Porn, an old moral threat, finds new ways to worry pastors

STL Today.com ^ | 03/20/2009 | Tim Townsend

[GonzoII]

One week from today, the star of "Luau Orgy," "Gazongas" and the ahead-of-its-time "Wanda Whips Wall Street" will walk onto the campus of Truman State University in Kirksville to debate a pastor on the subject most dear to his heart: porn.

It will fall to the Rev. Craig Gross to rebut actor Ron Jeremy's arguments that pornography is a harmless activity that most people pursue in the privacy of their own homes.

"If Ron was right, I wouldn't have a job," said Gross, founder of XXXChurch.com — a Christian website dedicated to battling pornography. "Porn rips apart homes and families."

The Truman State debate is just one upcoming anti-porn event organized by local Christians. Such events reflect mounting distress among Christians over pornography's growing technological reach.

From individual congregations to large organizations like the St. Louis Archdiocese, the Missouri Baptist Convention and the local stakes of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, anxious religious leaders are confronting what some call an increasingly dangerous moral threat to children and marriages.

[Always Right]

Ron is a good guy, but i think he is doing a bit of rationalizing here. God’s grace is big enough to cover all our sins though.

[GonzoII]

"God’s grace is big enough to cover all our sins though."

Indeed it is, but He is also just and not mocked. ;0)

[Popman]

Ron Jeremey is a Freeper and a sharp one as well

This pastor will have his hands full in this debate

[chuck_the_tv_out]

“God’s grace is big enough to cover all our sins though”

that’s a dangerous point of view, in context. expectation of grace with intention to sin seems like making a mockery of the grace of God. Jesus said “go and sin no more”, not “go”.

[FroggyTheGremlim]

My 2 cents:

There’s eroticism and there’s filth.

Eroticism is ok (for adults).

Filth is filth for everybody.

[Mad Dawg]

Personally, I think we should sin the more, that grace should abound. Not.

[snarks_when_bored]

Porn, an old moral threat, finds new ways to worry pastors

I'm pretty sure that the cave and rock painters from tens of thousands of years ago depicted acts that nowadays show up in porn. We just don't see those depictions because archaeologists and their funding sources suppress them as not furthering their own interests.

The greatest American philosopher, Charles Sanders Peirce, wrote untold numbers of pages of pornographic content. The later stewards of his writings—Charles Hartshorne, for example—destroyed those pages, a shameful act in its own right. Also, during a trip to Paris, Peirce was caught by his wife in flagrante delicto with two French hookers. The sex drive is not to be denied, especially by pragmaticists [sic]...

[Always Right]

If you think God’s grace is not enough and that you must be saved by your good deeds, go for it. So far I think everyone who tried that has fallen short.

[chuck_the_tv_out]

please re-read the post you responded to. then, re-read it again.

[GonzoII]

"The sex drive is not to be denied"

The "sex drive" is to be mastered or it will master you.

That's a fact for anyone or any period of time.

[Mad Dawg]

"How would porn break up a marriage?" asked actor Ron Jeremy. "Divorces and problems in marriages happened long before porn. If a porn film breaks up your marriage, you've got a shaky marriage to begin with."

Can we notice the sophistries first?
- To say that porn hurts marriage is not to say that it is the only thing that hurts marriage.
- If a marriage is "shaky", does that mean it is okay to cause it to topple or fall apart? Wouldn't it rather be the case that a shaky marriage would need such help as society might be able to provide; that shakiness is not a justification for assault? Would Ron say that it is okay to beat up on a weak person because he's likely to be a victim anyway?

So Ron never addresses the question reasonably. He just throws up distractions.

Marriage is real, and few are the marriages, I would guess, that haven't had their shaky spells. Porn is about fantasy, and about dehumanization or depersonalization. I know at least one marriage that, while they're still together, has suffered directly (though only partially) because of the husband's disappointment that his porn fueled fantasies are nowhere near the reality of being married for more than 30 years. And I mean suffered to the point of real anguish and depression.

[wally_bert]

The real Ron is a member here? Cool.

[Always Right]

You will reap what you sow. sin leads to pain and suffering. but that does not mean that God’s grace won’t cover your sins if you truly believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus our Savior.

[Venturer]

The real Ron is a member here? Cool.

I don’t see where that is anything to brag on.

[GonzoII]

BTTT.

[Erik Latranyi]

Porn threatens families.

So does gambling, drugs and liberalism.

I know this “church” has staked its claim on one issue, but state sponsored gambling, drugs and abortion pose far, far greater threats to families.

[Always Right]

Ron's Profile

[GonzoII]

"I know this “church” has staked its claim on one issue, but state sponsored gambling, drugs and abortion pose far, far greater threats to families."

I don't know if that's true if it is that's no reason for this church to not tackle pornography, maybe it has addressed these other issues as well.

[grey_whiskers]

The greatest American philosopher, Charles Sanders Peirce,

...better known as Hawkeye.

What did McIntyre and Honeycutt have to say?

"Suicide is painless..."

...seriously, color me impressed. I've never *heard* of these folks. You're a veritable FOUNT of knowledge, snarks. Thanks for posting.

Cheers!