sacred prostitution

The church is a whore.

The church is a whore but she is my mother.

The church is a whore, but she is my mother, and I love her.

The church is a whore. I have seen her, spreading her legs before many suitors who promised her power in exchange for the influence she uses to hide her infidelities. She prostitutes herself before political power brokers, before the wealthy -- oh, she loves them more than any others -- and at times before the intelligent, the well-groomed, and the merely clever.

The church is a whore, and her behavior disgusts me. She is my mother.

I have borne her constant deprecations that waver and change with each lover she takes. She has beaten me