The Simple Word, "No"

Yes, concerning the news piece of the actress that had committed suicide presumably over being forced to give "sexual favors" for acting jobs, we must certainly condemn the exploiters. Nonetheless, we must recognize the slant of the article or at least the slant in the girl's mind that she was "forced". This word implies no other alternative existed. I must wonder what ever happened to the simple word, "no"? May this story help us to be diligent in developing in ourselves and others the strength of virtue and how it must trump any worldly gain. May we be quite willing to use the word, "no", when the cost is our own soul. Yes, what does it profit a man if he gain the whole world...

Yes, we should be loud in condemning those who use sex for their own selfish gains as those employers, but I think we are too willing to settle for a culture that sets the bar quite low, and this young lady, while I pity her, I do have to recognize that she seems to have held gains in the acting world worth the price of her soul. I would have hoped that she had someone in her life who would have taught her the word "no" for anyone that sought to snatch any beauty from her soul. I've known many women of previous generations who would've rather starved than have sold themselves. Witness the biblical record of Susanna. I think God wants us to hold ourselves to such a standard and not encourage such a low bar as implied in the article.

And I would not dubb it heroic virtue for the mere refusal of sexual favors for an acting job. Perhaps you're not saying this. Nonetheless, in the case of Susanna who was faced with death, well that certainly was heroic virtue. If it was able to be used in the former case (the case of the actress if she refused) should we not be ready then to apply the quality to Clinton's intern if she refused? I don't want to lower that great thing that the saints have aspired to and that we as followers of Christ should aspire to. And we shouldn't think this as a proud ambition as it is all grace, and not ours.