Diatribune - Christians’ Addiction to Porn Blamed on Technology - Comments

This discussion appears to

martin s. weiss — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 23:49:26 -0600

This discussion appears to overlook the Puritan Ethic and other proscriptions going back to the early days of Christianity. When they made what is natural forbidden, they messed people up good. People who are just entering puberty are the very ones who will feel the most sexual urges and who will be the most rebellious. Forcing them to hide and lie about sex and to be ashamed is cruel and destructive to the youth as well as society at large, not to mention that forbidden fruit is sweeter and more likely to create forbidden desires.
The whole idea that the body is bad, naughty, etc. is balderdash. If people were more often exposed to nakedness, it would lose its heightened attraction. Naked people are a whole lot more polite than otherwise, too. This society markets what is limited at a higher price than what is abundant. This whole society is built on the shame of naked bodies. Frankly, I'd find it rather adolescent-- if it didn't create monsters and perversions. Limited sexual supply= heightened demand= increased repression leading the neediest, the most sexually denied and damaged, to criminal behavior. Look how many priests, senators, reverends are caught in embarrassing events.

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I agree.. and because of the

wilbert — Thu, 29 May 2008 11:45:57 -0600

I agree.. and because of the advent of the Internet, people tend to absorb the messages that bombard them in popular media.

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I don't get it. How can

suffering — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 22:18:00 -0700

I don't get it. How can someone be enteratined with porn when they know their spouse is totally against it. How can one sit and watch it when it is ripping a marriage and family apart? Is that what you'd consider addiction? I was sexually molested as a child by a relative that watched porn and tried things with me against my will. My spouse knows how against it I am. Well my spouse has been hiding it from me for 4 years and Has been obsessed with fantacys and things to try with me. I was unaware of the porn addiction. So, when sexual favors,and other "nasty" things came to me now and then that my spouse wanted to experiment with, it felt like I was 11 years old getting sexually molested again. I love sex. I am a nymphomaniac. I like all different positions and toys, whatever. I love satisfying my partner. BUT when a sexual behavior becomes unnatural (sex the way God intended it) it is molestation. Anything that desenseatizes a person to thinking another person is a piece of meat to experiment with or looses that intimate connection between a partner because they are demoralized by thinking "it's OKAY" to participate in watching porn, that is enough and it is wrong! Do you agree to disagree or support my efforts to ban porn in my relationship with my spouse to not only save a marriage, but a family and any self value and respect that I still have?! _---Suffering

As long as porn is something

jimsanders — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 08:33:10 -0700

As long as porn is something that you watch to get entertained its ok but once you start watching porn as a daily routine paying little heed to your responsibilities I would like to use the term porn addict, then. You may not see any apparent harm that porn does to you but there are consequences you will face if you are a "Porn Addict". There are cases where marriages have broken just because the wife feels she is been given attention secondary to porn by her husband. I am not just saying that I have been through that ,Well I am the man involved and after visiting forums like http://www.throughtheflame.org I saw that I was not the only one. There are plenty of people who know that if they watch porn that could be the end of relationships they value or there could be other stake, but people against their will, log into these internet sites offering porn like they are spellbound.
I am not saying porn is bad, if someone can handle porn gracefully, something that I wasn't able to do, I'd say it's okay but if you feel its taking its toll, you need help.

Regards
Jim

i would suggest all the

fake consultant — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 00:53:59 -0600

i would suggest all the "addictions" listed in my comment above fit the criteria you offer, as each is intended to stimulate the pleasure center...in each person's unique way.

This certainly has started a

kerry — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 15:11:17 -0600

This certainly has started a lively and entertaining debate. I would like to know how you guys are defining addiction here. If we were talking drug addiction there is a distinction between tissue dependence, (which can occur with alcohol or heroin among other drugs) and psychological dependence. Obviously we are not talking tissue dependence. Is this a psychological dependence or is it more physical. If the individual is using the porn as a tool for self gratification, then the dependence may be similar to a cocaine dependence where they feel a need to stimulate the brain's pleasure center. I don't think you can really accurately gauge the harmful effects without defining the parameters of the addiction. I used to work in addiction counseling and I know that word is often misused to define someone with a strong pre-disposition toward a behavior. It is an activity they engage in because they enjoy it not because they feel a need.

sorry, but you've completely

fake consultant — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 12:29:43 -0600

sorry, but you've completely lost me there.

form where i sit, it seems that "porn addiction" is a problem seen so rarely that the real furor seems to be coming from some other motivation...and it appears that the motivation is to ban porn because of it's "harmful" effects.

well, i'm sorry, but as a card-carrying american who supports the first amendment, i say offensive speech is protected speech.

for example, i would never suggest cutting the offensive material from religious documents, despite the themes of incest and lust and murder, or the support for human slavery, that are so often found in these sorts of texts.

as far as fantasy goes, i know computer geeks who choose programming over flesh and blood relationships, i know workaholics who choose their job over flesh and blood relationships, and all of us probably know a car nut, or a reality tv addict, or, for that matter, religious zealots who choose participation in odd fantasy worlds over the reality of flesh and blood relationships (celibate preists and nuns are a quick example).

they're all harmful to some degree, but i wouldn't ban any of them.

why?

because imperfect people live in imperfect worlds, and they do what we might view as imperfect things. and frankly, i wouldn't want to live in a squeaky-clean, perfect and shiny world.

personally, i find a world with william burroughs and tom waits and larry flint and ron jeremy to be a...spicier world, and from this perspective, that's a good thing.

That would be nice but there

takeresponsibility — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 12:35:18 -0600

That would be nice but there is only one place to put the blame and that is with the person who chooses a fantasy porn world over flesh and blood relationships.
And note - I am not saying that ALL people who look at porn make this choice. I'm am saying that those that do, should take responsibility for their actions and and the devastation that their actions cause.

Jacob, This is anything but

takeresponsibility — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 06:46:57 -0600

Jacob,
This is anything but my idea of a good time.
You were the one who argued that pornography is ok, even a Christian thing to do. If there is nothing wrong with it, why do you hide it?

"...ask your minister over,

Jacob Freeze — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 23:07:05 -0600

"...ask your minister over, better yet – your mother. Pull out your favorite centerfolds, pop in a video..."

Watching porn with your mother? If that's your idea of a good time, maybe you're spending too much time in church.

why not put the blame where

fake consultant — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 02:45:35 -0600

why not put the blame where it belongs...

...on crystal meth.

You are correct. The New

takeresponsibility — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 00:41:25 -0600

You are correct. The New Testament also does not mention driving drunk, watching pornographic videos or taking heroin – word for word. It does say this, “Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit” Thessalonians 4: 1-8
I am not an expert on bible text. After reading your comments I was literally flipping through the bible and it opened to this page. This “naughty” behavior is “taking advantage” of misguided individuals and contributing to “sexual immorality” by buying the magazine or video or supporting the web page. This “naughty” behavior is rejecting “God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.” It destroys your soul. And worse it leaves a trail of innocent victims – people closest to you, people you meet every day, and people you don’t even know. The people closest to you are at the greatest risk for obvious reasons, but it affects everyone around you because this behavior is disrespectful, it shows through in all that you do. Supporting pornographic mediums hurt all of those – past and future affected by its existence.
I could go on and on, but like I said, I am no theologian. I could get into the semantics of the word “naughty” and the word “Christian” but it only restates what I have said here. I don’t know if anything I said here will at least make you think, if not, I have a challenge for you. I am not being sarcastic here, this is a serious. Take ownership of your actions that you defend as not unchristian. Next time you feel like being naughty, ask your minister over, better yet – your mother. Pull out your favorite centerfolds, pop in a video, or pull up that web page and sit down next to your guest and while you are sharing this time, look them in the eyes and say “I am a God honoring Christian”. If you can do that, you have defended your position to man. The rest is in God’s hands.

Pornography isn't actually

Jacob Freeze — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 07:01:06 -0600

Pornography isn't actually mentioned in the New Testament. It isn't "unchristian"... It's just naughty.

Christians’ Addiction to Porn Blamed on Technology

Frank J Ranelli — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 13:46:23 -0600

The Religious Right’s newest adversary of evangelicalism and outward disdain for pornography may have less to do with their distaste for it and more to do with the fact it is maxing out their credit cards.

Jerry Falwell may be dead, but the Moral Majority mob is still dealing out duplicity on issues of faith and flesh. In another dramatic display of heretical hypocrisy, a poll taken by the self-proclaimed "World's most Christian website", Christianet.com, found that a majority of Christian men – fifty-percent – are addicted to pornography! Additionally, the poll also reported that 20% of Christian women are keen to sneaking a peek at others fornicating for fun. Technology, in all its modern, unseemly depravity, it would presumably appear, is to blame.