27/03/2023
Po*******hy and the Bible: Can Christians View P**n?
by Rich Deem
Introduction
The Bible does not specifically address the issue of viewing po*******hy, since it didn't really exist at the time the books of the Bible were written. So, does this mean that it is allowable as a "freedom in Christ" issue? Can we discern a clear moral teaching based upon what the Bible teaches about other s*xual sins?
Prohibited s*x
Several specific s*xual acts are forbidden in the Bible. Among these are homos*xuality,1 be******ty (s*x with animals),2 and in**st (s*xual relations with close family members, including your mother, sister, niece, aunt, daughter-in-law, and sister-in-law),3 fornication (s*xual relations outside of marriage)4 and adultery (s*xual relations with another person's spouse),5 r**e (forced s*x),6 and orgies.7 To emphasize the seriousness of these kinds of offenses, the penalty was death.8 All of these categories are abundantly represented in pornographic offerings. The only acceptable form of s*xual expression—between a married husband and wife—is virtually absent. So, virtually all the acts po*******hy depicts are prohibited in the Bible. Obviously, one should not be participating in such acts, even vicariously.
Acts of the mind
Christianity is not just about avoiding sinful physical acts, but also about mental purity. Actually, this idea did not begin with Christianity, but originated from Judaism, the belief system from which Christianity arose. The Decalogue (10 commandments) first delineates the requirement of mental purity:
"You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor." (Exodus 20:17)
So, the prohibition against coveting specifically prohibits desiring another man's wife.9 Jesus specifically addressed the question of lusting after a women who wasn't one's wife, equating it with the physical act of adultery:
