Documentary Pushes Dangerous New Narrative
Are We Trading Human Dignity for Lawless Indulgence Under the Guise of ‘Rights’ and ‘Autonomy’?
As South Africa’s Encounters Documentary Festival premieres Womxn: Working, a film lauding sex workers’ battle for legal reform, one is compelled to ask: at what point does society’s pursuit of ‘justice’ become an open rebellion against divine law?
The documentary follows the stories of sex work activists who fight not merely for legislative reform but for cultural acceptance of a trade that God’s Word unequivocally condemns. In a world increasingly obsessed with redefining morality to suit secular appetites, this film serves as a sobering marker of how far contemporary society has strayed from biblical truth.
Scripture is clear on this matter. In Leviticus 19:29 (KJV), we are commanded:
“Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.”
The implications are societal. When a nation elevates sin under the guise of ‘human rights’ and ‘bodily autonomy,’ it risks moral decay, leaving communities vulnerable to lawlessness, violence, and God’s judgment.
Furthermore, while the film seeks to position sex workers as empowered activists reclaiming autonomy over their bodies, Scripture teaches that true dignity is not found in defying God’s ordinances but in obedience to them. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 (KJV) reminds us:
“Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body… ye are not your own. For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
What is notably absent from this documentary’s narrative is a serious reckoning with the spiritual consequences of legitimising vice. The claim that criminalisation enables violence ignores the deeper spiritual crisis: a nation that has forsaken God’s moral law and now seeks to legalise what God calls an abomination.
The push for decriminalisation, cloaked in the language of ‘rights’ and ‘safety,’ is not merely a policy debate—it is a rebellion against divine authority. Proverbs 14:34 (KJV) warns:
“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.”
The increasing normalisation of prostitution, whether through media, advocacy or legislature, represents a broader spiritual warfare for the soul of the nation. South Africans — and Christians in particular—must discern the spirits behind such movements and confront them with the truth of the Gospel.
While compassion towards those trapped in cycles of poverty and exploitation is both just and necessary, it cannot come at the cost of affirming sin. Real redemption lies not in legal reform but in salvation through Jesus Christ. As John 8:11 (KJV) records, when faced with the adulterous woman, Christ did not condone her sin but said,
“Go, and sin no more.”
The film’s celebration of defiance against God’s moral order should not be met with applause but with heartfelt prayer and an urgent call for repentance, both from those within the sex trade and from a nation increasingly proud of its rebellion.
Will South Africa heed the ancient warning, or will it persist in legalising the very sins that bring down nations? The answer will shape not only our earthly society but also our eternal destinies.
