Pornography

"We live in a Playboy world now" Hugh Hefner

---

Jesus Ethics and Pornography

 How would the proposed sexual revolution in the Church deal with complicated and difficult issues like Pornography? To simply denounce pornography as a social evil does not seem to be an adequate response. Those who have crusaded against pornography over the last few decades have obviously not achieved anything - the porn industry has grown bigger and richer. Mainstream society now widely accepts pornography, especially in its softer forms.

As newspaper columnist Simon Castles explains: "...ours is a culture gorged to the max on pornography. It is everywhere. Yet we don't particularly like to talk about it. We worry about child pornography, of course. And about teenagers accessing hardcore sites. But there the issue ends. And the silence begins..." ( - A culture gorging on porn )

He then quotes the English journalist Edward Marriott who wrote in The Age last month: "There is a widespread sense that anyone who suggests pornography might have any kind of adverse effect is laughably out of touch."

Simon Castles, who clarifies that he is "not a puritan", is basically asking: Why is there virtually no debate about how porn is perverting our society?  

 But what sort of debate are we talking about? Is the real issue how bad porn is for society? Or are there other issues, deeper issues, that need to be addressed?

 Yes, pornography is being accused for so many social evils, etc, but the fact remains that pornography is here to stay. It is one of the world's biggest industries. It is highly unlikely that suddenly one day this mammoth industry will just shut down. You see, where there is a demand, there is also the supply. As Castles puts it, "the supply has become a tsunami: the number of X-rated sites on the net is conservatively put at 8 million. And rising..."  

Tim Ferguson, another part-time newspaper (The Age ) columnist adds: "Pornography is now beyond the control of its friends or foes. Freedom of speech is a side issue here. In Western society, it is the freedom of the market and the power of the consumer that govern all. Most of the 8 million porn sites exist because there is a vast, insatiable market for them..." ( Other people may wish to 'gorge' on porn. Should we care? )

The demand for pornographic products and services is expected to grow even more in the future, making the most of technological advancements and globalisation. Imagine what is going to happen when in a few decades from now, the virtual reality technology will be advanced enough to deliver "interactive porn" in ultra high definition fidelity - porn enthusiasts will be hooked (or plugged) on their computers indefinitely. As a "sex futurologist" puts it: "The growth of electronically mediated sex will also presumably reduce the number of flesh-to-flesh sex acts. There are millions of people in the industrialized world who spend significant amounts of time and money on Internet porn, sex chat, voyeur cams and interacting with sexual partners through Web cams and audio interfaces. These media will soon be joined by "haptic" and "teledildonic" equipment that will communicate a partner's caresses and allow you to feel them. Extrapolating to the latter 21st century, when full nanotechnology-based virtual reality is in use, we will be able to have as high-bandwidth a sexual relationship electronically as in the flesh. That will probably mean a lot more casual e-sex and more commercial e-sex. But for those special someones it will also mean more profound sex..."

"...Doing the nasty in nano-neuro VR will be far more intimate than in the flesh. We will be able to... open ourselves up to forms of tactile and emotional sharing that are impossible in the flesh-to-flesh... We can hold an orgy on the moons of Jupiter, on lambskin rugs, with cherubim as an attentive audience... Direct control of our brains will also mean that masturbation will be a lot more direct than the current manual methods. We will be able to directly stimulate our sexual pleasure centers pretty much invisibly, and as often as we like. Luckily we won't have to drive our cars manually anymore, or things could be very dangerous on the road..." (The Future of Sex: What will happen when we can transcend erotic desire, romantic love and the human body? by James Hughes, www.betterhumans.com , Sunday, February 09, 2003)

The line between porn and prostitution will blur until the two terms will refer to the same experience, at least on the Virtual Porn Worlds of the near future. Considering the technological developments ahead of us, the porn industry will get bigger and bigger. 

 Really, does anyone seriously expect the porn industry to suddenly disappear?

 The ideal scenario for many anti-porn crusaders would be for a theocracy to take over power and ban pornography. But not even a theocracy could stop such a lucrative industry as porn. It would simply create a new underworld industry giving rise to XXX versions of Al Capone... (now, that's a scenario for a B-Grade sci-fi/porn movie!)

 The only other possible scenario, God miraculously zapping the porn industry out of existence, is equally ridiculous. God might as well miraculously make humans a-sexual, because for as long as there will be sex, there will be adultery, promiscuity, prostitutes, gays, orgies, vibrators and, of course, porn!

 So, either way, porn is here to stay... 

 What should then be discussed or argued in a public debate about porn? How relevant or useful are the Jesus Ethics in such a debate? Can the New Basis for Christian Ethics that we are talking about help us address the sizzling-hot topic of Pornography? 

 The underlying issues are: Does the growing supply of porn correspond to a growing "real demand"? Is the porn industry to blame for the increased demand, or are there other factors at play? What about alienation? Loneliness?

And of course, questions like: Does Pornography harm humanity? If so, in what way? Should Pornography be completely denounced and rejected or can it be sanctioned under any circumstances as normal or healthy? Is Pornography good "in moderation"? If so, how often is often enough? If indeed Pornography is proven harmful to society, how can it be phased out in a sophisticated, non-legislative way, ie. how can the demand for it be reduced?

NOTE: I purposely leave out of the whole discussion on porn the related topics of erotic art and nudity since (from an ethical point of view) there seems to be nothing wrong about them - no one gets hurt or abused, whereas the same cannot be said about pornography.

According to the Jesus Ethics, people are called to:

1. treat and value one's neighbour as one would wish to be treated (be nice!).

2. not be exploitive, dominating, manipulative, controlling, violent, or abusive towards others (don't be an ass!).

3. above all, leave underage people alone (don't be a paedophile!).

So let us see, does pornography violate any of the Jesus Ethics? 

Lets start with "treat and value one's neighbour as one would wish to be treated". Since the porn industry is mainly involved with the male sex, I ask my male readers: Would you like it if nude pictures of your daughter, sister or mother were published for the express purpose of sexual gratification of strangers? Think about it, all those women depicted naked in porn magazines, videos or websites  are someone's daughter, sister, mother, etc. 

If your answer is along the lines that these women chose to pose naked and we should respect their freedom of choice, I quickly move on to the second Jesus Ethics principle: "do not be exploitive, dominating, manipulative, controlling, violent, or abusive towards others". With a few possible exceptions it is a well known fact that the porn industry does just that, it is exploitive, dominating, manipulative, controlling, even violent, and abusive towards the women it undresses to pose for its insatiable clientele. The porn industry is not as glamorous as it deceptively portrays itself. Instead it preys on vulnerable women (see: Behind the mask: Lolo Ferrari ), and to mention the 3rd Jesus Principle, it also preys on underage girls (and boys):

So there you go, the Porn Industry is clearly in violation of the Jesus Ethics. 

---

50 years of Playboy

(2003) was PLAYBOY magazine’s 50th anniversary. At 77, the creator of PLAYBOY culture Hugh Hefner lives with seven girlfriends in the Playboy mansion. How did it all start? Well, Hugh Hefner came up with the idea to cash in on the idea that deep down every male is a perve: "In 1953, Hugh Hefner, then 27, created the first issue of Playboy at a card table in his Chicago apartment. He’d borrowed $US 8000 to finance the magazine, and he spent $500 to buy the rights to nude photos of Marilyn Monroe, published in the first issue. Within five years, Playboy was selling a million copies a month. Within 10 years, it was an international empire that included a chain of Playboy Clubs where members were served by women wearing bunny ears and fluffy tails. Playboy’s success was based on a simple but brilliant idea: Respectable men would buy a skin magazine if the nude pictures were surrounded by writing of such high quality that they could plausibly — or at least semi-plausibly — claim they bought it for the articles. So Hefner surrounded his nudes with short stories by John Updike and Vladimir Nabokov and interviews with Bertrand Russell and Albert Schweitzer..." ("Babes, breasts and bunny ears", Washington Post, reprinted by The Age, September 8, 2003)

"Playboy’s message — sex is for recreation, not just procreation — arrived at the same historical moment as the birth control pill, and the magazine became the unofficial house organ, so to speak, of the sexual revolution. Hefner became a symbol of the swinging single, hosting wild parties at his Playboy mansions, first in Chicago, then in L.A. Of course Playboy was attacked by religious conservatives, who said it was immoral, and by feminists, who said it objectified women. And it spawned countless imitators. Today, Playboy sells 3.1 million copies a month, America’s best-selling men’s magazine..." (ibid)

"...Hefner and his writers once crusaded against puritanism, but that spirit is largely gone now because, he says, the crusade was victorious.... “We will never recapture the importance of Playboy in the ‘60s and ‘70s because we changed the world,” he says. “We live in a Playboy world now, for good or ill.”..." (ibid)

Today, 50 years after the creation of Playboy, Pornography has become so commonplace that no one really knows where to draw the line between "hard core" porn and "soft" porn. Compared to the "hard core" porn out there, Playboy pictures are hardly even considered "pornographic". Soft porn today is not even considered "porn". You don't need to buy a Playboy magazine today to look at female breasts, since they adorn the pages of countless generic respectable magazines. Times have certainly changed since H. Hefner launched his sexual revolution. The question is: for good or ill? 

Having recognised the futility of arguing against the Playboy culture on the basis of religious morality, the smarter representatives of Conservative Christianity jumped on the "psychological health" bandwagon criticising the Playboy culture as something unhealthy. It makes sense. Pornography can really only be addressed as a health/mental health issue in the arena of public debate. Many Christians (even conservative ones) are now recognising that it doesn't help to attach religious guilt, it simply makes matters worse. The psychology-literate Christian opponents of porn have come to see that the way many conservative Churches tackle the issue of Pornography and its first cousin Masturbation, is very unwise. 

They are right of course. By saying things like "Porn distances you from God", "Porn makes you unholy/unclean", or "you are going straight to hell if you continue masturbating off over pictures of naked women" the die-hard conservative Christians make matters far worse because now the poor "porn addict" has two fiery enemies to contend with, his penis and God. (I use the male point of view since most porn addicts are male). 

Well, I have good news for all those chronic masturbators out there, Christian or otherwise. They have nothing to fear from God. They can "masturbate" all day long for all God cares. God is not offended by human frailty. Getting off on Porn is therefore not a sin in the religious sense. 

The Case against Pornography

It is recognised to be, however, a great source of evil - in several aspects. There are numerous websites that deal with the issue of sex/porn addiction (ie. ADDICTED TO SEX ). The main argument made by these websites is that pornography is a health hazard, damaging the lives of many people. Other sites argue and present evidence on how Pornography degrades women and men, or how it destroys the fabric of society. It goes without saying that Christian sites unanimously condemn Pornography. Many of them have wisely focused on the real dangers of Pornography (ie health related) while others choose to fight Pornography through good old fear tactics (ie. God -or the Devil- is gonna get you). Again, I will summarily dismiss the fear tactic argument that Pornography is a sin against God, because it just does not hold water.

Porn "addicts" may have nothing to fear from God, but they have every reason to fear themselves, as Christian clinical psychologist Dr. Victor Cline explains in Pornography's Progressive Pattern of Addiction. Dr. Victor Cline, "a clinical psychologist at the University of Utah and a specialist in the area of sexual addictions", has observed "a four-step syndrome" common to almost all of his clients who have been "involved with pornography". In the table below we see the four steps of destructive porn addiction:

Step 1-Addiction. Once consumers of pornography get hooked, they keep coming back for more and more. The sexually graphic material provides the viewer with an aphrodisiac effect, followed by sexual release, most often through masturbation. Pornography gives the viewer powerful imagery that can be recalled and elaborated on with the person's fantasy life. Despite negative consequences, most addicts are unable to rid themselves of their dependence on pornography. Their addiction rules their lives. Step 2-Escalation. Cline describes the second phase as an escalation-effect. The pornography consumer, similar to the drug user, requires more and more stimulation to reach his or her "highs." In fact some viewers prefer the powerful sexual imagery planted in their minds by exposure to pornography to sexual intercourse itself. This nearly always diminishes the viewer's capacity to love and express appropriate intimacy within relationships. Step 3-Desensitization. In this phase, material that was originally perceived as unthinkable, shocking, illegal, repulsive, or immoral is now viewed as acceptable and commonplace by the viewer of pornography. Regardless of the deviancy expressed, the viewer perceives the pornography and his or her use of it as legitimate. Step 4-Acting out sexually. This last step describes an increased tendency to act out sexually the behaviours viewed in pornography, including promiscuity, voyeurism, exhibitionism, group sex, rape, sadomasochism, child molestation, and more... ( Excerpted by D. R. Hughes from: Cline's "Pornography's Effects", 3-5.Revell, September 1998)

The above material was excerpted in part by Donna Rice Hughes from Kids Online: Protecting Your Children in Cyberspace. She then comments: "Clearly, this progressive pattern demonstrates how reality and fantasy become blurred for those who are entangled with pornography or when viewing is no longer enough. Early emotional wounding is almost always a factor in pornography addiction. In regard to the compulsive or addictive nature of pornography, Dr. Cline shares the following: "In over 26 years, I have treated approximately 350 males afflicted with sexual addictions (or sometimes referred to as sexual compulsions). In about 94 percent of the cases I have found that pornography was a contributor, facilitator, or direct causal agent in the acquiring of these sexual illnesses."( Victor B. Cline, "Pornography and Sexual Addictions," Christian Counseling Today 4, no.4 (1996): 58...)

The full text of  Dr. Cline's work "Treatment & Healing of Pornographic and Sexual Addictions" is available HERE. 

The Centerfold Syndrome

Some doctors claim that even "soft-porn" is bad for mental health. Psychologist Dr. Gary R. Brooks, in his book, The Centerfold Syndrome: How Men Can Overcome Objectification and Achieve Intimacy with Women, has identified four symptoms of the "centerfold syndrome." As the result of a steady diet of soft-core pornography, men may display one or more of the following symptoms:

• Voyeurism-an obsession with visual stimulation that trivializes all other features of a healthy relationship
  
• Objectification-obsessive fetishes over body parts and the rating of women by size and shape
  
• Trophyism-treatment of women as collectibles and property
  
• Fear of intimacy-inability to get beyond glossy, centrefold images of women to have a real relationship

We also read: "Pornography subtly communicates that the value of a woman is determined by her body, shape, and size. Only those women with a perfect physical appearance are valuable and worthy of being admired, desired, and loved. This can have detrimental effects on how women and girls view themselves. I often wonder how many young girls who struggle with anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders are unknowingly struggling to measure up to the perfect "10" image projected by the airbrushed centrefold. I also wonder how many teenage boys, consciously or unconsciously, measure the value of their girlfriends against the "bunny" image...." ⁽Gary R. Brooks, The Centerfold Syndrome: How Men Can Overcome Objectification and Achieve Intimacy with Women (San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass, 1996), 2..., Excerpted in part from Kids Online: Protecting Your Children In Cyberspace by Donna Rice Hughes (Revell, September 1998))

It is interesting to note that even people from the erotic arts denounce pornography as a base activity: "Pornographic photography, is exploitative by definition. It reduces its subjects to sexual apperatuses - and while there is nothing wrong with enjoying and exalting the sexuality of a subject, to exploit it is to rob the subject of his or her humanity and beauty,and to divorce sex from humanity in the mind of the audience. This is, perhaps, the qualitative difference between erotic art and pornographic art. Erotic art focuses on beauty, sensuality, on (if you will) the goodness of creation. Pornography focuses on the objects and mechanics of sex, often mixed with other forms of degradation. Or, to paraphrase Elizabeth Benedict from "The Joy of Writing Sex," Art is about the people, pornography is about the plumbing"..." (source: Nudity, by Dan Sawyer, dsawyer@blenderwars.com) 

The Dangers of CyberPorn

In a recent CNN report we read: "Many get hooked on Internet pornography. "We're a nation of puritans," says Dr. Kimberly S. Young, the survey's author and executive director of the Center for On-Line Addiction in Pennsylvania. "And this is the first time in our history we've had something so uncensored in our homes. You can get to very objectionable material in a few keystrokes -- even by accident -- and then it's hard to get out of the site."... Dan Moore (not his real name), a self-defined compulsive personality-type and workaholic from a Midwestern state, says the Internet destroyed his life. This middle-aged professional is currently going through divorce proceedings from his wife of nine years and has been denied visitation rights with his two children due to his addiction to sex sites. According to Dan, his wife claims that some of the "soft porn" sites he regularly logged on to used minors. "She became obsessed with the thought that I was getting involved in child pornography. She even accused me of molesting my children." Although Dan vehemently denies both charges, he admits that determining the age of women on the plethora of available pornography sites is virtually impossible. "It's like having access to a million adult videos, all for free. It's seductive. You get mesmerized."

Dan, who has recently begun treatment with an Internet addiction specialist and is taking antidepressant medication, rid his home of both PC and modem. "When I finally realized how it has affected my life, I felt like smashing it, throwing it out the window. Now my compulsion is to try and understand what I've done to myself and my family..." ( CNN.com - Obsessive Internet use poses risk of mental illness )

Links & Articles dealing with Porn Addiction Pornography's Progressive Pattern of Addiction Excerpt from Dr. Victor Cline's book Understanding Addictive Cybersex For most cybersex users, the Internet provides a fascinating new venue for experiencing sex. Some users, however, perhaps 8-10 percent, become hooked on cybersex and experience significant life problems as a result. read more » How Do I Know if I Am a Sexual Addict? Unlike healthy sex that is integrated into relationships, sexual addicts use sex as a means to cope, to handle boredom, anxiety and other powerful feelings or as a way to feel important, wanted or powerful. read more » Breaking Pornography Addiction Suggestions & advice for overcoming this problem. Diagnosing Sexual Addiction While there is no official diagnosis for sex addiction, clinicians & researchers have attempted to define the disorder using criteria based on chemical dependency literature. Includes a self-test & how to tell if someone you know is a sex addict. What Sexual Scientists Know About... Compulsive Sexual Behavior While there are many types of CSB, they can be divided into paraphilic & non-paraphilic. Sexual scientists have used various terms to describe this phenomenon: hypersexuality, erotomania, nymphomania, satyriasis & most recently sexual addiction & compulsive sexual behavior. Are you a porn addict? Take this test and find out.. Recovery from Sexual Addiction Sex addiction is about the constant overwhelming need & drive to have sex that involves sacrificing just about everything a person holds sacred. Sexual Addiction Diagnosing The Syndrome Some people become addicted to sex. What is the function of the brain in sexual addiction? What ways are there to cope with this addiction & to regain & insure a healthier sexual life? Treatment & Healing of Sexual & Pornographic Addictions Describes strategies useful in treating sexual addicts, particularly those addicted to pornography & offers information on the nature of sexual addiction.

Does Porn cause or prevent sexual violence?

There are arguments and facts that seem to support both positions, namely that porn causes but also prevents sexual violence. There is substantiating data that some porn can prevent sexual crimes. There is also data that if it is violent or "kiddy" porn, it may cause sexual crimes. A classic example of the later case is David Westerfield, the one recently convicted of killing a neighborhood girl in San Diego. He also had porn on his computer. But someone else asks: "Want to raise a deviant? Take away your kid's porn" (See:  Creating a Monster  ).

In defence of Pornography

Even though there is a growing number of arguments raised against porn, there are just as many counterarguments. The most common one is that it is no one's business what people do in their private life as long as no one else gets abused or coerced. 

As Tim Ferguson says: "We all condemn pedophilia, the purveyors of which should face the harshest punishments. It is the consenting adult sites that make up the majority of X-rated sites under discussion. Basic sexual images have been around since we could draw on cave walls. The majority of porn sites are heterosexual, pedestrian and even mundane... Not to make light of porn, I think we should make light of porn. It is, after all, only sex. Slot A, tab B; twist, fold, insert, repeat, sweeten to taste; if in need of help, you'll find the indelible instructions imprinted on your DNA. The scripts are abysmal, the acting is worse. The sex is so mechanical and loveless you almost wish they had faded to a fireworks scene when the kissing started..."

"Pornography makes money because people like watching other people having sex. If people wish to "gorge" on porn, do we care? If too much exposure to it decreases their enjoyment of the real thing, doesn't it serve them right? Isn't it their business? And if it is our business, what can we possibly do about it? We may be embarrassed, offended or made to feel inadequate by the increasing sexualisation of the internet, the media, advertising and emails offering a gorilla's arm holding a pumpkin in the pants of every male... But the process will not stop as long as consumers consume..." ( Other people may wish to 'gorge' on porn. Should we care? )

Many people claim that porn does no harm to them and that instead it enhances their happiness and well being. Meanwhile, the new experts in the field of human sexuality, the Sexologists and the Sex Educators assure the public that masturbation (with or without porn) is good for the health. Recently one such claim by Australian scientists made headlines: " Frequent masturbation, particularly in the 20s, helps prevent prostate cancer later in life, according to new research. Australian scientists have shown that the more men masturbate between the ages of 20 and 50, the less likely they are to develop the disease that kills more than half a million men each year. They suspect that frequent ejaculation has a protective effect against the cancer because it prevents dangerous carcinogens from building up in the gland..." ("One masturbation a day keeps the doctor away" Reuters)

Some Pro-Porn Arguments  Why There's No Such Thing as Sexual Addiction -- And Why It Really Matters by Marty Klein, Ph.D.  Sex and Cultural Taboos (mentalhelp.net) A straightforward look at Pornography (scarleteen.com) What IS Pornography, Anyway? , What IS Pornography For?, What Are Some Problems It Gives People?, Is It Okay To Like It?, (scarleteen.com) Guilt-Free Pleasures  "How finding a moral middle ground for viewing porn saved my marriage"... Is Cybersex Sex? by Marty Klein, Ph.D.  Pornography in seniors' homes & Porn is better than prozac for seniors by Dr. Gifford-Jones PARENTS FIND PORN IN THE BOYS' ROOM (Columbia University's Health Q&A Service)

The Debate goes on

Larry Flynt, Roseanne Barr and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach debate pornography: Internet Porn Debate

What should be done about Porn

Could there be something intrinsically evil in porn that would warrant its complete rejection? Again, the religious folk with their sin theologies and angry gods are of no use. Nor do the Secular folk make much sense when they make sweeping statements like "pornography doesn't harm anyone" and "Whose rights are being violated when consenting adults make pictures or movies of their sex acts and then sell them for profit?" (See: Atheist Morality, Sex ). We know that the Sex/Porn Industry doesn't quite work that way. The porn stars are not the ones that make the big bucks... It is the Big Bosses... It seems to me that the "porn stars" are the real victims. Many of them are drug addicts, mentally ill, etc. In other words, we have weak or vulnerable people being exploited by an unscrupulous industry. 

We also have those who buy the product, the porn customers. Again, many of them are vulnerable, lonely, alienated, etc. 

Not to mention all those young kids that are hooked on internet porn, living in a distorted fantasy world where all women are dirty whores willing to have sex with them...

So we ask: Are the rights of vulnerable members of the community violated when they are targeted as porn stars or as porn customers? In other words, should the Porn Industry be lumped together with industries like tobacco, drugs and gambling? Is there really such a thing as porn addiction? The feminists however do have a point when they say that porn denigrates and dehumanises women, and by extension all humanity. 

Can we differentiate porn from nudity? Perhaps we can. Excessive "modesty", the sort practiced by ultra-conservative religious people, sometimes backfires, as in the case of that Muslim father who killed his young daughter because she wore tight jeans and sexually aroused him. When you repress sexuality by becoming a Victorian style prude you only set yourself up for a monumental failure when you go out into the real world. Not all nudity is pornographic, that we can all agree with. But can all men go to the beach and not be offended by a naked goddess? Is it wrong for people to be aroused by the sight of other people that look sexy? Some clothes are so "sexy" that they are considered more arousing and erotic than nudity. Are sexy clothes wrong then? Where does one draw the line between nudity, sexiness, erotic and pornography? There seems to be a lot of grey area in human sexuality. Remember, we are in search for a balance between excessive modesty and excessive immodesty.... 

What about free "amateur" porn? There are a lot of people out there who enjoy exhibiting their naked bodies for free. The Internet is filled with free porn pictures/videos of bored housewives or naughty college students that claim to do it just for fun. In this case it may be argued that the amateur "porn stars" are not "exploited" by the Sex Industry. Leaving the psychoanalysis of exhibitionism aside, lets just say that they have the right to do whatever they want with their bodies. If they later regret it, of course its too late, their naked bodies are always going to be out there in the wild wild Net. Some things will just be, and that is that. Perhaps many would be amateur porn stars should think twice before going "all out there"... 

As for the Christians hooked on porn, we could say to them: Relax. You are not a hopeless sinner... Get over your religious guilt and focus on the real world. God is not upset with you. But what about your wife or children? If you are single, make sure you don't forget the distinction between reality and fantasy. In the real world, as the sitcom "Friends" characters Chandler and Joey discovered, when you go to the bank, the sexy bank teller will not ask you to go and have sex with her at the vault... 

Overall, even when it comes to porn, we can only advise people to make sure they are not causing harm to anyone else by the way they seek to satisfy their sexual needs. 

This is basically the authentic Jesus ethic: "Try not to harm others in your pursuit of pleasure"

---

Read Also:

American Association of Sex Educators Counselors & Therapists

Kids Online: Protecting Your Children in Cyberspace
(Chapter 4. SHEDDING LIGHT ON THE
DARKNESS OF PORNOGRAPHY)

- Pornography as defamation  by Professor Catharine Mackinnon: "The studies of researchers and clinicians documented the same reality women documented from life: pornography increases attitudes and behaviors of aggression and other discrimination by men against women... Women told how pornography was used to break their self-esteem, train them into sexual submission, season them to forced sex, intimidate them out of job opportunities, blackmail them into prostitution and keep them there, terrorize and humiliate them into sexual compliance, and silence their dissent. They told of being used to make pornography under coercion, of the force that gave them no choice about viewing the pornography or performing the sex. They told how pornography stimulates and condones rape, battery, sexual harassment, sexual abuse of children, and forced prostitution... Those not expressly coerced into pornography were there for the same reasons prostitutes are in prostitution: poverty, sexual abuse as children, homelessness, hopelessness, drug addiction, and desperation... Those who say women are in pornography by choice should explain why it is women who have the fewest choices who are in it most...

 In Harm's Way: The Pornography Civil Rights Hearings
by Catharine A. MacKinnon (Editor) & Andrea Dworkin (Editor)

Disclaimer: This site is not intended to be a substitute for proper medical, professional or spiritual advice for those who suffer from the type of problems that the site covers. The site or its editors cannot take any legal or other responsibility for visitors and readers' responses to the site. It is the responsibility of visitors whether they choose to read the features and articles, and whether they choose to follow any advice therein. The site and the articles are intended to be helpful and positive. Also please note that we cannot take any responsibility for the quality or nature of the external links to other web sites which are found on this site.