Pornography is an $8 billion industry in America, according to the Attorney General's Commission on Pornography (via Congressman Dan Coats in the Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette). We have X-rated movies, magazines, bookstores, and stage shows. And much of what is shown on TV may never be called pornography, but that is exactly what it is.
Many people think pornography is just pictures of inadequately clothed women. That is now shown in TV programs and R-rated movies. Porn in "adult bookstores" and X-rated theaters has moved far beyond that. It is so corrupt it is hard to describe, yet if it is not somehow described people will never understand how urgent it is to oppose it.
According to the 1986 Attorney General's Commission on Pornography, modern porn now emphasizes depictions of actual sex acts, violent sex, rape, bestiality, homosexuality, group sex, and sexual acts with children.
Judith Reisman studied nearly 700 issues of Playboy, Penthouse, and Hustler - so-called soft porn. She found 6000 depictions of children - an average of 8 or 9 per magazine. The majority of them showed children in sexual or violent situations (Gospel Anchor, 8/87).
Henry Boatwright, Chairman of the U.S. Advisory Board for Social Concerns, claims that 70% of the adult porn sold ends up in the hands of minors (Christian Inquirer, 11/84).
One survey showed that 55% of the men in prison for rape and 35% of those imprisoned for other serious sex crimes, said that pornography led to their crimes (Truth Magazine, 5/1/80.)
What is wrong with pornography?
A fundamental Bible principle, emphasized over and over again, is that God wants us to avoid activities that tempt to sin. We should not, simply for the sake of our own pleasure, knowingly do things that encourage ourselves or others to sin.
Specifically, in sexual matters, the Bible shows that, not only is it wrong to commit the physical act of fornication or adultery, it is also wrong to dwell on that act in our mind, desiring to do it with someone we are not married to. And likewise it is wrong to see or fantasize about seeing someone of the opposite sex indecently unclothed.
Proverbs 4:23 - Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Major decisions of right and wrong are made in the heart. To make sure we decide properly, we must protect our heart - avoid the influences that lead us to want to do wrong. [Matt. 5:8; 6:13; Rom. 13:14; Proverbs 6:27; 1 Cor. 15:33; Prov. 13:20; 5:8; Jas. 4:4; 2 Cor. 6:17-7:1]
Matthew 18:6-9 - Jesus warns us to not tempt others (v6,7), then He warns us to avoid allowing ourselves to be tempted. We should cut off our foot, hand, or eye rather than allow them to tempt us to sin. This is not literal, but is an extreme way of showing us how important it is to avoid sin. And we avoid it by getting rid of what tempts us - people and circumstances, etc.
Genesis 39:7-12 - Joseph in Potiphar's house illustrates the point. Potiphar's wife tempted Joseph to adultery. He refused. She continued to tempt, so he refused to be around her.
Matthew 5:27,28 - Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. A person should not only avoid physical sexual union with someone other than his Scriptural spouse, he should also avoid "fantasizing" about improper sexual activities with someone other than his spouse. If it would be wrong to do the act, then it would be wrong to take pleasure in thinking about the act.
Proverbs 6:25 - Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, nor let her allure you with her eyelids.
This is not teaching that we sin every time an evil thought comes to our minds. The coming of the thought is the temptation, just like the thought that we should steal something or hurt somebody. Whether or not we sin depends on how we react to the thought. If we enjoy the thought, feed it, encourage it, and deliberately continue it, that is sin. If we reject the thought as evil and strive to reject it, we were tempted but resisted the temptation.
Philippians 4:8 - We should meditate on things pure, virtuous, praiseworthy, etc. We should examine our thoughts as to whether or not they would be the kind of thoughts that Jesus would entertain. If not, then we should not entertain them, but eliminate them and think on pure things. [Col. 3:2; Phil. 3:19; 2:5]
Many passages warn against activities that are "lascivious or licentious."
Mark 7:21-23 - Jesus lists things that come from within the heart of man and defile the man. Included is licentiousness/lasciviousness.
Romans 13:13,14 - We are to walk properly, making no provision to fulfill the lust of the flesh. This requires us to avoid licentiousness. [Gal. 5:19-21; 1 Pet. 4:1-4; 2 Cor. 12:21; Eph. 5:19; 2 Pet. 2:2,7,18; Jude 4]
These words are defined as follows: "arousing or exciting sexual desire," "inclined to, characterized by, or inciting to lust," "obscene or indecent," "[sexually] suggestive," "causing or intended to cause sexual excitement or lust."
Clearly, the very purpose of pornographic material is to put sexually suggestive thoughts in people's minds. Fantasizing on sexual activities with someone other than our lawful spouse is the very essence of pornography.
Many people can see that pornography is wrong because it is an obvious application of these principles. However, there are many other activities that are sexually suggestive in their nature, but many people do not realize they are wrong because they are not as extreme. The fact is, however, that they violate the very same principles we have been discussing.
When you understand the underlying principles why pornography is wrong, then you understand why all the following are wrong: suggestive jokes and language, modern dancing, sexually suggestive music, TV programs and movies, indecent apparel, and much of the clothing that people wear in recreational activities such as swimming, cheer leading, and some sports activities.
In fact just spending time in private with someone of the opposite sex when we or they are married to someone else, can be a dangerous situation. Many people have ended up in sin because they developed an attachment to a person because of time spent in private or intimate discussion.
The fact that people may not intend to be sexually suggestive does not change the effect of the act. We need to be constantly on guard for that which can lead to sin intentionally or unintentionally.