Post 132--Biblical Attitude towards Prostitution (1)

The Bible was written in a world where prostitution and other sexual practices were common. Prostitution is a very  ancient practice. It is not dubbed the oldest profession by some for nothing. By Genesis 38 it was already an established custom that served various purposes and vested interests. Female slaves were offering up their bodies to earn money for their masters. Free women entered it as profession, for so it was regarded. Brothels were not uncommon (I Kings 3:16).

Some decades ago, Amsterdam, the capital of my “old country,” was lauded for its progressive attitude towards prostitution, for they regulated it, derived taxes from it and sought to reduce the health problems that usually attend to its practice. Licenses were required from houses of prostitution with the government deriving revenue from it. This was sort of a win-win situation, sort of, probably better than the usual unregulated conditions. But this is nothing new, for similar arrangements have been discovered in the ancient world.

So, a whole culture had developed around the practice that is well circumscribed throughout the Old Testament (OT) especially. Prostitutes might wear special clothing, even perhaps a veil (Genesis 38:14ff; Proverbs 7:10). Of course, the price would vary depending on circumstances and social status.  We read of a loaf of bread (Proverbs 6:26); a kid (Genesis 38:17); a boy could be given away for a harlot’s wage (Joel 3:3; Matthew 4:3). Hebrew father was not to give his daughter to it (Lev 19:29).  Nor could priests marry a prostitute

So, ancient, firmly established and commonly practiced. If you want a fuller dose of it, I would refer you to volumes 1 and 2 of the International Standard Bible Enclopedia—1982 edition by Eerdmans—volume 1, pp. 815-817; volume 2, pp. 616-617.

Though when we think of prostitution, we usually think in terms of women selling their bodies to men, those we dub the “johns.”  But in the world of the OT it seems that male prostitution was as common as the female version. And besides the blatantly commercial version, there was a lot of religion involved in terms of cultic prostitution, including temples.  The cultic in this context does not refer to some extreme version but of mainstream or mainline practice. Prostitution was often closely tied to religion, the opposite of what we might expect. In fact, most of the OT passages dealing with the subject are tied to its cultic practice, though not exclusively. 

So, when the Bible speaks of prostitution, it is not talking about some exotic realm practiced in the shadows. No, much of it was in the open and official, both recognized and approved by the dominant cultures around Israel; in the centre of things instead of in the shadows, not on skidrow as in Vancouver’s Down Town East Side, but on Georgia and Robson Streets and in the churches lining West End streets.

But one of the first things you will notice when you begin searching for the topic in the Bible is its strongly negative attitude towards prostitution. It does not have a single good word to say about it. There are various reasons for that attitude; it’s not just a matter of “kill joy.”  In fact, the very opposite; it’s more a matter of “enable joy,” real joy.  It led—and still leads—to so many ugly problems in society that God wanted to protect His people from this “kill joy.”  Probably the first reason was of a religious nature, since religion is always at the heart of every society—the cult prostitution. "None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, nor shall any of the sons of Israel be a cult prostitute (Deuteronomy 23:17).   The next verse: "You shall not bring the hire of a harlot or the wages of a dog into the house of the LORD your God for any votive offering, for both of these are an abomination to the LORD your God.…”  “There were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD dispossessed before the sons of Israel (1 Kings 14:24). The cultic practice was an abomination to God because it was a common Pagan practice among the nations around Israel that constantly tempted the people to follow their example, have their “fun” and gradually transfer their loyalty from the God who delivered them from slavery in Egypt to the numerous idols of their neighbours. These were false “gods” that the OT frequently pokes fun of as powerless and of being made of mere wood or stone. These so-called “gods” deceived them, brought them false hope and distorted their values. They represented a culture rejected by God because of all its corruption, cruelties and oppressions.  It was hard for God to protect them when the people themselves were so open to and tempted by these cultural and religious travesties. And so God tried to put a stop to it altogether by simply condemning it in no uncertain language. 

There was another but related reason for the negative attitude towards prostitution. It can lead to social and cultural breakdown, even apart from the religious angle, but time is up and the word limit has been crossed. So, that will mean another post on the subject. See you in 133.   

Post 131—Prostitution: Further Ruminations

Rehabbing Prostitute Culture               

So the City Fathers of Vancouver decided the reputation of former West End (WE) prostitutes needed to be rehabbed. (See Post 130.) Did they consult with us WE residents at all? They may have, but I certainly never heard of such an event, while I usually try to keep on top of such happenings. Such consultations are usually well advertised far ahead of time. I must admit, of course, that I do travel a lot and thus might miss some of these occasions.

Lack of Citizen Involvement

But were there any cries from the current residents that a former injustice had to be undone?  Was the city under local pressure on this matter?  Even if I missed out on whatever public consultations might have taken place, I have noticed nothing of public pressure to restore the honour of prostitutes, let alone thank them for their historic contribution to advancing our “progressive” WE culture. I am sociable; I spend time on the street; I drink tea on the new plaza in front of our building. I heard no such discussion of any kind. It seems the City Fathers just quietly slipped this one over us, possibly alerting some citizen groups they would expect to support such a move, but almost definitely no general public consultation. Though St. Paul’s Anglican Church participated in and approved of the action, I doubt that other area churches such as my church, the large Baptist “cathedral” at Burrard and Nelson, was consulted, or the Guardian Angel Catholic Church on Broughton. Possibly St. Andrews United, for they could be expected to support the move and, perhaps, the Presbyterians.

Citizen Reactions

As could be expected, citizen reactions ran the full gamut from warm embrace to vigorous rejection. One Derek Frew wrote that he initially thought it a case of “blasphemy” that “involved…placing a monument to paganism in front of a Christian church.” But then he had second thoughts urged on him by words attributed to the famous writer G. K. Chesterton: “Every man who knocks on the door of a brothel is looking for God.” Frew concluded that “perhaps not a bad place for it after all” ! (Vancouver Sun, Sept 20, 2016, p. A11).  If nothing else, his has at least a humorous touch to it.

The Earlier Part of the Story

From the other side of the opinion track, we get Ray McNabb’s piece on the same VS page under the title “Memorial to sex workers a wrong-headed affront.”  He’s lived in the WE for 40 years and has always found it “a wonderful area to live in. However, I vividly recall a time when it wasn’t.” That time was the early 1970s when there was so much traffic that he could hardly get onto the street. There was a constant lot of “noise, car horns, car radios booming, shouting, swearing from the traffic. The cars were all headed for Davie Street, where the prostitutes all gathered. Bumper to bumper stuff. Some WE-enders organized a “Shame the Johns” movement. “We were upset and annoyed with the lack of action by the police and city hall….”  A pressure group of citizens, including some politicians, finally was heard and the “court ordered the…hookers out of the WE.”  Traffic was forced away from the regular tours by a mini-park on Jervis and a cul-de-sac at Bute & Burnaby, right in front of my building here. The neighbourhood slowly “returned to normal.”

Then and Now

So, that time there was public pressure on the authorities to stop the sex trade in the WE.  The residents did not want it. It ruined their lives and turned the area into a noisy and chaotic place. Davie village became so infamous that even in Africa, where I lived at the time, I heard about it, just like today the place is world famous for its gay-friendly culture so that gay people from all over the world gather in the WE to participate in the annual week-long activities that culminate in the huge local gay parade. But notice the difference:  infamous vs famous. At that time it was the laughing stock of the province, nation and even world! 

An Affront

And now, McNabb rightly complains that city Counselor Andrea Reimer, judging from the name, a descendant of that morally pristine Mennonite community, refers to the citizens’ action in the 70s as “a tragic injustice.”  Oh, yeah? How about opening up space for that crowd on her street and see if she would still feel that way! Her neighbours would likely drive her out with the rest of the crowd to follow!  If not worse!  “What an affront!” comments McNabb. “She lost my vote”—and mine as well. I am coming close to dubbing her an “idiot!”  Again, something like calling a spade a spade.

The Next Post

I hope to have the time to prepare for the next post to deal with the more overtly Christian perspective on the issue. You will learn that I do not see it all in black and white terms. My prostitute story in Post 130 is illustrative of the tragic circumstances that can drive a person into prostitution. I am far from judging an individual prostitute, but that is very different from elevating the culture of prostitution to the level of desirability to which more communities should aspire.     

Post 130—Prostitution Gone Mainstream?

Out of / in Nigeria

You may remember that I spent 30 years in Nigeria, from 1966-1996.  Even though that’s been 20 years ago now, it still seems like yesterday. Since I left the country, I have written 13 books and many articles on my work there, including Christian-Muslim relations and mission memoirs. Thus, though I was physically away from Nigeria, psychologically, emotionally and mentally I was/am still there. Even today, due to sleep apnea, I dream frequently and by far most of my dreams are still about Nigeria.

During the course of my ministry in Nigeria, I often traveled far and wide. One car trip I stayed overnight in a “local” hotel, places few Caucasians frequent; we prefer the more modern and convenient ones. I chose a local one just to see what they are like and what goes on there. It was not a pleasant or comfortable place to stay, though much cheaper, something that does a Dutch heart like mine good. 

Hymn-singing Prostitute

Like most Nigerian hotels, prostitutes were abundant. I overheard one of them humming and even softly singing Christian hymns. So I screwed up my courage and asked her how she could be singing Christian hymns while practicing prostitution. Her story broke my heart. She was from Ghana, where she had married with two or three children. Her husband abandoned her and her children. She tried every which way to provide for her children but was not successful. In her wanderings she ended up a prostitute in this Nigerian hotel. She could see no alternative.

Jesus and Prostitutes

Her story immediately reminded me of Biblical stories about Jesus and prostitutes. Go to John 7:36-50; 8:1-11 and to Luke 7:236-50.  If you want to read further on the subject in the Bible, just google “Jesus and prostitutes” and you’ll get a very full plate of stories and commentary on these stories. I am an emotional person and had to work hard at containing my emotions at  her story and those about Jesus all at once. This was the first and only time in my life that I consciously sought out a prostitute, even if it was only to satisfy my curiosity about her story. But the Jesus stories told me one thing very clearly: I was in no position to judge her.

Prostitution in Vancouver

The above paragraphs form the backdrop to this and the next post about prostitutes in my city, Vancouver, Canada. (When you write about Vancouver, you always need to specify which Vancouver, since there is a smaller city by that name in the south of the American state of Washington.) 

Apology to Sex Workers

On September 17, 2016, about three weeks ago, the Vancouver Sun featured a story on p. A16 with the heading “West End sex workers get civic apology,” written by Glen Schaefer, with the subheading, “City unveils memorial to trades people driven to margins during 1980s.” The article was flanked by a picture by Ben Nelms I might have included in this article if I had the digital know-how for it. As it is, I can only reproduce the caption underneath the picture. It reads, “Indigenous transgender sex work activist Jamies Lee Hamilton, left, and University of British Columbia professor Becki Ross unveil on Friday a memorial—a retro lamp-post with a red bulb—that has been dedicated to sex-trade workers of Vancouver’s West End Community.” 

Now I live in that part of Vancouver and do remember the stories people told me about the situation in the West End (WE). The entire “industry” had been wiped out by the time we arrived on the scene in 2001. We were still left with quite a contingent of homeless folk and addicts, who were also under pressure to move out of the area, though today they are re-invading the area with a vengeance. Had my wife and I heard of the ceremony ahead of time, we probably would have attended it out of pure curiosity, since it took place within three short blocks from us. On the evening of Sept. 17, we did take a stroll there and, sure enough, there was that new retro lamppost with clear inscriptions and a red light on top, right in front of St. Paul’s Anglican Church. A very respectable memorial at a very respectable residential/church location.

Reversal of Attitudes

How things have changed during these short 15 years that we have lived in the WE.  During that decade and a half the official attitude had been turned upside down from chasing out these prostitutes—and their clients!—to apologizing for that act!  Ross, the UBC sociology specialist in the sex trade, spoke the following:

"The early 1980s marked the full fledged anti-
prostitution crusade to purge sex workers from 
the WE. Davie sex workers built the foundation of 
what would become this city’s first Gay-
neighbourhood, and yet hookers on Davie have 
never been honoured as the former fighters for 
gender, sexual and racial minorities.”

Though I hesitate to “correct” a sociology expert on the topic, my understanding of the background to the WE’s gay culture is that it goes way back to nearly a century ago. I doubt that these prostitutes—and I insist on calling a spade a spade—laid that foundation. Ross will have to persuade me of that.

Maybe, just maybe, more on the subject next time. I will try….

Post 129 –Calvin Helin’s Aboriginal Critique and Solution

Back in Post 123 on August 30, I wrote about Calvin Helin, to whom I referred as one hell of an Aboriginal whom I really want to meet some day.  I sort of half promised that I would one day give you a few summaries from the book he wrote, Dances with Dependency. It is the most honest and most brutal book about Aboriginals I have ever read—and Helin is an Aboriginal. His stuff is from the inside, from the cradle of his own people. 

So, here’s the very first paragraph of text from the Preface, the opening salvo, if you like:

The purpose of this book is to look at practical ways to move indigenous populations forward. Money has been liberally thrown at Indian problems with nominal impact. Neither mainstream nor indigenous politics has had lasting widespread impact on improving the lives of ordinary indigenous folk, no matter how many hyped political announcements and other solutions have been touted. It is time to look at the problems and issues at the broadest level in order to seek general solutions that might be tailored to the different circumstances of Tribes now.

I expect every person of goodwill will shout an affirmative “Amen!” to this opening salvo. “Money liberally thrown” with little impact—that sounds like the sad case of Vancouver’s Down Town East Side, where a million is being spent every day with little or no impact over the years.

Moving on to p. 25, after he gives a short vivid description of the traditional and comparatively sophisticated economics and politics of his people along the coast of British Columbia, he writes:

My father was a commercial fisherman and a fine one. Though he had made a good life for our family, I was well aware that life in an Aboriginal Indian reserve had a very sinister side to it. Such a bad environment has persisted so long in most Aboriginal communities that many Aboriginal  people have, over generations, been socialized into thinking that this widespread dysfunction is normal. Imagine a situation where tragically high youth suicide rates, gross unemployment figures, frequent banana republic-style corruption, and persistent abuse—both substance and physical—prevail, and you might begin to understand what life is like on many Aboriginal reserves.

Towards the end of Chapter 1, Helin presents us with a general journey that Aboriginals must embark upon with the concrete details worked out in the rest of his book. Here are some of his phrases and statements from pp. 36 and 39: 

“Aboriginal citizens must…squarely face the Industry of Non-Aboriginal Hucksters, and ‘consultants,’ and those Aboriginal politicians who are openly profiting from this sea of despair and poverty. In spite of what they say, this ‘Indian Industry’ has no real interest in changing a system from which they are profiting.”

“the unkind hands of the welfare trap.”

Families are falling “as casualties of a fatal ‘welfare syndrome’—one that is literally stealing the lives and hopes of our future generation….”

“We must shake off the apathy of what has become an all too comfortable ‘cloak of welfare’….”

With reference to the economic opportunities available to his people, he writes, “To exploit these opportunities will require a fundamental change in the dependency mindset of Aboriginal people. For lasting solutions, decisions have to come from Aboriginal people themselves. Aboriginals have to consciously choose a more beneficial path than the dependency course they are currently on—and have the conviction to live with the consequences.”

The pursuit of economic opportunities before them, “could lead to the Holy Grail of rediscovered independence and self-reliance. It is time to re-take control of our lives from government departments, bureaucrats and the Indian Industry.”

Well, if you think the above sentiments and observations are racist, coming as they do at this point from a Caucasian writer, you’ll have to take it up with Helin himself, a man with all of his roots deeply entangled with Aboriginal history and culture—and, I should emphasize, full of passionate love for his  people. I suppose you could push this a bit farther by saying that my choosing to quote all this and bring it to a wider public is racist. Well, go ahead, if that makes you feel better.

I have long been concerned with the state of the Aboriginal people in Canada. In fact, when I first returned to Canada as a “retired” person after 43 years, I actually hoped to do a serious study on the subject and publish its result. Because of my life’s work, I ended up focusing on Islam and wrote a series of eight books along with quite a number of articles on that subject, all of which are available to you free of charge on the Islamica page of my website < SocialTheology.com.> So, I never got around to Aboriginal issues, but I have a large archive of Aboriginal articles collected for that purpose. If any reader is interested in that archival material, contact me. I am prepared to donate them it of charge to any party who is seriously involved in Aboriginal affairs, especially Aboriginals themselves, even more especially to Helin, who has become a hero of mine. If any reader knows him, please draw his attention to my offer and to these posts in this blog.  

Post 128 The Lord’s Prayer

Today it’s from the ridiculous to the sublime.  Well, actually the last two posts were not on ridiculous topics, though unusual to be sure and about topics not everyone enjoys talking or reading , let alone writing about!  But in spite of the negative vibes that last subject tends to generate, it was a subject of immense importance, for mismanaging it or, worse and perhaps the most frequent when you take into consideration the entire world, simply not managing it, usually creates chaotic public health conditions. But in contrast to today’s topic, that of yesterday can definitely be described as ridiculous. 

Today’s topic is the most famous prayer in all of human history, the most famous Christian prayer. I admit I have no statistics to support that claim, but if you check it out on the Internet you’ll almost certainly find such statistics. It’s just that statistics are not my concern today. Perhaps another time. But that prayer? If you’re a Christian you must by now have named it: The Lord’s Prayer that Jesus Christ Himself taught his disciples to pray in the New Testament book of Matthew 6:9-13.  In the words of the translation by Eugene Peterson known as The Message, it goes like this:

^7-13 “The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:

Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best—
    as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
    Yes. Yes. Yes.

Peterson’s translation is a loose one, conveying the core of the prayer as he understands it in contemporary language.

Another person who writes about the Lord’s Prayer is Father Ronald Rolheiser He is a Roman Catholic priest, a lecturer and writer with a weekly column that is carried in more than 50 newspapers worldwide. He is the author of numerous books as well. He has been a priest for 28 years. He also writes a lot about prayer and social justice. One of his titles on the subject is Living God’s Justice. You can find out all about him by just calling him up on the Internet and you’ll get plenty about him. A major URL about him and his major subject is:

                             <  http://corpuschristiparish.net/wp-                 

                  content/uploads/2011/07/Social-Justice-prayers.pdf >

Rolheiser has nicely summarize the Prayer for us as far as its meaning for social justice is concerned, but using its more traditional formulation. In the material below, the bold sections represent the words of the Prayer itself, which are then followed by succinct social justice statements. I think they are clear enough for you to enjoy—yes, prayers may be enjoyed!—to edify and be edified and, yes, to pray. I don’t think additional comments from me are necessary for you to get the thrust. If you need further enlargement, look online for the Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 45-52 or Question & Answer 116-129.  While Rolheiser is a Catholic priest, the “Heidelberger” as it is fondly known, is a Protestant document forged during the heat of the Reformation a few centuries ago.  Here goes:

Our Father… who always stands with the weak, the powerless, the poor, the abandoned, the sick, the aged, the very young, the unborn, and those who, by victim of circumstance, beat the heat of the day. 

          Who art in heaven…where everything will be reversed, where the                first will be last and the last will be first, but where all will be well and every manner of being, will be well. 

         Hallowed be thy name…may we always acknowledge your holiness,  

       respecting that your ways are not our ways, your standards are not our

          standards. May the reverence we give your name pull us out of the selfishness that prevents us from seeing the pain of our neighbor.

        Your will be done…open our freedom to let you in, so that the complete mutuality that characterizes your life might flow through our veins, and

                            thus the life that we help generate may radiate your equal love for all, and your special love for the poor. 

         On earth as in heaven…may the work of our hands, the temples and structures we build in this world, reflect the temple and the structure of your

glory so that the joy, graciousness, tenderness, and justice of heaven will show forth within all of our structures on Earth. 

  Give…life and love to us and help us to always see everything as a gift. Help us to know that nothing comes to us by right and that we must give        

                    because we have been given to. Help us realize that we must give to the poor, not because they need it, but because our own health

                            depends upon our giving to them. 

       Us…the truly plural us…Give not just to our own but to everyone, including those who are very different than the narrow us. Give your gifts to all

                            of us equally. 

     This day…not tomorrow…Do not let us push things off into some indefinite future so that we can continue to live justified lives in the face of injustice

                            because we can make good excuses for our inactivity.

   Our daily bread…so that each person in the world may have enough food, enough clean water, enough clean air, adequate health care, and

                           sufficient access to education, so as to have the sustenance for a healthy life. Teach us to give from our sustenance and not just from our

                           surplus. 

           And forgive us our trespasses…forgive us our blindness toward our neighbor, our self-preoccupation, our racism, and our incurable propensity

                           to worry only about ourselves and our own. Forgive us our capacity to watch the evening news and do nothing about it.

         And do not put us to the test…do not judge us only by whether we have fed the hungry, given clothing to the naked, visited the sick, or tried to

                          mend the systems that victimized the poor. Spare us this test for none of us can stand before your gospel scrutiny. Give us, instead, more

                          days to mend our ways, our selfishness, and our systems. 

NOTE:  I apologize for the irregular formatting above. My computer has been stubborn the past few days when it comes to formatting. Not being much of a techy, I chose to proceed as is and hope for your mercy. In desperation I decided the world is better off with a good prayer but poor formatting than with nothing!  After all, these words are straight from our Saviour's mouth! I hope you agree.... Pray and be blessed anyway!

         And deliver us from evil…that is, from the blindness that let us continue to participate in anonymous systems within which we need not see who                       gets less as we get more.

Post 127—Human Plumbing and Culture

I hope you’re ready for another session on human plumbing and how we manage its product.  That management, as we will see today, is usually related to the dominant local culture.  In the last post, we saw how at least some Indians still manage it in a pretty primitive way. Now I don’t know enough about Indian culture to demonstrate my thesis firmly on the influence of culture on the matter, but I can at least make a guess. The Indian practice described in Post 126 must have been influenced by at least two factors.

One of them would be a general traditional ignorance of the impact of hygiene on health. First of all, the people would not be aware that defecating all over the place creates hygienic problems. Secondly, they would not be aware of the danger to health such unhygienic practice creates. Flies crawling all over the excrement and then carrying it with them wherever they go, including humans and food. Well, we know what happens from there on, but those people do not. They are blissfully ignorant of it and so continue to practice their unhealthy tradition. So, one cultural factor is general ignorance of hygiene.

The second cultural factor would be low level of technology combined with a poor economy. It takes a certain level technology and economy to devise better management of sewage. And that technology is pushed by growing awareness of the dangers of traditional practice. When people become aware of the danger, they will be motivated to take the bull by the horns and devise more healthy management practices. I have read various publications that claim the rapid increase in the health level of Westerners during the 19^th century was due more to the improvement in sewage systems than to improved medical science. And that came along with the general rise of technology—the Industrial Revolution, remember? 

Bring these two cultural developments together and you will soon have a management system that almost makes the sewage invisible so that the general population almost forgets about it. In any modern city like Vancouver, where I live, I am blissfully ignorant as to where mine goes, how it gets there and what happens to it. Never really think of it—until, of course, the system develops plumbing problems and then we call in a plumber with all her sophisticated equipment. “Her” did I say? Well, probably not. I have yet to meet a lady plumber!

But then there is an even deeper factor that can play a role—anthropology. That’s a fancy term referring to a culture’s view about human beings, who or what we are. I have lived for many years in a culture where the local chief was regarded a demi-god with all the men of the community in some way sharing that status. They could not imagine that gods would have such human problems as defecation and so they pretended the chief and all the man did not defecate. I don’t know how the chief handled that pretense, but for ordinary males this meant they would do their thing in the bush or forest. There were no toilets in such communities, for that would entail an unwanted admission. So everyone else, women and children, though no demi-gods, also had no choice but the bush, for no provisions for them were made either. Not only were there no provisions, but no one would speak about the subject. It was a taboo.

A breakthrough came. After decades of missionary work in the area, the myth began to break down. The young church was one of the first to build a toilet in the town. It was a simple structure of a grass matting surrounding a deep hole. But it was built only a few feet away from the well from which they drew the water needed for the church’s cooking events!  The people did not see the dangerous connection! 

Another breakthrough came, a negative one: a cholera plague that killed many people in just a few days. The local government medical officer quickly called a meeting of all the religious leaders of the two dominant religions, Christianity and Islam. He begged these leaders to preach on the need for hygiene, including toilets, to contain the plague. It so happens it was my turn to preach that Sunday.  

I decided to preach on an Old Testament text that instructed the people to bury their excrement in a hole outside the camp.

 Mark out an area outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourselves. Along with your weapons have a stick with you. After you relieve yourself, dig a hole with the stick and cover your excrement.God, your God, strolls through your camp; He’s present…. Keep your camp holy; don’t permit anything indecent or offensive in God’s eyes (The Message, Deuteronomy 23:12-13).

 I knew it was culturally inappropriate to speak about such matters. So I consulted a church elder and friend who was to translate my Hausa-language sermon into another language. He advised me I should go ahead and preach that sermon and promised to translate faithfully, even if it was culturally inappropriate. So I did. I preached a sentence or two and he would translate. So we would alternate. Suddenly, in the middle of the sermon, a very influential man stood up and yelled something in the local language which I did not understand. My translator brushed it off and told me to continue, but my heart was out of it. After the service, I was told that man yelled that the translator should not beat around the bush! Say it as I said it! However, my sermon was not lost on most, for they understood the Hausa language.

Thus, another humorous story, but also an indication how culture can influence such matters. Though comparatively free from that tradition, it was not enough for him to translate the message straight. However, people did begin to construct toilets in their compounds. A combination of disease, new awareness and the gospel brought about a radical change in the way the people saw themselves and that, in turn, led to a breakdown of that particular tradition—and did so for the good of the entire community. I never learned how this was solved for the chief himself or what effect this may have had on his alleged semi-divinity. I do know that the church did not openly challenge it ever but played along with it good naturedly, even though over time the chiefs were all Christian. 

Post 126—The Human Plumbing System

I have long wanted to do a post on a rather messy topic: human defecation. In some cultures this is a no-go area, or, perhaps, in most even. It basically was in the rural European culture of my childhood. It simply was not talked about, though no reason was ever provided. The taboo was just there floating in the air as it were. Everybody who grew up there was aware of the taboo, even though it was never explained. I see no reason for this taboo in that culture, apart from the fact that it is a messy business. But at least we acknowledged it enough to make provision for it. Everyone had some form of toilet at their house, either in or outside.

In the case of our family, by the time I was aware of such things, we had a toilet stool shaped like modern flush toilets, except that this one did not flush. The product would slide down a wide tube into a cement holding cistern underground right next to the building.  Twice a year a local farmer would empty the cistern by scooping it out with a pail with a long handle into a wooden tanker on wheels with a spreading mechanism at the back and pulled either by a horse or an ancient tractor. The farmer would spread it out over his meadow, where the cows grazed—and we would buy and drink the milk!  Well, it was our own, after all!  Today the village has a full-fledged modern sewer system that automatically takes the product to a mysterious destination somewhere. Residents no long have to worry about it. Taken care of. Though I have left that culture since 1951, I believe they have loosened up on that taboo somewhat.

Why do I bring up such a macabrous  subject? I have often thought about our human plumbing system with a degree of admiration about how our Creator engineered it. How it allows us to eat things that our bodies reject. When you think of it, it really is quite an amazing system regardless of its messiness.  And to think that a holy God would even bother creating such a messy system that in probably all cultures is considered filthy and to be avoided. This should teach us to be more respectful and appreciative about it and not consider it such a taboo subject. Even the Bible is open about it.

Not only did our Creator design it, but it can generate humorous situations. The reason I bring up the subject today is precisely that: humour. This week one of the great American newspaper published the story about how the Indian government is trying to discourage people from defecating all over the place, except in toilets. Here’s the story:

India’s government has been on a public toilet-building spree. Now, it’s trying to shame people into using them. An aggressive new campaign ridicules those who are no longer poor but continue to defecate in the open—a practice that remains common in rural India. The advertisements mock the very idea that India is developing. The tagline says: “Only the habit of using a toilet is real progress.”  And the ridiculing is done by children. “Uncle, you wear a tie around your neck, shoes on your feet, but you still defecate in the open. What kind of progress is that?” asks a child in one commercial. Another says: “you may have a smart phone in your hand, but you still squat on the train tracks.” 

Now, macabre as it is, I am quite sure it brought at least a smile to your face. So, I have achieved two things so far: I’ve reminded you that our holy God created this messy system and that therefore we should respect and appreciate it more. Secondly, I have made you smile, which in this grim world, is quite an achievement. I’m almost proud of myself!

The way various civilizations manage their human plumbing system is usually not just random. It is often tied up with basic aspects of their culture. I hope to give an example of that in our next post.