Abstract

This study describes the understanding of God by twelve prostitutes of the Street 24 de Mayo, Quito, Ecuador. This understanding is presented and analyzed from a psychological and theological perspective. A way to call the area of knowledge here described is phenomenology of religion. The interviews were conducted on December 15 through December 29, 2001. The thirteen interviewed sexual workers (one interview tape was damaged) belonged to the Asociacion Pro Defensa de la Mujer (Association Pro Defense of Women), which has four hundred and fifty members, all sexual workers. The recorded interviews were done at the office of the mentioned Association. Bolwby's (1969, 1973, 1977, 1980) attachment theory and Rice's (1980, 1989, 2001; and Pinnock, Rice, Sanders, Hasker, Basinger, 1994) views on theodicy served as part of the theoretical framework for the study. A psychological perspective was followed when describing who God is; parallels where drawn between one's relationship with parents and one's relationship with God. In this study it was found that sexual workers see God as their protector and provider, not as the one who is to be blamed for their having to work in the sex industry, neither the one to whom they go in order to receive help to find another job.

LLU Discipline

Clinical Ministry

Department

Religion

School

Graduate School

First Advisor

Ramirez-Johnson, Johnny

Second Advisor

Simpson, Cheryl

Third Advisor

Sorajjakool, Siroj

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Degree Level

M.A.

Year Degree Awarded

2002

Date (Title Page)

8-2002

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Prostitutes - Equador; Prostitution - Equador; Prostitutes - Religious Life; God - Attributes

Subject - Local

Quito; Ecuador; God - Psychological aspects; Phenomenology of Religion; Attachment theory; Sex Industry

Type

Thesis

Page Count

89

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

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