Pornography in Our Society

“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24).

In Spiritual Perspectives we have frequently challenged the advice columnists that appear in the daily newspaper. The practice is not recent; it goes back to the days of Ann Landers and Dear Abby, but it has continued into the present era as well. We published a scathing denunciation concerning “Ask Amy” when she upheld a young girl living with her boyfriend despite the values she had been taught by her parents. All of that criticism was deserved.

Anyone’s advice is subject to scrutiny, and the Christian should evaluate everything by the Word of God—including what preachers teach. While we are fairly confident that “Amy” seldom takes a Biblical approach to most issues, she sometimes gets it right based on practical reasons. For this reason, although all her columns in general are not endorsed, the one appearing on April 10 was one of her best—because it informs on a topic about which few warnings appear in today’s society.

The writer is the mother of an 18-year-old son who shares a computer with her. He failed to close some pornographic sites that he had opened. That was bad enough, but their 22-year-old daughter weighed in with these words: “It’s no big deal, Mom. All the boys do it now.” The daughter was both right and wrong. She erred in saying that it was no big deal. The fact that a majority might do any illegal or immoral action does not prove that: 1) It is a right action; 2) The practice should be tolerated without criticism. The daughter was right in saying that the practice has become widespread.

About two years ago, this subject was broached in one of our youth meetings, and some of our teens stated that it had become a common practice among their peers (not that they themselves had done it). We discussed Scriptures relating to pornography so that they could not only avoid the temptation themselves but encourage others to step away from the dangers of it.

The mother, having explained the topic of her letter, asks how parents can “simultaneously promote healthy sexuality and the notion of responsible erotica.” Was this a typo? Isn’t the contrast supposed to be between “healthy sexuality” and irresponsible erotica? Defining “responsible erotica” would prove too much even for the Supreme Court, who had a difficult enough time with prurient interest. Therefore, we will pass by the notion by saying that there is no pornography that is “responsible.” The mother concludes with these words:

How should parents respond to the tsunami of Internet pornography that our children discover, visit and revisit? This could hijack young brains big time! I am liberal, but this is almost sickening that he might think this approaches normal sexual behavior. Help!

Almost? Well, one can definitely tell the woman is a liberal. Pornography is definitely wrong and clearly sickening. But perhaps being liberal is what contributes to the son viewing pornography and the daughter thinking it is no big deal. Have the young people in that family been taught respect for God and His Word? However, the same thing might occur in a Christian family IF children have not been consistently taught separation from the world with a healthy emphasis on Romans 12:1-2.

No question can exist about the problem and availability of pornography in our current culture. Just over a decade ago, a columnist asked for all of his reading public to send in a list of the five favorite movies of all time. He expressed surprise that on average one out of five was pornographic. It was unexpected that so many people had even seen one—but shocking that they would rank one as an all-time favorites. Seriously? What porn flick could compare to some of the great cinematic films—just in 1939, let alone since then? The thought is just too bizarre.

Statistics

Amy’s response includes statistics on the subject of pornography. The first one comes from a survey of 4,000 men and 4,000 women which was taken by Cosmopolitan. Amy thinks it is a credible source, but how many members of the church read the magazine? It probably commands an audience among people that are more “sophisticated” and worldly than the average Christian. But that caveat aside, below are some results of the survey.

1. Over 30% of the men surveyed said they watched pornography every day. Yikes! Every day? If true for the whole population, this is a troubling statistic. Who wants to think that three out of every ten men one meets spends part of each day watching pornography? It is amazing that more sex crimes do not occur.

2. 71% of men between the ages of 18 and 34 view pornography at least once a month. So, 7 out of 10 men have no objection to the genre. One wonders how many of these claim to be Christians. The Greek word referring to every type of illicit sexual behavior is porneia, which includes fornication, adultery, homosexuality, et al. Not ironically, pornography contributes to all of those immoral actions. Of course, human beings would be guilty of those sins if there were no lurid picture or writings.

3. The first viewing of pornography occurs during pre-adolescence. It was about that time of life that serial killer Ted Bundy found a stash of pornographic magazines that someone had thrown away. He believed that those magazines exerted a powerful influence on him to do what he did.

Amy also reported a quote from Time.com, which related to this subject: “Results show that women are from Venus and men are from whatever planet watches porn all the time.” Apparently, this is true of between 30% to 70% of the time. Although humorously made, there is a principle that merits further discussion. Later, this article will deal more with that aspect, but one other statistic needs to be cited first. Amy writes:

Psychologists refer to one effect of hard-core porn on the consumer as “sexual script theory.” The pornographic storyline replaces real-world sexual experience. Studies have concluded that obsessively viewing porn actually rewires the neural pathways of the brain, much like opiate drugs do.

For those who are frequent viewers, this observation ought to be frightening. No right-thinking person should want his brain rewired in that direction. Even someone who is not a Christian ought to be concerned about his brain being tampered with. This also confirms that those who view porn regularly are probably going to have the wrong view of the way things work.

It is probably not the case that most women are just waiting for a man to make a lurid suggestion so they can respond in kind. The fact is that most women are offended by such behavior—even if they are single and somewhat attracted to a guy. What is portrayed in such movies does not reflect reality. However, a male writer can write a script in which physically beautiful women can’t wait to commit fornication with an average-looking man. The same is true of every work of fiction—whether in the form of a novel, a play, or a movie. A viewer may say, while watching a suspenseful drama, “Why did she go into the deserted house? She might have been killed.” The answer is that the writer wasn’t going to let anything happen to his heroine. He wrote it so that she would survive. The same is true of a porn script. Why are all the women crazy about some schnook? It’s in the script. Do real people behave the way they do in pornographic films? No. It is doubtful that any of these erotic movies begin with the words, “Based on a true story.”

Jesus said that “whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matt. 5:28). So, if a man watches a pornographic flick, he has probably committed adultery in his heart with several women by the time the thing ends, and he has risked having his brain rewired to boot! This is an experience, like smoking or drinking alcoholic beverages, that one should never desire to have in the first place. It is both addictive and destructive.

Amy’s Advice

Amy actually said that the mother (and the father) had every right to be concerned about their son’s infatuation with pornography. She counsels:

His father (or another adult male) should talk to him about the difference between pornography and real-world sex (and love).

Yes, fantasy and reality are far different. Even in movie romances, two characters fall in love fairly swiftly. Well, the movie usually is only two hours long. We seldom see a relationship bloom and develop unless it is on a television series. A movie or a play must compress the time in order to achieve the desired result. Porn movies must really speed things up, which is the reason they are primarily fantasies and why no lasting, loving relationships are formed. Furthermore, the characters are seldom in love with each other; they are in love with sex instead, as is probably the male viewer. Although the female half of the population also views pornography, the percentage is much less. The son needs to know these things. Amy adds;

Male consumption of pornography has a profound effect on how women are viewed, how sex is viewed and the expectations on them sexually.

Yes, the main difference in outlook is: Are women to be viewed and treated as individuals made in the image of God or as mere objects?

Amy closes by telling the mother that she should tell her son exactly how she feels about this topic and let him know that she expects him to make “healthy choices.” “What does that mean?” one wonders. How does one define a healthy choice? It would have been nice to see that he should make “moral choices,” but then that kind of advice would probably not be passed along from one liberal to another.

Pornography and the Scriptures

The obvious passage against pornography (Matt. 5: 27-28) was already cited, but many more could be added, such as Galatians 5:16-17:

I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

Can anyone deny that pornography is all about the flesh? Can anyone affirm that it does not relate to the lust of the flesh? Therefore, it is unmistakably wrong to view it. And what of those who produce it? Besides not being ashamed of their nakedness and their lascivious actions, they are a stumbling block to thousands, perhaps millions of viewers. Those who serve as stumbling blocks to others (especially deliberately) shall be punished far worse than others (Luke 17:1-2).

However, those who choose to be influenced by pornography have their own guilt to deal with. “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit” (Rom. 8:5). The only way to escape punishment for such indulgences is to totally abstain from the temptation. “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:1).

Paul also wrote to Christians—to those who have died to sin, been buried, and been raised again—that they should set their minds “on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col. 3:2). He added that we must “put to death” our members: “fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Col. 3:5). The kind of covetousness meant here may not involve money but the flesh. Lest anyone think that such a notion is farfetched, it might be recalled that the tenth commandment that God gave to Israel said not to covet in general—but He specified, among others, a neighbor’s wife (Ex. 20:17).

Passage after passage could be cited against the sin of pornography; consider the multitude of verses that encourage holiness (1 Peter 1:14-16; 2 Cor. 7:1; 1 Thess. 4:1-7, et al.). What ought to make everyone nervous with the results of the Cosmopolitan survey is the vast number of men viewing pornography and then thinking about it afterward. How close are we getting to Genesis 6:5?

Immodest Dress – A Related Topic

Because of the emphasis on the flesh, which it is obvious that 70% of men enjoy on a monthly basis (or more frequently), it is the case that teenage girls and young women ought to take special care to dress in such a way that their appearance is not construed as an advertisement for the flesh. Youthful women must realize two things: 1) the way men think; 2) the reason Paul and Peter enjoined modest apparel for women (1 Tim. 2:9-10; 1 Peter 3:3-5). Not surprisingly, these two are related. The Holy Spirit inspired the apostles to write what they did about modest clothing because He knows the way men are provoked and stimulated.

When, therefore, a man sees a woman who has exposed a considerable amount of cleavage, it causes him to wonder about the rest. When he sees a woman whose dress is 4 to 6 inches above her knees, his imagination kicks in again. Worse, if he has been viewing pornography, which tells him that a woman’s function is primarily sexual, immodest dress only reinforces this erroneous attitude. He is living according to the flesh, and he is confident that a young woman dressing immodestly shares his goals. Sometimes, women act outraged at certain comments men might make as if they were unaware that their appearance contributed to the unsolicited remarks.

Christian girls and women ought to be very sensitive to what they choose to wear and avoid being a stumbling block (remembering the penalty for being one). If there is any doubt about wearing an outfit, then it should be set aside and replaced by something attractive but without appealing to flesh. Exactly what kind of man will be interested in a woman who calls attention to her body by the way that she dresses? It will not be one who is thinking about her personality, her character, her spiritual nature, or her well-being. He is only thinking of his own gratification and satisfaction.

The first God-given standard we have is from Genesis 3:21 where God clothes Adam and Eve with tunics of skins, which commentators describe as being from the shoulder to the knees. These were not designed for cold weather, since they lived in an ideal climate, which did not change drastically until after the Flood. Clothing of this kind would eliminate bare shoulders, plunging necklines, bare midriffs, slits, shorts (unless they are knee-length), and all modern swimsuits. Christian ladies should not want to appear in public in such attire.

Final Thoughts

We are clearly living in an age with an unhealthy emphasis on the flesh, which is foolish for several reasons. The body continues to change and deteriorate until it dies. The flesh is only temporary. Fleshly satisfaction (of any kind) is limited, with a continuous desire to be repeated. While the physical is temporary, the spirit lives on—whether in heaven or hell. The flesh will dwell nowhere. Christians ought to be far more concerned with adorning the spirit.