On Pornography: A response to an ethical dilemma

Sid Sudiacal
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Introduction

Living in a highly sexualized world, pictures of scantily clad men and women litter many
of our public spaces. Walking down the street, waiting at a bus stop, or rushing down airport
terminals, sexually provocative images assault our visual senses. This particular social context is
the background wherein the ethical dilemma of pornography rises. During a talk with a friend, he
disclosed the fact that he was viewing pornography and was also engaging in masturbatory
activities in a chronic manner. From a Christian perspective, I know that pornography is
something wrong and should be avoided at all costs. Yet, apart from this particular worldview, is
pornography “bad”? This was the ethical dilemma that I had to face when I heard my friend's
situation. Is pornography a victim-less crime? What is the right response to this problem? Should
my advice consist of providing verses that promote feelings of grace and restoration or should
my advice consist of calls of repentance and proclaiming that pornography is evil according to
God's standards? I also had to deal with the question about masturbation and if it is a sin. Many
in the Christian community have differing opinions regarding this topic. How should I address
this issue within this particular context? Is masturbation only a sin because it is coupled with
pornography or does it cease to be a sin when it is not coupled with the lustful flavour of
pornography? These are but some of the questions I had to confront in my attempt to respond to
my friend in a loving, Christ-centered, biblically sound approach.
For the purpose of this paper, I will be mainly dealing with the problem of pornography
and how it affects the male's psyche and individuality. Most of the people who hold positive
views of pornography claim that pornography does not cause or promote negative attitudes
towards women.1 Yet, studies show that even brief exposure to pornography is able to
accomplish this very fact.2 While I am of the opinion that pornography is a sin and is detrimental
to a Christian’s walk with Christ, it is also important to see that even outside of the purview of
the Christian worldview, pornography can still be seen as an agent of destruction in someone’s
life. By looking at various research studies in the secular arena, one can clearly see that
pornography is able to affect a man’s thought life and behavioural patterns. According to the
Shema, we are called and commanded to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul,
all our mind, and all our strength. This is a model of total dependence and submission to God. If
sin is viewed as missing the mark, then pornography should be understood as a sin because it
hinders the individual from fully committing his heart and thoughts to God. The Church’s silence
on this topic has brought a culture of shame and secrecy among the many men within it. This
leads to hurts, pains and broken relationships. Accountability plays a crucial role in combating
this growing epidemic in the Church. A proper view of pornography and how to properly deal
with it is needed to be able to help those held within its tight grip. It is imperative that the
community of believers learn how to graciously and truthfully address this nefarious issue within
its midst. It is this author’s intent to maintain the claim that pornography has a deleterious effect
on individuals involved in its practice and that providing accountability is a way of providing
healing and recovery for those who are suffering under its grip.

1
Padgett et al., Pornography, Erotica, and Attitudes, 479.
2
Russell, Pornography and Rape, 51.
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Pornography and Man

In his article, Padgett et al. claim that although “it is a widespread belief that pornography
causes negative attitudes toward women,” empirical “tests of this belief are contradictory.” The
article even asserts that “exposure to pornography may increase positive attitudes toward women
or serve other beneficial needs, despite the apparent belief of most Americans that pornography
is dangerous.”3 This is the view endorsed by individuals who hold pornography in a positive
regard. Yet, Russell argues against this docile view of pornography. She asserts that even the act
of making a pornographic film already inflicts cruelty and displays negative treatment towards
women. During a Commision hearing in Los Angeles, one of the men who testified described a
particular incident where he is quoted as saying that, “I, myself, have been on a couple of sets
where the young ladies have been forced to do even anal sex scenes with a guy which [sic] is
rather large and I have seen them crying in pain."4 It is evident from this man’s testimony that he
thought that the act was wrong and possibly even had his own reservations against such actions.
His exposure to pornography did not increase his “positive attitudes toward women.” It only
serves to further elucidate the fact that pornography has a dark side that most are not willing to
address or try to understand.
By looking at sociologist David Finkelhor's model concerning the occurrence of sexual
abuse among children, further light could be shed as to how pornography is able to negatively
shape an individual’s thought and behavioural patterns. Under his proposed model, he states that
four conditions have to be met for child sexual abuse to occur:

First, someone has to want to abuse a child sexually. Second, this person's internal
inhibitions against acting out this desire have to be undermined. Third, this person's
social inhibitions against acting out this desire (e.g., fear of being caught and punished)
have to be undermined. Fourth, the would-be perpetrator has to undermine or overcome
his or her chosen victim's capacity to avoid or resist the sexual abuse.5

Pornography can help in diminishing the person’s internal inhibitions against acting out a desire
that they may have. By being exposed to pornography, the individual may start thinking and
believing that the pornographic act is normal and may seek to imitate such an act with another
person. Prior to the individual’s exposure to the pornographic act, they may be of the opinion
that this is something wrong and abnormal. By seeing this act being committed in a pornographic
video, it might elicit that individual to insert such an act within his “normal” framework.6
A hypothetical scenario was proposed by Russell to help understand how this might work
in vivo. Suppose Person A has a desire to rape a woman but thinks that rape is cruel and immoral
so he does not do it. He watches a pornographic film where a woman is raped. He then proceeds
to go on a date with Person B. He is attracted to her and have thoughts of raping her. He
remembers that the woman in the pornographic movie actually enjoyed being raped. It is not

3
Padgett et al., Pornography, Erotica, and Attitudes, 479-480.
4
Russell, Pornography and Rape, 42.
5
Ibid., 48.
6
There are also instances where mere exposure to pornography has led an individual to try and imitate the act that
he had just seen on another individual.
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cruel and immoral as he once thought it was. He then rapes her. Did pornography cause him to
rape her?7
This example may not be as hypothetical as it may seem. Briere et al.’s study shows that
25-60% of men admitted that they were more likely to rape or force a woman to commit sex acts
against their will if they were in a situation where no one would ever know or be punished for
committing such an act.8 Under Finkelhor’s model, the first component that needs to be
addressed in the occurrence of child sexual abuse is the individual’s propensity or desire to
commit it. The aforementioned study demonstrates that most men have a proclivity to commit
rape or to force women to commit sexual acts against their will given the right circumstances.
The second component involves the diminution of the person’s inhibitions against committing it.
In the proposed hypothetical example, pornography is the main culprit in diminishing the
individual’s inhibition against acting out their violent sexual tendencies. This is an example of
how damaging pornography can be in its ability to twist, warp, and corrupt someone’s
intellectual, emotional, moral and physical composition.

Pornography and Proverbs

Proverbs 4:23 says to “keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of
life.” This verse talks about the need for us to make sure that we keep or guard our hearts
because life pours forth out of it. It is easy to connect it to the commandment espoused in the
Shema to love the Lord with all our hearts. One of the reasons why the heart plays a crucial role
within the Scriptures is due to the fact that our heart and our emotions can easily sway our minds
and our will to commit a particular course of action. Because it is so powerful in controlling our
actions, it is very important to make sure that our heart is first and foremost devoted and aligned
with the will of God. Pornography sets itself in stark contrast to the will of God. God’s will is for
our hearts and our minds to be centered and focussed on Him and Him alone. Pornography
competes against our affections and our concentration. Many men become addicted to
pornography. When someone becomes addicted to pornography, they are consumed with
thoughts of pornography and are not able to function unless they finally fulfill their desire for it.
This could be best described as idolatry. Idolatry is the act of putting someone or something else
other than God as your source of pleasure and object of worship. Pornography works in this
way.9 It provides a temporary source of pleasure but ends up being a source of pain instead. Most
see it as a tool that they use to derive pleasure from, but eventually this very tool will hold them
in bondage and make them captive to it. Initially, a man tries to make pornography serve him,
but over time, pornography will master him and make him serve it.

7
Ibid., 49.
8
Ibid.
9
LaMothe rightly argues that “lust is disordered desire because one’s passions and desires are directed toward
satisfying oneself and not Jesus Christ.” LaMothe, Maddening, 479.
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Pornography and Anonymity

Why do so many men fall victim to this harsh task master? Byassee comments on how
today’s pornography is markedly different from previous generations. The concept of
pornography is not new. Past generations dealt with it just as we are dealing with it now.10 Yet,
its prevalence in today’s society is quite alarming and unprecedented. With the advent of the age
of the Internet, pornography has become more accessible and more anonymous. Sitting in the
privacy of one’s own bedroom, pornography is only one click away. There is no need for
wearing the long trench coat, hat, and having to go to the seedy part of town to procure an
“adult” video, eyes glued to the ground, butterflies in your stomach, hoping and praying that no
one you know would see you. There are no awkward moments when you hire a stripper and
suddenly realize that she’s a friend from high school.11 The computer screen somehow makes it
easy to believe that it is a victim-less crime. This is quite possibly the biggest lie that most men
have succumbed into believing. From a feminist perspective, Andrea Dworkin and Catherine
MacKinnon have led the charge in trying to force the American government to ban pornography.
They helped draft the Indianapolis Anti-Pornography Ordinance in 1984. The underlying
assumption in this ordinance is the notion that “pornography plays an important role in causing
rape and domestic violence, and therefore is not only demeaning but constitutes an overt physical
threat to women.”12 The humiliating, degrading and depraved acts that are exhibited towards
women help foster and even nurture these same attitudes amongst those who are exposed to it. If
pornography is able to advance such damaging sentiments against women, it cannot claim to be a
victim-less crime as it is purported to be. Pornography poisons the minds of many men against
women. This may manifest itself in a latent hatred or desire for domination against women or in
explicit cases like rape or sexual assault.

Pornography and Accountability

Countless men often suffer guilt, shame, depression and anger as they deal with their own
battle with pornography. When the Church adopts and proclaims a view that anything sexual is
deviant and sinful, the individual is torn about his growing sexual addiction and the fear that God
will smite him or even hate him. This can lead to feelings of immense internal turmoil. Because
of their inability to express or share their feelings of anxiety and distress with anyone, men are
left to shoulder this oppressive burden in isolation. Recently, a culture of transparency,
vulnerability and openness concerning pornography has transpired in many Christian churches.
By confronting the culture of secrecy with a culture of openness, many men have begun to speak
out and speak up about their struggles in this area of their life. Groups like Operation Integrity
have formed in many parts of America. These groups provide a safe haven for men where they
can come together to open up about their battle against pornography with others who are also
experiencing the same problem in an attempt to fight this pernicious disease and emerge
triumphant against it.13 This approach has yielded amazing results. Men come out transformed
and equipped to fight and help others battle this problem as well.

10
Byassee, Not your father’s pornography, 15.
11
Ibid.
12
Ross, Censorship, 245.
13
Kennedy, Help, 28.
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Pornography: A proper response

This paper has attempted to methodically construct an argument against viewing

pornography in a positive light. By referring to studies in the secular arena, it is this author’s
hope that in light of this compelling evidence against pornography, the reader would start to see
pornography as a destructive force in an individual’s life. However, what has not been addressed
is the proper response that one should have when confronted with a friend who confesses his
own personal struggles against this problem. It is one thing to declare that pornography is evil
and another when you meet someone caught within its deadly talons. As a Christian, how should
we deal with the sinner caught up in this particular sin?
First, we need to heed Paul’s advice when he told the Corinthian church to remember
who they once were.14 We are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God.15 It is from this
position of humility and as a vessel of brokenness and grace that we are to minister to a fellow
brother. We must clearly but gently declare the fact that engaging in pornographic activities is a
sin. By viewing such videos and images, they are seriously damaging their souls. This is an act
that does not glorify God or further His kingdom. In fact, it accomplishes the exact opposite. It
has the ability to sever the communal relationship that one has with God. It does not mean that
salvation is lost but the fellowship we have with Him becomes strained, leaving us to feel like we
are far from God.
Secondly, we must ensure that we create a culture of transparency and vulnerability with
our fellow brother. Most men have been exposed to pornography. Most men are probably
currently struggling with it or have struggled in the past with it. We must go the extra length in
making sure that the offending brother does not feel condemned or judged when he confesses his
sin to us.
Thirdly, a better understanding of the situation should take place. Many times, men are
encouraged to change their behaviour concerning pornography but the core issues that caused it
in the first place are never dealt with. Pornography is a symptom of a deeper issue. This could be
issues of pride, feelings of failure, self-esteem issues, or a number of other problems. Many of us
are not properly trained to deal with this situation and the best thing we can do is to refer him to
a Christian counsellor.
Finally, we should offer whatever help we can to support our brother in restoring his
relationship with Christ. This may mean volunteering our services to be an accountability partner
to help him overcome his problem. If he feels tempted to watch pornography, you should ask
him to call you to stop him from falling back into this deadly sin. Prayers and regular fellowship
are necessary tools to be used to gain victory in this area.

14
1 Cor. 6:9-10
15
Rom. 3:23
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Conclusion

The Bible tells us that “if we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us
our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”16 It also tells us to “confess your sins to one
another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed.”17 Confessing our sins to others
and praying for others are the means which God can use to bring about healing in our lives.
Jesus’ death on the cross not only paid for our sins, but it also provided us with the cure to our
spiritual sickness. His blood not only provides us with redemption, but it also provides us with
the soothing balm to help restore our souls. Pornography is a sickness that hinders us from
developing an intimate fellowship with Christ. It also has a damaging effect on our thought life
and our will. However, by providing accountability to a brother, we can be used to be an
instrument of love, grace and restoration in someone else’s life. Our actions must be infused and
enacted with grace and truth. This was, and is, the way of our Master. We, as His followers, must
and should follow accordingly.

16
1 John 1:9
17
James 5:16a
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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Byassee, Jason. "Not Your Father's Pornography." First Things, January 2008.

Kennedy, John W.. "Help for the sexually desperate: more and more, Christian men are
admitting they've been caught in a vicious cycle." Christianity Today, March 2008.

LaMothe, Ryan . "Maddening desire: understanding lust in pastoral counseling." Pastoral

Psychology 54, no. 5 (2006): 479-495.

Padgett, Vernon, Brislin-Slutz Jo Ann, and James Neal. "Pornography, Erotica, and Attitudes
toward Women: The Effects of Repeated Exposure." The Journal of Sex Research 26, no.
4 (1989): 479-491.

Ross, Mary Ellen. "Censorship or education : Feminist views on pornography." Christian

Century, March 7, 1990.

Russell, Diana E.H.. "Pornography and Rape: A Causal Model." Political Psychology 9, no. 1
(1988): 41-73.