“The Damned” by Luca Signorelli (1499-1502), Chapel of San Brizio, Orvieto, Source Web Gallery of Art (PD)
The A&E Network has been running a series titled “Secrets of the Bunny Ranch”, an expose of legalized prostitution at the infamous Bunny Ranch in Nevada. Episodes can be viewed online at https://www.aetv.com/shows/secrets-of-the-bunny-ranch.
Marketing v. Reality
Some years ago HBO aired a puff piece on the Bunny Ranch titled “Cathouse: The Series” [1]. Presented as a documentary, this was essentially a marketing and recruitment device which portrayed brothel life as fun, lucrative, and safe. Nothing could have been further from the truth.
By contrast, the A&E series examines the sordid underbelly of prostitution: the grooming, the trafficking, the rape, the drugs, the violence, the financial irregularity, and the law enforcement corruption.
Virgins are auctioned off to the highest bidder. Pregnant women are offered for sale by the hour to those with a fetish for them. Sex workers are regularly abused, and kept in permanent debt bondage.
Many prostitutes already have a history of childhood abuse and/or domestic violence. They are already wounded, their choices severely limited.
Disdain
Society views prostitutes with disdain. They are considered the lowest of the low, with the morals of alley cats.
Of course, prostitutes could not exist if men did not seek them out. And men do not seek them out from kindness. Men seek these women out to do to them what their wives will not tolerate; to treat them like commodities, like trash.
Society may believe these women are destined for hell. The reality is that they are already living in it.
Gross Error
Those who are argue that prostitution properly regulated is just another form of labor, that it represents sexual liberation for women are grossly in error. That error underlies all proposals in favor of legalizing prostitution.
Nevada, the only state which has pursued such a course, is a perfect case study. Tax revenue from prostitution is the major income stream in some counties. Brothel operators a/k/a pimps openly contribute to law enforcement charities. Law enforcement personnel are notorious for patronizing prostitutes, themselves, while ignoring complaints by sex workers of assault and rape.
Biblical View
“Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little” (Luke 7: 47).
The Bible strongly condemns prostitution both as a moral failing, and a violation of God’s design for human relationships (Lev. 19: 29; Deut. 23: 17-18)[2]. Prostitution leads to spiritual ruin and societal decay because lives are cheapened and sex is misused (Prov. 5: 3-5). Intentionally or not, the A&E series clearly illustrates this.
Christ, however, extended love and forgiveness to prostitutes (Matt. 21: 31; Luke 7: 39, 44-47; John 8: 3-11)[3]. Their repentance and desire for a better life were obvious to Him. Those are obvious in the A&E series, as well (at least on the part of some women).
Tragically, others remain entranced (or entrapped) by evil, a fact society — for all its moral outrage — is happy to exploit. Just ask HBO and the patrons of the Bunny Ranch.
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[1] Wikipedia, “Cathouse: The Series”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathouse:_The_Series.
[2] Bible Study Tools, “What Does the Bible Say about Prostitution?” by Blair Parke, 10/30/24, https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/what-does-the-bible-say-about-prostitution.html.
[3] Do the Word, “Why Did Jesus Love the Prostitutes and Tax Collectors?” by Rev. Eric Foley, https://dotheword.org/2017/10/14/why-did-jesus-love-the-prostitutes-and-the-tax-collectors/.
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ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse and More 
Interesting. I had never heard of such a place in Nevada… here in Europe prostitution is mostly legal, more in some countries than others. In Spain the coalition government is preparing a law to outlaw prostitution. It will be interesting to see if it passes and popular reaction… I mean it has been legally the oldest profession in these parts and many others…
It is bizarre that county commissioners can see prostitution taxes as a line-item in the budget and not give pause to their situation. As bad as it is, I’ve a feeling it’s the tip of the iceberg. What *isn’t* well documented–prostitution and the trafficking of women (and others) across the country–appears to be a hellscape that is conveniently overlooked by everyone (maybe because we don’t want to know the horrors??)
I hope you are well and have a wonderful Sunday, Anna.
–Scott
Thank you so much for reading and commenting, Scott. Have a good week!
A.
Excellent post Anna, and very informative. I wonder if those who propose to legalize prostitution and bring it into the mainstream of legitimate business would do so if one of their daughters were trapped in this sordid activity? I should hope not.
I may be off base here but like you, I’ve always assumed that men who seek out prostitutes do so because they have the mindset that the women involved are somehow not worthy to be treated as a woman should be, thus justifying their most despicable and sordid behaviors against them.
Common sense ought to tell us that no person would willingly subject themselves to such treatment, and those that do are surely in need of emotional, financial, and spiritual guidance. Then again, the lust of the flesh doesn’t really care about any of that.
This makes me as a single woman sick and angry. Both sides of my family were abused in several ways. My heart hurts because the actions of un pure love. Our church has teams working to dismantle the trails of such.
cjsmissionaryministry@gmail.com
On Sun, Jun 29, 2025, 12:01 AM ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving
They fact that this is a part of our culture and even applauded by some shows the disgraceful ethos of our culture.
So right, Carl.
Likely, the same could be said about porn which has enslaved many men. Breaking free from any cycle of sin is difficult, but some are harder than others. Prayers for those bound in prostitution. ❤️&🙏, c.a.
Forced prostitution is to me definitely a heinous crime, beyond redemption.
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I’ve never set foot in a brothel, let alone as a patron, but my view on prostitution is complex. While I could never condone any form of forced prostitution, I’ve also never been judgmental toward women who engage in sex work as a conscious professional choice. To me, they are simply people earning a living in a way I personally would not endorse for my own children—especially if I had daughters.
In Germany, the legal situation around prostitution has long been somewhat contradictory. For decades, prostitution was technically illegal, yet authorities largely turned a blind eye—so long as the women involved paid their taxes. I once met a man who worked full-time as a plumber and building caretaker in a house where all apartments were rented by women, often long-term, to meet their clients discreetly. The house was even clearly marked as such.
I also encountered some of the women themselves, off duty. I was surprised to learn how many were mothers, and my focus quickly shifted to what really mattered to me: Were the children safe, healthy, and well cared for? That was where I sometimes felt judgment arise—not toward the profession, but toward any situation where a child’s welfare might be compromised.
What concerns me about the profession, much like with athletes or actors, is that it offers a narrow career window. I often wonder what opportunities exist afterward. Retraining? Support? Society is quick to moralize, but rarely offers a clear path to reintegration or alternate livelihoods.
As for coerced or exploitative prostitution—whether through violence, manipulation, or the abuse of psychological vulnerability—I stand firmly against it. I believe it must be rooted out without compromise, and those responsible brought to justice with full force of law.
Fortunately, I’ve come across more than one report of clients who, upon realizing a woman was working under duress, stepped in to help her escape. Those cases offer at least a sliver of hope—and a reminder that vigilance, compassion, and legal action must go hand in hand.
You are a kind and decent man, Hubert. Programs do now exist in the US which focus on helping trafficked prostitutes escape the life (rather than prosecuting them). Unfortunately, these are few and far between.
So sad
That HBO glamorizes “sex workers” (to use their euphemism) is unsurprising (given the gratuitous nudity in so many of their most popular offerings), so I’m glad A&E presented a more realistic portrait of their degradation and victimization. In light of the protection still afforded the Epstein “client list,” I can’t help but think that nothing short of Christ’s return will stop the sex trafficking in all levels of society. Shame is plastered over by hypocrisy and lies. May God have mercy on those so exploited and “set the prisoners free.”
I, too, pray for these poor women. Like you, I fear the world is daily growing darker, Dora. Sex trafficking is only one of the many sins mankind is guilty of.
It exists everywhere; in Nevada, it is legal, and everywhere else it isn’t, but it still exists. Are the “sex workers” better protected by their legal status? I seriously doubt it. Would the men coming to conferences and shows in Vegas seek this kind of entertainment away from their wives? Legally or illegally, I am sure they will. They drink, they gamble, they want sex for hire. It is most definitely a form of abuse, and prostitutes, male or female, are the victims, But how do you propose to stop it?
I don’t think prostitution can be stopped, Dolly. And I don’t think legalizing it improves conditions much. This is an occupation which takes a terrible toll on the souls of those who engage in it.