Denial and its Power

Our beliefs affect our actions. But our actions and our lifestyles also affect our beliefs. A prostitute named Brooke of the Moonlite Bunny Ranch is a good example of this.

Brooke admitted that about half of her clientele are married, but she explained that she was providing a vital service for them:

• They love their wives. They just want variety - something new…assisted personal pleasure…a boast in confidence. 

When the interviewer asked her if she felt guilty about this, she responded:

• No, simply because there is a definitive line between the emotional and the physical relationship between us.

In other words, there was no marital betrayal because Brooke’s relationship with the married men was purely physical. She admitted that she listens to them and strokes their egos but that this is entirely “superficial.”

I guess the superficiality of the contact makes it okay! Perhaps it is superficial for Brooke, but if the husband is deriving an ego-boast, it is hardly superficial for him! It would therefore seem that Brooke’s distinction between “the emotional and the physical” is not a real one. But even if there is a real distinction, then the husband can do anything he wants to do physically without this betraying his relationship with his wife, as long as there isn’t any emotional involvement. This, of course, is “good news” for the sociopath who has no emotional attachments.

In the end, Brooke conveniently places all of the moral responsibility on the husbands:

• The responsibility lies on them, not me.

I was amazed how she was able to say this with complete charm and confidence, without a hint of anxiety. How sin can be made to look to so incredibly beautiful! How deceptive and powerful it can be! However, Jesus promised that He would deliver us from its blinding power:

• To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32)