So due to some missunderstanding of my message caused by my terrible writing I would like to present this again. This version is much the same but more clear in its intent and purpose. Thanks!
So when you say porn most people think of sexually explicit romps viewed by college kids and creeps. and I guess we could say yea that is pornography. but I have been having discussions with people about the media lately and what we decided is that there are more than one type of porn. Let’s start with a definition to work with. I’m going to state that porn is something designed to distort reality (read: Goodness Truth Beauty) intending to create a sudden and heightened physiological reaction in the viewer. This by definition should be a bad thing. I think most people agree on this.The reason that it is wrong isn’t in the actual acts or events but in the representation of reality. The reality of Pornography is damaging to the viewer if they begin to think the real world is like the porn world.
Sexual Pornography
The first type of porn is the obvious easy to avoid pornography. It is intended to arouse the viewer sexually and draw a compulsive audience. It has that specific purpose and intent in its creation. The reason that it is so powerful is that it has shadows of truth in it. Sex is good, men and women should enjoy a sexual relationship. But obviously we are no supposed to be marketing, selling or watching it. At the very least porn cheapens sex and makes it boring. One of the bigger problems that sexual pornography is that with prolonged exposure the distortion of reality is inevitable. If sex becomes a performance or an instrument of personal pleasure instead of a relationship and a communication of love and a expression of Christ’s love for his church then we have lost the whole meaning of sex.
So what other kinds of porn are there? There are a few subjects that can stray into the porn arena that usually are not really considered porn but should be.
Violence Pornography
Movies have a history of dramatizing violent acts. I don’t think there is anything wrong with this in and of itself. Violence in films can have it’s use and serve a purpose. Heck the bible has some of the most incredible scenes ever of battle and carnage. Though the current trend in films is rather disturbing. We have taken the reality of violence and distorted it into something that audiences seek out for pleasure. This is disturbing from this filmmakers perspective because this constant distortion of violence changes the audiences perception of violence in standard films. The thing is that films like Saw and Touristas, and Death Race distort reality, and to a culture of people immersed and saturated in violence pornography The Godfather turns out to be silly and ineffectual in its message. The most terrifying scenes are now Laughable to my students because they have been exposed to horribly graphic violent acts. Violence pornography does not just ruin the current films on the market, they actually affect the classics when viewed by modern audiences and this is nearly intolerable to me personally.
Propaganda Pornography (news porn)
The news media has been in the business of propaganda for a long while now (like when it started…or before). I will leave it at that for this one. (as a note Colbert and Stewart get a free pass because they are satire not “news” although yes most people my age get their news from them). Sadly most news suppliers are only thinly veiled propaganda machines with agendas reliant on creating sudden heightened reactions from their viewers. At least The Daily Show and Colbert Report are honest about what they do. Don’t tollerate being lied to or decieved, don’t let a talking head distory reality in your home.
Emotional Pornography
This type of porn is what I like to call the Hallmark channel porn. This type of media is designed to represent a world that does not exist. This type of media is purely created to infect you with constructed realities designed to withdrawl the highest possible phisiological response from the viewers as possible. this cathartic emotional enema is nothing more than a cheap drug. This is damaging because with prolonged exposure viewers will start to look at the world in the same way that the hallmark channel represents, and they will yearn for those carthic moments in real life. When they dont get them they think there is somethign wrong with their reality so they go back to the media to fill that void. This creates the same vicious cycle that all of the above create.
Christian Pornography
This is the one that bothers me the most. You know the type media that I am talking about by now. As a Christian it bothers me that this type of media has become the most recognizable part of christian culture. these films represent a world that is only fractionally true. It presents a picture of being a christian that is false. It shows Christianity as a push button answer to all the worlds problems. The scary part is people are acclimated to this type of Christian media and fall into the false reality the same as others fall into sexual or emotional pornography. This one is the most terrible in my opinion becaus eit deals directly with our creator and redemer. if our perception of him is manipulated by these films, and we are no longer able to see reality clearly then we could danm others by our actions and words. we could lead others astray so easily with this type of media and exposure to this media. my only comforting thought is that the bulk of this pornography is so poorly made that it should be obvious how false its reality is. but when we make emotional christian pornography it can be like a drug for some people.
I’m not sure what can be done to reduce the effects of these types of pornography besides education people about personal responsibility. I think it is important to show people that there are some very dangerous types of pornography that are equally as damaging to society and to yourself as any other. These should be avoided and spoken against. We should not tolerate it in our community and if we see people consuming this type of media we should speak to them in love and do what we can to help them rehabilitate themselves to the truths of the world. Our goals should be to help those struggling to see the truth and have been led astray by harmful worldviews that can corrupt their life.
If you are finding yourself as a consistent viewer of one of these take some time to consider the way you view the world, and honestly evaluate your actions. If you find that you are affected by this media in your everyday life you may have a problem. I know it sounds silly and a little to serious but I believe that the last three forms of pornography mentioned are the most prevalent and dangerous because they are not commonly thought of as dangerous and have been accepted into society.
Be strong and call out porn when you see it and drive it from your life. Refuse to be manipulated any longer. Reality is not a construct it is tangible Truth! Don’t let something take that away from you.
Bring your thoughts to the table!
July 29th, 2010 at 8:12 AM
i was skeptical at first in the first few sentences. then i got more skeptical towards your slightly hazy use of the word Pornography or porn which is the portrayal of explicit sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual excitement and erotic satisfaction, not the pollution of societies moral and social standards you have articulated.
BUT. porn is definately one form of these pollutions. And your article was very well written. it contains alot of vital truth, furthermore, like you i feel strongly against what the various “things” you termed as “pornographies” are doing to the world that is falling succumbed to the appeal of conveniance and short term satisfaction – but the world we are in now was not meant for christianity. this religion, even though it was one of the most successful in western society recently, is now crumbling due to science.science people think they dont need god, so they rely on sciences logic, which only supports mother nature at this point in time. not us. so sciences logic is becoming the mainstream fundement behind morale and social edicate (i dont like mormon’s beliefs coz its a blatent imitation of christianity) so the original concept of god being a giant dude up in the clouds that is watching you do everything like a person looking through eyes is shattered from this along with so many things that have happened in the last century, the internet has spurred this effect on heavily, along with creating the greatest petri dish known to mankind for the human soul to become what it wants free from having to accept anyones judgement. you think a human soul is ugly without god? godless people are only the begginning of the problem. but i think / hope that if humans survive a few more centuries we might find god again when our science (or peak of tangible knowledge) finally gets through the next loophole and lets us open a new set of eyes. eyes that are prepared for a future that includes science and god… which you would hope in time would lead to the same clean morale values as christianity promotes… or that it once promoted. these days christianity is largely unfortunately a joke to alot of the world who pretend to respect it out of political correctness, but in their own privacy stereotype christians the same as every other minority. and while im not christian myself, i think its a shame, because most real christians ive met were very good people who deserved respect for what their beliefs had turned them into, not for the fact they chose to believe something from faith over fact. I am agnostic not aetheist. and any intone of criticism is intended constructively with respect to your beliefs.
August 3rd, 2010 at 12:23 PM
Let me take this in pieces. Cause you bring up a lot of good questions.
My definition for pornography is a widely accepted one that ranges across the different types of porn. The reason I cant use intentional pollution of morals or society in my definition is because I don’t believe people create porn with that as their intention, at least not on a regular or consistent basis.
On the fact that the world was not meant for Christianity I would agree, but for other reasons. I believe that Christianity is the unfortunate but necessary result of the fall. i think science is Amazing! I also see it as a way of coming into truth and knowledge. Christians who believe otherwise are fools. We necessarily live in a world of science and we should embrace it. Where I have problems with science are where faith in science is held as fact. In Christianity I am more than wiling to hit the mystery button on many things as I am with science.
I believe that people can be good and even many times better people than Christians. I thing that if you are an intelligent individual you could be easily a better person than most Christians I have met in all honesty. And I would say that a soul without God is not ugly and if I have said that before i am wrong. I actually believe as a friend of mine once said, “If you were to see any other human soul bare in front of you, you may be willing to worship it because if it’s inherent beauty”
I think that the internet is actually an awesome thing but I don’t think it was created to give a place for people to escape God’s judgment. it is a neutral tool serving the purpose of those using it.
the idea of God as just a Judge i would have to say is regretful and sad. God isn’t actively a judge if anything he is actively dealing in grace and mercy. His judgment is rather part of his nature. As a being where all Truth is there can be no acceptance of things that are not compatible with Truth. That being said I am flawed and am not compatible with him either, hence salvation. How does it work? Mystery button! I know the general idea but the specifics? Nope. Same with the movement of particles when observed or not. Mystery button! Gravity? Mystery button! transubstantiation? Mystery Button!
I totally agree that popular Christianity is a bit of a Joke. I am in seminary right now to become an Anglican Priest of the APCK and I still really struggle with it because of the divisions and stupidity of the body of Christ and its leaders. I hope science and religion can be reconciled because I truly think they are in reality.
Good luck on your journey!
August 11th, 2010 at 7:02 AM
“Loyola Marymount in LA actually has a great program. I know someone who graduated from there, and she’s doing very well.”