ruining those innocent lives. If he did, perhaps I might forgive him...you never know.
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