Was St Augustine right or wrong that prostitution is a necessary evil?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rozellelily
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Rozellelily said:
He quotes Augustine of Hippo: “Take away the prostitutes from society, and you will throw everything into disorder by lust.
Click to expand...
Holy Spirit taught “human flesh is sin”.

No words “prostitution is a necessary evil” are from the saint.

When lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin. James 1:14-15
Lust is the cause, not prostitution.
Lust of flesh is roots of many other disorders.

God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. Romans 8:3

God loves you.
 
Last edited:
meltzerboy2 said:
Who said this: Augustine or Aquinas? It seems odd that either one would have stated this…in writing. Offhand, I’m not sure any evil is a necessary evil.
Click to expand...
The same question popped up for me right away.

As @Dan_Defender mentions, Augustine appears to have said it in his book De Ordinae .

Aquinas’ quote is a little easier to verify without a book on hand . . . comes from The Summa , Second Part, Question 10, Article 11 . In the Summa , it is clear that he (St Thomas Aquinas) is quoting St Augustine.
Out of context, it goes like this:
. . . thus Augustine says (De Ordine ii, 4): “If you do away with harlots, the world will be convulsed with lust.” Hence, though unbelievers sin in their rites, they may be tolerated, either on account of some good that ensues therefrom, or because of some evil avoided.
Click to expand...
The heading of the Article under which Aquinas quotes Augustine is Whether the rites of unbelievers ought to be tolerated - so that should be our main point of focus or perspective.

Several personal observations (which are open to correction):
  1. Aquinas was speaking analogically ; stating whether the rites of unbelievers should be tolerated - not whether prostitution was an acceptable thing.
  2. Obviously, since he includes “unbelievers” and their rites, St. Thomas Aquinas was speaking of society in general (therefore state laws as opposed to Church law).
  3. Moral contradictions can become a little less apparent in the abstract.This expression “necessary evil” can be a really sticky piece of toast - particularly if we apply it in the way the thread and its title have. Once (saying “prostitution is a necessary evil”) is reduced from the abstract down to a personal or individual level, we have a problem : Essentially, I would be telling a prostitute , “It’s okay for me to use you” , or “Too bad that others use you like that, but we’ll just have to let it go for now.” Who are we to enunciate at all that the victimization of another person should be tolerable or tolerated - when we aren’t even on the receiving end of the wrongdoing ? I think this supports the question raised by @meltzerboy2 :
meltzerboy2 said:
. . . Offhand, I’m not sure any evil is a necessary evil.
Click to expand...
  1. Aquinas maintains the proven Christian principle that God can always draw a greater good out of some evil. May we then say, that if ever there were a “necessary evil” , it would have to have been the Crucifixion of Our Blessed Lord ; since He Himself allowed it and, as theologians and saints alike posit, even embraced his Cross for love of us ?
 
Last edited:
Maybe it is a little like saying reversing Row V Wade would cause uproar in society and lead to many backyard abortions.

I think we would all agree with that statement but have different views on whether Roe V Wade is reversed.

Disclaimer : I am pro life and this is just an attempt to describe what may be the thinking of the quote from St Augustine without advocating either way. Of course there is always trade offs with government. Amending a certain law might be a very good thing as a whole but it can also lead to other problems. I don’t think we get an ethical society only through laws.
 
The title says St. Augustine and then the body of your post says St. Thomas Aquinas. I’m not familiar with anything Augustine said about this. It seems others figured it out and explained it.

I do believe Aquinas said you might not want the law to punish prostitution. This of course is a perfectly right belief. Just because something is wrong doesn’t mean the law should punish it. And just because something is not illegal doesn’t mean it is moral.
 
Yes, this not about a “necessary” evil, but about whether an evil should be tolerated. I believe the general thought at the time was if the prostitutes were taken away, those consumed by lust would satisfy it in other even more harmful ways.
 
My understanding is that in ancient Rome prostitution was legal, taxed and not frowned upon (reference- Wikipedia, so take with a bucket of salt). Therefore it would have taken a huge change in culture that Augustine didn’t think would happen.
Closest equivilant today I can think of would probably be charging interest on loans (Deuteronomy 23:19), or smoking.
 
Can you see how unnatural peoples lives have become world-wide ?
It’s NOT gonna go on this way a whole lot longer
 
Galatians 5

16 Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want.

19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, 21 envy,[e] drunkenness, carousing, and things like these.

God loves you,
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top