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I forsee yet another attempted abuse of the Commerce Clause in the offing.
Our priest keeps putting this in his homilies and writings. He is fighting.
We need to follow!
Many have tried. All have failed.
Despite this great commentary by the Archbishop, the horse is way way WAY out of the barn on pornography. And I wouldn't compare it to dumping toxic waste in Lake Erie, because a toxic Lake Erie made people feel bad; toxic pornography makes people feel good (at least in the short term). In our "feel good" society, even those who THINK pornography is bad, tend to fall into the trap of moral relativism. I wish I wasn't so pessimistic, but there is so much money in that industry, and pornogrpahy touches so many OTHER industries (whether it soft-core Maxim or hard core XXX), it would take an apocalyptic change in society's attitude towards sex to build up any momentum against the industry.
Even my liberal soc professor admitted that porn is harmful on many levels and strong family unit is essential for society.
i.e., with the state of our society, it's too late to fight "industries", but it's never too late to save our friends and loved ones from this pit of death.
Good for the ping list.
At one time most police departments had a division or department called the "Moral Squad". They were involved in controlling, raiding and arresting individuals who were in pornography shops, drug establishments, prostitution.
It was funny how the drug paraphernalia was taken and burned immediately after a trial while porn films passed through the precinct so the cops could see them before turning them into the evidence room. No one knew where the films went after the trial.
The addiction to Porn has to be many more times worse than drugs. Many more addicts.
. . . about which a celibate priest knows exactly jack squat. Anyone else see the irony in looking to men who have pledged to deny themselves one of humanity's most basic urges---the sexual impulse---for guidance on sexual matters?
Pornography is as old as humanity itself. Without draconian measures it will remain with us.
What I fear from the anti-porn people is their definition of porn. Some have even labeled classic literature and art as “porn”.
Well, this is fun. We've tried the "War on Immorality" many times, and that's just in American history. I hate to keep using the Prohibition example, but it fits, when you try to legislatively choke off the supply for a product for which there is such a high demand, as admitted by the good archbishop when he called porn a multi-billion dollar industry. Just as when alcohol was outlawed in America, organized crime took it over, made money hand over fist and grew in both power and influence. The same thing would most likely happen with porn if the archbishop got his wish.
The pornographers and pornography users are sure to get their knickers twisted by this article ...
LOL What, stop the world's oldest profession?
".......and you have heard it said that thou shalt not committ adultery but I tell you that anyone who looks lustfully on a woman has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
Those who place this sort of temptation in the way of fallen human nature face a terrible judgment. This applies not only to pornographers but those in the fashion and popular music and entertainment industries. So much of modern popular culture is aimed precisely at generating those impulses which Jesus condemns.
Saying "if you don't like it don't look at it", just doesn't cut it. It ignores a) fallen human nature b) a basic human right not to be afflicted with this sort of perversity and temptation and c) the destructive effects which it has on families, relationships and human dignity.
The good news is that we have a choice. We can either curb our own addiction to moral depravity or we can let the Muslims do it for us when they round up all the pornographers and slit their throats. 'Course, they'll probably slit ours as well but by then true Christians will probably prefer this to continued living in Sodom.
I symphathize with the good Archbishop's plight and agree that we must do what we can to limit children's access to porn (VERY difficult in the internet age). That being said, as long as there are lonely men (and all men are lonely sometimes), there will be pornography, prostitution, etc.
***In recent months, two Catholic bishops have begun some extraordinary work against pornography in their Midwest dioceses: ***
Eze 9:6 Slay utterly old [and] young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom [is] the mark; and begin AT MY SANCTUARY. Then they began at the ancient men which [were] before the house.
Where to start? How about the statues of Michaelangelo in Rome. The statue of David. The tomb of Julius. Sistene Chapel. Last Judgement. The forbidden art of Pompeii.
Should we differentiate between art and porn. Sometimes they look the same.
Control it on a local level - if a specific town or city makes it legal or illegal, it's within their right to do so.
It's called federalism.
That's all I have to say about that, feel free to read my profile for more information.