Posted on 11/16/2009 5:26:28 AM PST by markomalley
When it comes to porn, the question facing many men is simple: is it really wrong? Is it really that big of a deal? I mean, it's just an image on a screen. It's not someone I know (so it's not lust, right?), or someone I'm having an actual affair with, so I'm still faithful to my wife. It's just sexual release, like masturbation, and we all know that masturbation is not condemned in the Bible. It's not even mentioned. And isn't sex a good thing, so what's wrong in watching it happen? I'm just admiring beauty. And besides, I'm single, so what do you expect me to do with all this pent-up sexual energy? It seems like a safe release until I am married.
I've heard all of this, and more, from men.
So is it really that big of a deal?
Yes, and here's why:
It is sexual sin. Jesus made it clear that when we give in to lust, it is akin the act itself. It makes no difference whether you know the person or not; lust is not tied to relationship.
It is addictive. The ubiquitous nature of porn is new to our culture, and to human sexuality, but it is becoming increasingly clear that it is highly addictive in nature. As a result, it can not only begin to dominate a life, but can demand ever-increasing levels of exposure and ever-increasing degrees of experience to continue to stimulate.
It is degrading to women. In pornography, women are treated as objects. They are not fulfilling God's dream for their life as His precious daughter, nor are they fulfilling His design for sexual expression and fulfillment. You are watching a woman who is being sinned against, treated in a way that is contemptible to her heavenly father (whether she sees it or not - and the fact that many may not only adds to its tragic nature).
It leads to other sins. Studies are beginning to show that the effects of porn on men is more than temporary sexual stimulation: as they see women treated as objects, they begin to treat women that way. They become more sexually aggressive, leading to date rapes and expected "hook-ups."
It harms your relationship with your current, or future, spouse. It is absolutely bogus to say that watching porn enhances a sexual life. Instead, it cheapens it. Porn quickly becomes a substitute for sexual intimacy with your spouse.
It desensitizes your soul. Sin of any kind desensitizes your spiritual life. Continued exposure to a sin such as pornography is like shooting novocaine into your soul. It deadens you and grieves the Holy Spirit in your life, forcing Him to withdraw His utmost filling in a way that diminishes His power and presence in your life.
It distorts sex. "You can get a large audience together for a strip-tease act," wrote C.S. Lewis, "that is, to watch a girl undress on the stage. Now suppose you came to a country where you could fill a theatre by simply bringing a covered plate on to the stage and then slowly lifting the cover so as to let every one see, just before the lights went out, that it contained a mutton chop or a bit of bacon, would you not think that in that country something had gone wrong with the appetite for food? And would not anyone who had grown up in a different world think there was some equally queer about the state of the sex instinct among us?"
I'm a pastor. I talk with men who are dealing with the spiritual torment and guilt of engaging in a sin while trying to rationalize it away; I talk with men who are having to fight it as an addiction; I talk with men who are finding it is leading them to a warped view of women; I talk with men who are experiencing it's direct path to other sins; I talk with men who are seeing its assault on their marriage; I talk with men who are trying to awaken their souls from its deadening grip; I talk with men who have distorted views of what sex is about.
I have a front-row seat to how it's impacting their lives. I don't need to wait for a host of studies. I'm in a living laboratory. So don't tell me it's no big deal.
I know the men who can prove you wrong.
Sources
For help with pornography, as well as accountability software, visit www.xxxchurch.com.
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.
ping
The guy is right.
Porn was bad enough when men had to buy video’s , or go to theaters that had porn. Now,with the internet, it is so easy to get that people spend hours surfing first one and then another site.
Thank you for posting this; good fuel for the soul. We need bullet-proof armor, and only Jesus can fullfill that. Stay in the word, stay in prayer, keep lifting up everyone in this country (in one sense we’re no better than the rest of the world, however, remembering FR is all about this country specifically...hope that makes sense).
Metaphysically, it is sin, no question.
But these effects are bull. The only major real-life effect is that women freak out and give you hell if they catch you. And that’s not even mentioned.
I have two big problems with porn:
First it distorts peoples views of what a normal relationship is.
Secondly it is demeaning especially when you realize every one of these women (granted it is by their own choice) is someone’s mother or daughter.
Porn is an evil perpetrated by satan himself. It is used mainly to alienate husband from wife, but it’s also satan’s device to introduce youngsters to it early on in order to completely destroy any natural bashfulness about sexual matters.
Lay off the guilt trip.
Better things to spend time on.
And Third...it is highly addictive!
“First it distorts peoples views of what a normal relationship is.”
I absolutely agree with your points. The problem is, ‘mainstream’ movies and television also distort people’s views of what a normal relationship is.
The Communist Takeover Of
America - 45 Declared Goals
http://www.rense.com/general32/americ.htm
25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.
26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as “normal, natural, healthy.”
27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with “social” religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity, which does not need a “religious crutch.”
28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of “separation of church and state.”
Jesus proves that the Truth is indeed the right Way for all times.
Only God could be so wise!
Not with Firefox. It blocks the annoying pop-up ads.
Using Explorer? Porn is definately wrong.
Same old same old. Here we go with Republicans wanting to act like democrats. “We know what’s good for you!”
Porn is no different than alcohol. Use with moderation and you’re fine. Abuse either and it leads to trouble. End of story.
Yes, are there weak people who can’t handle porn and let it ruin their lives? Yes. Just like alcohol.
The problem is you then have people wanting to “ban” the substance/behavior for everyone. The smoking Nazia are very similar.
It’s about Freedom people. We are free to do things in the privacy of our homes. Some people drink, some surf porn, some people spank their kids.
Who decides what’s right? I believe the Bible says it’s ok to hit your kids right? Spare the rod and spoil the child and all that. But many people consider striking a child in any way to be abuse.
If you want to live a Christian life and follow the Bible that’s great. But guess what? In America it’s ok not to believe a word of the bible. Or, on the contrary, preach Bible as much as you want to whomever will listen.
Nobody forces you to look at naked women/men having sex. Remember the greatest gift god gave us all: FREE WILL.
I have a question for porn-viewing men: I just saw your wife/girlfriend having rather intimate, yet intellectually challenging conversation with a man over a cup of coffee, followed by a romantic walk in a park. How does THAT make you feel?
Some men will NEVER understand that although they purport to be “starved” for or addicted to certain things, women are starved for OTHER things—things their sex-obsessed husbands either are refusing to—or are incapable of—providing. So while you slink to your computer, you might want to look over your shoulder. Wife may be “lusting” after the attentions of a coworker or friend.
Yes, but porn (and drugs) is what brings Republicans and Democrats together! (To shred the Constitution)
Ask Antonin Scalia about the limits to the Commerce Clause or read his opinions and throw porn and drugs into the conversation and he’s positively a New Dealer on it!
Free Will has been at the center of theological debate for centuries beginning with the heated debate between Erasmus and Luther. Luther rejected the concept of "Free Will". Maybe a better defense for pornovoyeurs would be "the devil made me do it"...
Porn is on the pathetic side of the sin of Lust. It’s on the same scale of patheticness (that’s not a real word but it ought to be) as DIY Sex, for which it is custom-made for.
Is it really a big deal? No, it’s a small deal, and a stupid reason to Sin. And because God does not use a sliding scale for Sin, porn is a stupid reason to go to Hell for.
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