Posted on 11/28/2012 7:01:52 AM PST by CHRISTIAN DIARIST
There have been several supposedly “scientific” studies published this year that either disparaged people of faith or insidiously mocked religion.
That includes a study, published in the journal Science, which asserted that people who believe in God are not analytical thinkers.
There also was a study, published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, which claimed that “highly religious” folk are less compassionate toward the needy than atheists.
Now comes yet another study, published this week in the Journal of Sex Research, which claims that adult film actresses are actually more religious than women who don’t get paid to have sex on camera.
“In terms of psychological characteristics,” the study’s five co-authors concluded, “porn actresses had higher levels of…spirituality compared to the matched group.”
This dubious study would be unworthy of comment except that it has gotten a lot of media coverage. It pretends to be scholarly research. But it’s nothing more than junk science.
Indeed, for those who blindly accept its findings, it leads to the absurd conclusion that there is some sort of link between sexual depravity and religiosity.
Uncritical thinkers could come away with the cockeyed notion that, just because a woman is sexually depraved – because she is a stripper or a prostitute or a porn actress – doesn’t mean she isn’t a woman of faith. Doesn’t mean she doesn’t love the Lord.
The authors of the Journal of Sex Research study argue that their findings disprove the “damaged goods hypothesis” with respect to “female performers in the adult entertainment industry.”
But close examination of the study’s methodology reveal obvious flaws that skew its findings.
It relied on the self-reporting of 177 porn actresses who responded to an advertisement posted at a Los Angeles health clinic, which was founded by a retired porn actress, and which catered to the adult film industry (before it was shut down last year by the L.A. County Health Department).
Apparently, it did not occur to the study’s authors that self-delusional porn actresses might misrepresent themselves as well-adjusted.
Might claim to have higher self-esteem, more positive feelings about themselves, a better support system, a more satisfying sex life and even a closer relationship with the Lord than women who don’t defile themselves for all the world to see.
The reality is that the 177 porn actresses who responded to the survey on which the study published in the Journal of Sex Research was based are indeed damaged goods.
And there is no better authority on the subject than Shelley Lubben, a former porn actress and born-again Christian. She is currently the Executive Director of the Pink Cross Foundation, a faith-based organization that reaches out to women caught up in the adult film industry.
The pornography business destroys body and soul, Lubben attests. Many porn actresses battle alcohol and drug abuse. They perform sex acts that are physically harmful and psychologically traumatizing. They contract sexually transmitted diseases.
There is a way for porn actresses to avoid that almost certain fate – give their lives to Christ. For whom the Son sets free is free indeed.
Doesn’t God know if they are going to sin anymore or not, or if their hearts are contrite?
" Being a Christian is kind of like being a lady.....if you have to tell people you are one, you're not..."
You are missing the point.
The really important thing about Christianity is telling other people they are going to hell.
(1) Show us a passage in the New Testament which demonstrates your ability to (a) judge absolutely, and (b) whether another human is or is not "indwelt by the Holy Ghost."
(2) Show us a passage in the New Testament which demonstrates an example of a practicing fornicator or adulterer who, doing so, is at the same time a regenerated believer-disciple-priest follower of Jesus as Christ and LORD, which is the only valid description of a Christian.
(Compare this to Galatians 5:19-21, which is the Holy Spirit speaking.)
Christians often backslide into “wordly” ways but it doesnt change the fact that they will still end up in Heaven on the day of judgment.
(3) Please find any passage in the New Testament that uses a term translated as "backslider" (noun), or "to backslide" (verb).
(4) Please find a passage upon which to establish the doctrine under which a person claiming eternal spiritual life is permitted to be engaged in the deliberate and unremitting practice of fornication and/or adultery (or any other named sin).
(I think you mean "worldly" here, not "wordly.")
(Compare with 1 John 2:4; 3:6,8 to start)
(5) Tell me which instance of these judgments is the one to which your statement refers, please.:
There are three regarding humans and involving Jesus, The Christ and LORD, as mentioned in the New Testament.
(a) One is the judgment of their sins borne by Him in His body on His Cross-death, for which those who have persistently committed trust in Him and His Faith have received remission.
(b) One is the heavenly judgment by Jesus, The Christ, of the works of resurrected regenerated believer-disciples prior to His return to rule in the earthly sphere.
(c) One is the final judgment of The Christ, the Almighty God to reward the humans who in their physical life rejected Him and His terms of redemption, and remained children and bondslaves of Satan for their willful, unrepentant, and unremitted practice of sin, with eternal death and everlasting torment.
It will be interesting to find out on what authority you presumed to be able to make your statements. Or, if you cannot convince yourself and others, a willingness to take them back. I believe it is very important to make careful distinctions in such a situation, and not to encourage false assumptions.
Only if she really means it, which pretty much answers the question.
Franky, I think the entire premise question is a trick to find out whether any of us watches porn.
or Isaac Newton.
Prodigal son, forgive 70 times 7., Jesus died for sinners. Lets look at scripture:
James 1: 19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
James is writing to "brothers and sisters". This means he is writing to fellow Christians. He is not doubting their standing as Christians while at the same time he is telling them to get rid of all moral filth. To put it another way, James is telling morally filthy Christians to accept the word "planted in you".
If we apply this to the porn star then James would be accepting her as a fellow sister in Christ yet encouraging her to rid herself of her sin by trusting the word that resides in her.
"Freedom of religion" seems to refer to freedom of thought or belief. It does not refer to expression of religion in speaking, publications, or practice. The expression of religion will be subject to restriction depending on its direct impact on others materially and physically.
Yes, He does have foreknowledge, but He does not force humans to choose His ways.
Bingo! Can't think how I didn't think of him right off!
That seems to be the context of the article. The assertion seems to be that the "thought or belief" expressed by the actresses should be declared fraudulent.
Perhaps not, but it doesn’t really matter what their choices are. He still knows if they will be contrite or not before they do, right?.
In the same sense, that is, that you would tell a neighbor that his house is on fire -- more as an observation, than as a condemnation of the owner.
Gal 5;19-21
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
On any given day I and most Christians known to me are guilty of at least one of the above acts of the flesh. Especially “and the like”....
If we back up a few verses and read: 13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
We see that the Paul is preaching to “brothers and sisters” and he assumes that they can use freedom to indulge the flesh. He is calling us Christians away from indulging the flesh and replacing this with serving one another humbly in love.
I see scripture and my experience as demonstrating that a Christian is in a constant state of process from indulging the flesh toward serving others as Christ serves. Some Christians may make this process happen in an instant. I think most Christians experience this process over time.
He is one of my favorite Science Guys! :-)
When anyone speaks of the alleged conflict between science and Faith, he is always the first one who comes to my mind.
Watson and Crick are also good examples.
I like this question because it makes me reflect on God's handling of Cain. These are the questions God had for Cain:
6 Then the Lord said to Cain, (1) “Why are you angry? (2) Why is your face downcast? (3) If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? Then the Lord said to Cain, (4) “Where is your brother Abel?” (5) The Lord said, “What have you done?
Assuming a sovereign God, the answers are already known to God and God already knows the outcome. So, what purpose do they serve?
I assume that God's love for Cain was so great that he desired to try and reach Cain and change Cain's heart. I see God's desire to reach Cain even though he knows it is a lost cause as an hint at how much God's love for anyone really is. If this is applied to the porn star, even if she is not a Christian God's love for her is no less than the love he showed Cain.
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Pornography destroys lives, both those who make it and those who "use" it. It's quite simple. And anyone who claims they are not harmed by "using" it, what about the women who make it? Thankfully there are people reaching out to them, like this woman:
And there is no better authority on the subject than Shelley Lubben, a former porn actress and born-again Christian. She is currently the Executive Director of the Pink Cross Foundation, a faith-based organization that reaches out to women caught up in the adult film industry.
What is a mystery to me is that;
1-God knows the future, even the time and method of our death
2- God cannot be wrong in His foreknowledge
Wouldn’t that mean that what God knows will happen, must happen?
I never understood why Job had to go through all that he went through either.
It does matter what choices are made, for the outcome will be dependent on them. Does The God/Christ send humans to Hell? Absolutely, but not because it's His desire:
"The Lord is ... not willing* that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance**." (2 Pet. 3:9)
* willing = boulomai = desirous
** repentance = metanoeoh = a change of mind that causes an immediate change in attitude and behavior
Some are simply not willing to accept this as a personally responsible and permanently accountable choice. One cannot invoke "predestinatiion" and blame it on The God, as I infer from your thought above.
With respect --
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