Posted on 01/09/2002 7:29:19 AM PST by truthandlife
Pornography – the written and/or graphically portrayed uncovering of nakedness, especially in acts of fornication – grips the hearts and lives of many Christian men and, according to recent surveys, twenty percent of ministers. It tempts potential patrons from its store shelves and by mail, and it champions over three million websites, enticing over twenty percent of online viewers.
Porn appeals to an undisciplined culture (both inside and outside the church) that refuses to mature mentally and sexually. Specifically, many Christian men of all ages find it easier to view porn than to fulfill their God-given responsibilities to glorify their Lord and to love their spouses, their children, their estates, and their congregations.
As Christians, we would expect unregenerate men, who are in bondage to the sin of their Adamic nature, to embrace no conviction against viewing pornography. These men, as are all men before coming to Christ, are corrupt by nature and in need of spiritual rebirth, needing to call upon Christ Jesus for salvation. These men will only curtail or cease viewing porn when they are threatened civically (being jailed or imprisoned), professionally (getting fired), or domestically (being sued for divorce).
To the Christian, porn appeals to the workings of sin in the flesh (Rom. 7:23) that must yet be submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It is unbiblical for the world or the church to think that a Christian cannot be tempted to view and to succumb to the viewing of porn during a time or times of weakness. Yet, having yielded to the beguiling temptation of viewing porn, the Christian must realize, as spoken by Christ Jesus, that he has sinned by committing fornication (in the case of the unmarried) or adultery (in the case of the married) in the heart – sins which Jesus says will deprive one of eternal life.
For the Christian minister, porn can be alluring as he manages his pressures to serve others, his solitary work environment, his mental exhaustion, and perhaps, his frustrations resulting from his entering the ministry as a novice not fully disciple himself. If he also has relationship and sexual difficulties at home, then porn becomes for him an easy, seemingly victimless escape. However, when he views porn, he jeopardizes the ministry that his God has entrusted to him. 1 Timothy 3:4-5 is clear that the minister’s household must be in order for him to retain his ministry, and, thus, his admitting his habitual porn use exposes problems in his own household, which he must correct lest he be ministerially disqualified. Often, the tremendous guilt that follows is difficult to jettison because the minister is supposedly required to be not only “perfect” but is also forbidden to confess his faults to his brethren (contrary to James 5:16), which would aid in his repentance and restoration.
All Christians: Shall you risk bringing reproach upon the name of our Lord Jesus for a season of lust-filled escape? Shall you risk destroying your own Christian reputations, marriages, families, and estates? Shall you risk jail or prison to fulfill your potentially illegal lusts before calling upon the name of our Lord to save you from yourselves? Do you realize that your viewing Internet porn can be and most likely is being monitored, if not by your bosses at work, then potentially by credit card companies and by porn sites themselves? Furthermore, have you considered that the hardness of your heart and your refusal to repent of this sin may prove indeed that you are no Christian at all, and are, therefore, in danger of eternal damnation? “I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?” (Job 31:1).
Never forget that all men will eventually appear before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account for the deeds done in this life. We, therefore, strongly urge both Christians and non-Christians to repent of this heinous sin and to beg God’s gracious pardon. Christians, if you confess your sin, God is faithful and just to forgive you of your sin. Get rid of your porn regardless of its form or format. Don’t place yourself in a position to view porn. Don’t allow your mind to be idle and filled with pornographic fantasies and thoughts. On the contrary, plan to stay mentally active and to replace pornographic thoughts with pure, holy, and natural thoughts (see Philippians 4:8). Pray for God’s grace to deliver you from the desire to view porn for His name’s sake. Pursue spiritual maturity and love (toward your wife, your children, your church, and your Lord) instead of gratifying your selfish, sinful desires.
Those of you who are spiritual are to restore, with a spirit of meekness, those who have fallen into this sin lest you also be tempted. God will forgive the sins of those who truly repent and turn from their sin.
I'm touched by your long-term scrutiny of my replies.
As for my criticism, I was surprised to see silly name-calling by one who claims to place a high value on rational discourse.
You must forgive my inability to distinguish your posts from those by people with oversized egos.
This was his second visitation. Obviously, he doesn't care about the kids. Further evidence: after he moved out my sister found his web "favorites" were full of incest sites.
My sister is very afraid for her daughter, and is going through hell in letting him take them. Her first attorney's position: "The judge won't care. Most men do it." My sister canned her and got another attorney.
To top it off, he's very active in the church and other organizations.
And yet you saw (and were not dismayed by, or moved to criticize) an abusive and obnoxiously self-righteous post by someone claiming to represent Jesus.
Strange that.
In fact, it smacks of hypocrisy.
No, not their fellow man, but their Christian brothers and sisters. Unless of course you are talking about the only two instances in the entire Bible where God says:
Mt 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Lu 6:27 ¶ But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
And on those two instances, you must go back and read the context of what the Lord was saying and how He was using those sentences.
For in that context, I do love you and I do pray for you, but I also recognize that you are not my brother and that you would turn on me in a minute, but, as Paul tells us, it is bettter to be with the Lord.
A priest friend of mine recently told me that when he does marital counseling, one of the most common factors in marital discord and divorce is pornography.
Whether that's cause or effect is open to question. What's beyond question, in his experience, is that there is a high correlation between troubled marriages and pornography.
It's very nice that you can mix pornography and marriage -- or say you can. But it's probably not generally true.
Getting spammed with porno email isn't so bad.
50 years ago I was constantly spammed by porno real, live women. In the early 50's, wearing either the uniform or haircut of the Corps really caused a sexual management problem.
At least, now at the ripe old age of 68, that's the way I remember it.
So Christians are not supposed to love their fellow men, but only other Christians?
Pardon me for saying so, but that seems diametrically opposed to the teachings of Jesus....
Would it be "inappropriate" for the human beings in the porn movie to do the very same things in person, in the privacy of your bedroom as a prelude to your copulating with your wife?
Could this have a negative effect on your marital relationship?
Hmmmm. Or I might simply have sighed, rolled my eyes, and moved on. (I probably did, in fact.)
In fact, it smacks of hypocrisy.
Oh, please.
As for whether I'd give to my own children (which I don't and won't have but that's another discussion for another day), maybe when they turned 18. I don't think I'd have a problem with my kid posing in Playboy, they pay well and if the model has any smarts or drive it can be a gateway to a good career in acting or "legit" modeling (pick up any Fredricks or Victoria's Secret catalog, they're who's who of Playmates from 4 to 6 years ago; of course the entire female cast of Baywatch were Playmates). As for the hypothical kids getting into hardcore I wouldn't be happy with that, but that's because of the world that exists around hardcore porn not the porn itself.
Of course I've actually worked in the world of smut (just a strip club DJ unfortunately, no really cool stories to tell involving famous women) so I have an understanding of it that I'm sure terrifies you. Over all it's just a job. I've also flipped burgers for a living; if I had a choice for my kids between the two I'd steer them towards stripping, it pays better (a LOT better), it's better on the complexion, and the hours are short enough they could easily go to college. Which reminds me of the very good looking Bay Area laywer I know... Alas also another story for another day.
If the truth wasn't the main concern to the writers of the Old Testament do you think we would have heard about the failures of men such as David...or Jonah...or Peter...or Jacob?
Pornographic? No, a pornographer would have gloried in endless description of the actual acts of the Sodomites. He would have given graphic detail of the affair between David and Bathsheba. We would be treated to the most disgusting, most base descriptions of sin imaginable. Instead we have the truth.
Ah, but what do you use as a baseline for what is "normal"? Or is it all relative?
Some of us choose to use the Bible as the Baseline, while others choose to use "Beevis & Butthead", or whatever...
Something tells me you don't have any teenagers or small children yet. Nonetheless try to be an adult and imagine selling your own daughter on a career in porn. In 2002 she has to wait until she is 18, but as demand grows that will change. That is effectively what you are doing by your own behaviour. The fruit does not fall far from the tree.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.