Is all pornography is bad?

For the longest time, I was against any and all erotic materials. I thought to myself, it has to be a sin and would take the standard approach to intrepreting the Word of God on this topic. But, all the time, I had questions about certain passages and how they just did not ad up with my viewpoint. Of course, for probably a decade, I just assumed my conservative viewpoint of sex was correct and I was just became complacent with those verses that just didn't seem to square perfectly.

Now, to clear up a few things right off the bat, I believe most erotic materials are bad. I have not fallen off the turnip truck here! However, I am saying maybe a few forms are permissible. I know this term is likely to be offensive to many who are reading, so when I define this, I include even art and things some would not consider to be pornography.

Further, I want to make it clear that even of the fraction that maybe permissible, I would say that God has something greater than this for your life. In other words, though it may not be a sin in certain situations, it does not mean it is God's ideal or what he wants for you. And when I say this, I am not trying to put you under bondage, however, what I mean is pornagraphy is more of a "fix" than a solution. As with the saying that there is a God shaped hole in your heart, I also believe there is a woman shaped hole in most every man's heart. I have discovered that once you have the right woman in your life, who truly loves you, it fills this void that you are trying to fill.

Perhaps you are married and your wife doesn't show you affection or maybe doesn't want to ever have sex or could be she literally ignores you. Believe it or not, many have been where you are at. So, in this situation, you have a need, but your wife is definitely not fulfilling it. It is possible, she could even be doing it on purpose. Could be for a number of reasons on your side or hers. Its easy maybe for some women reading this to just say, "Well, grin and bear it." Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that and I believe the reason many woman have a tendancy to do this is because they do not understand that man's needs are not the same as woman's needs. I guess if said to all women reading this, "What if your husband never gave you hugs, never showed you affection and never listened to you, does that mean you don't have that need?" The need is still there whether it is filled or not. So, I recommend to all out there struggling in marriage to read the book "His Needs, Her Needs". It shows you that of the ten major emotional needs, the top five for men are usually the least important to women and vice versa. And from various surveys, guess what is number one on the list for men? Sexual Fullfillment. And for women? Affection. I have found just doing the first emotional need for your spouse will do wonders in you getting back your number one need. And God's ideal would be for you to be in harmony with your spouse and this should be always priority. However, lets say you are in a situation and you have honestly tried to do your best and your wife is not wanting to have sex with you? If you are in such a situation, I would pray to God and ask him, if you are doing something wrong, her, or is it a combination of the two of you. For, you could tell yourself, it will not hurt to watch some pornography, but I would venture to say to you that God's ideal will always do better for you in the long run and maybe save you from some pain later down the road. So, to wrap it up: maybe not a sin in every circumstance, but maybe, it will be an easier road if you just never watched any of it.

Getting back to what I was saying before, you may or may not be surprised by the verses I thought just didn't seem to square up with the "conservative" viewpoint on sex. I am refering to Matthew 5:27-28. What I could never seem to square, way back when I first became a Christian even to this day, is the fact that many just assume this is refering to looking at women lustfully in general. My logical, scientific mind could not just gloss over the illusive contradiction of this view. Logically, this viewpoint can not even stand, as if you truly take this to mean women in general, that would include your wife. Think about it. How is it you can easily tell yourself, "Oh, of course it is not refering to looking at my wife". How is it you just assume this? Do you see the "fine point" here? If it means women in general, it literally means women in general and seeing God created logic, this is an apparent error.

Like I said, though. I just went through the years assuming that it was "nothing". That was until I actually started to study the Greek behind these verses and many others. Oh boy, it would have been easier to have not done that. I would not be creating this website, if I would have just stayed away from studying the scriptures incessantly trying to figure out the "real truth". A truth that takes every verse in scripture that deals with this topic and is actually harmonious.

Yes, I have you intrigued, do I not? You will find, this can easily turn into a very long argument, as I truly spent years trying to seek the truth on this and many other topics related. I could not stand the idea of having a viewpoint that did not totally square with scripture.

So, the journey began. Now, if you do not want your viewpoint to be shaken, please stop reading now. Don't say later I did not warn you.

OK, lets start with the most obvious point. Hate to break it to you, but you have been misinformed on a few terms that are within scripture. For instance, the term adultery. Webster's dictionary says adultery is: "voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than his or her lawful spouse." Now, that is the world's definition of adultery. What is the Bible's definition of adultery? Well, according to Strong's Concordance (along with virtually all others): "have unlawful intercourse with another's wife."

Do you see the slight difference in definitions? Now, taking the Bible's definition of adultery and applying it to Jesus' quote, we find this: "5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery (sexual intercourse w/ another man's wife): 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery (sexual intercourse w/ another man's wife) with her already in his heart."

This to me seemed to be an interesting find and I thought to myself, well if that is the case, it would logically have to mean wife or atleast have the ability to mean wife on the term "woman" within the passage. So, I did some investigating and not long after, I realized that the term as understood in greek, applies as either "young wife", "woman" or "wife" as you can see within Strong's Concordance again: King James Word Usage - Total: 221 women 129, wife 92. So, it is saying that almost 50% of the time, the greek term is denoted as "wife" instead of "woman". And, logically, the verse would only make sense if it meant "wife", seeing that the term adultery means: "stealing another man's wife, be it through sex or some other means". You see, adultery doesn't just mean sex with another's wife, it can mean also stealing someone else's wife for whatever purpose. Could be you think she is ideal in many other ways other than sexually and you 'covet' her and bring forth the sin by taking her (something not rightfully yours).

I am guessing this is starting to make a lot more sense, isn't it? Well, we are just starting, and there is much more.

OK, now some of you probably don't have a problem with the above. Some of you still have a problem with it, but may not after it truly is digested. OK, I have something bigger for you to consider.

What is "lusting"? Most of you have this definition coming to mind "any sexual thought for the opposite sex". And yes, I used to have the same definition, until, again, I actually studied scripture and greek to decipher what the term actually meant fully.

The term means to "covet" plain and simple. Do you remember which of the Ten Commandments mentions this? Yes, it is the 10th commandment. So, Jesus was quoting the "thou shalt not covet .. thy neighbor's wife". Why haven't you ever heard that before? Doesn't that make a lot of sense, seeing God is the same, yesterday, today and forever? So, quite literally, Jesus first stated the 7th commandment, "Thou shalt not commit adultery", then he explained the theology behind the 7th commandment with the 10th commandment, "Thou shalt not covet .. thy neighbor's wife". He was showing how the people of the day were not looking at the intent behind the 7th commandment.

So, revisiting Jesus' statement, we see that woman is "wife", lust is "covet" and adultery is "unlawful intercourse with another man's wife". It makes it very clear, he is quoting the 7th and 10th commandment and if you think about it, it makes sense. Jesus did not just make things up. He quoted the only scripture of his time, namely, the Old Testament. We seem to forget such things.

Things just fall into place way too well with my viewpoint. All those hard passages start making a lot more sense, don't they? Now, this will probably shock you, but I am going to prove right now that "coveting" is not a sin, unless there is an action component to it. I will prove it without a shadow of a doubt.

I will explain it all in a minute, but to keep you people on board who are saying to yourself "This guy is crazy", let me just sum it up and then prove it. If you look at the greek term in Matthew 5:27-28 for "lust" you will discover that the term requires an "action" to be a component of it. And, I am guessing you have heard this definition, but really have not considered its true meaning. Lust most properly translated in the verse means to "earnestly desire". Now, here's something you might not have thought about. What does "earnestly" mean? Well, if you look it up in the dictionary, you will discover it means: 1. serious in intention, purpose, or effort; sincerely zealous: an earnest worker. 4 full seriousness, as of intention or purpose: to speak in earnest." Now, ask yourself, are you being serious in intention to desire a woman when you look at her walking down the road? The answer to that is no. When are you serious in your desire? It would be when you are wanting to act on that desire and take her for yourself. So, to sum it up, Jesus is saying, if you are thinking about stealing someones wife or seriously thinking about trying to get her in bed, you have already sinned. That leaves a wide gap doesn't it? Don't feel like you are a slave to your "nature" anymore. Isn't it interesting, as Jesus said His yoke is easy and His burden is light. And if you are guy, you know it is not exactly easy not to notice beautiful women. On the other hand, does that mean you should be doing it all the time? Consider your self control and if you are honoring your wife (assuming you are married).

In the Old Testament, it is made clear that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins. Hebrews 9:22 & Leviticus 17:11. So, obviously, if something is a sin, God will require shedding of blood within the Old Testament to cleanse the person of their sin. And likewise, if no shedding of blood is required, it is not a sin. Of ALL the Ten Commandments, only one of them does not require shedding of blood. The Tenth Commandment. All the other commandments have examples in scripture where the person was either stoned to death or had to have some sort of sacrifice to pay for his sin. If you think you know of a place in the Old Testament where someone was stoned or had to make an offering to the Lord for coveting, please write me and show me where. You will find I am correct.

And to quote James 1:15 in the New Testament, "1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." As you can even see here, it is clear that lust has to "conceive" to bring forth sin. If it was "lust" alone that was the sin, the scripture would have likely said this instead: Lust bringeth forth sin and when it is finished, brings forth death. But, it doesn't say that, does it?

OK, I am sure some of you hate me by now. But, understand, I used to be the greatest hater of anything erotic. I was very conservative and even went to some very strict churches, who even stressed hair length, long sleeves, women wearing only dresses, etc. I was that guy who knew all the Bible verses. And in most respects, I have not changed. I still take the Bible very seriously and try to always align with scripture.

Back to the topic of "lust", or better translated "covet". I want to give you a few examples to show you how distorted the church's understanding of "lust" is. These will show you through internal inspection a contradiction within the common understanding of the term lust. Look at Exodus 20 again. Now, notice the 10th Commandment again. Remember, God is the same yesterday, today and forever, yes? Also, remember that Jesus is paraphrasing this commandment in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:27-28. OK, notice in the 10th Commandment all the other items mentioned other than another man's wife. The total list includes: house, wife, manservant, maidservant, ox and ass. What is the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of all of these things? Materialism? Keeping up with the Jones?

Isn't it interesting when you look at that, you do not think pornagraphy, do you? You think, rather, of people being selfish, being jealous and wanting more and taking what belongs to others. Atleast, that is the first thing that comes to my mind. Yet, those things are often OK in our society and the other is the sin, even to the non-believer. On the flip side, I am not detracting from the seriousness of this topic, but clarifying how people ignore materialism, but then axe anything erotic, which is a double standard. If a woman is married and in some erotic video, it is clear that it is a sin to desire her, so why tempt yourself watching it? If she is not married, then, it is not a sin, however, what type of erotic act is she doing? You can see, that it is obvious, only a few forms are permissible. And, with the complexity of scripture and all the commandments, you need to ask yourself (particularly if you are married) if it is detracting from God or your marriage? You see, God's ideal is for you to be in harmony with your wife. Yes, I am sure some of you do not like my double edged speech here, but God's Word is not "cookie cut". You have to take things on a case by case basis, sometimes. I encourage you to learn God's commandments, so that you are doing the right thing in every situation.

Now, lets take the common idea of "lust" and apply it to all the OTHER things on this list. Lets see if this definition changes when it comes to your neighbor's house, property, etc. Now, ask yourself, do you consider it a sin to "look" at your neighbor's house and think it looks nice? Is it a sin to go over to his house and watch the ball game? They sound like pretty silly questions, wouldn't you say? Yes, but that is how you view the term covet when it comes to another man's wife, isn't it? So the moral is it is not the look, it is the look with intent to take.

OK, so what am I saying? I think its as simple as this. Jezebel, counseled her husband (King Ahab) to steal another man's garden, because he wanted it and the man would not sell it to him. Remember that episode in the Old Testament? I believe that is a perfect example of coveting your neighbor's property. He wanted the property and he tried to buy it, but the man refused to sell it. His wife, being devious, came up with a plan to get the man killed so he could take the property. When King Ahab agreed to this, at that moment, he had sinned in his heart. However, before that, he was just tempted. Do you see the difference? Now, what if he would have just admired the other man's garden and had asked him if he could sometimes walk through it. Do you think that would be a sin? The sin was in the theft of the other man's property, not in admiring his property.

Or, a more close to home example. How about the most famous adultery example in the whole Bible? King David taking Bathesheba from another man. Where was it that King David, sinned in his heart? Was it when he saw Bathesheba nude washing herself, while he was on the roof of his palace? Or could it be when he decided to go down to her and take her to have sex with her? Do you think if he would have decided not to go down, he would have been free from sin? I do. If he would have restrained himself and weighed his motives, he could have avoided the sin. If it required for him to never go to his roof (as some can not just look), then so be it. And I would say, seeing she is also married and it would be a violation of her desire, to continue to watch her from the rooftop. He was obviously tempted to take her, however, he could have also just made a decision not to go down to her. Now, ask yourself, if David would have just admired her beauty and not have stolen her and had sex with her, do you think he would have sinned? Isn't that the same as admiring the beauty of your friends car or house? Just because you like it, doesn't mean you want to steal it. You have to weigh your self control, of course. Also, you need to ask yourself if she would approve of you looking at her? I think that is likely an obvious no. Love your neighbor as yourself is king in all situations.

Another factor to all of this is understanding that there is good lust and bad lust. Good lust is a desire that does not violate God's commandments. And yes, the exact term that is used to represent bad lust in the Old Testament is also used for situations where good lust is condoned. Here are just a few passages where the Hebrew words for lust are used in a good way (#8378 ta'avah, #0185 avvah & #0183 'avah): Psalm 21:2, Psalm 132:13, Proverbs 10:24, etc. A bad lust, obviously, is a desire that does violate one of God's Commandments. So, if you desire to take your neighbor's property, you are obviously sinning at heart. However, if you are admiring a new sports car your friend bought, you are not sinning (same goes with his girl, business, etc). But, lets say you really liked something he owned and you fantasized about it. Couldn't that lead you to sinning? Stealing it in some manner? So, God doesn't want you to go down that road of fantasizing about your neighbor's wife or property, as it will lead you to the sin eventually. And since you love God and want God's will, it would follow you will not allow yourself to go down that road.

Another scriptural angle to consider is the passage 'flee youthful lusts', where it could be argued that this is a youthful desire? It follows the spirit of the law to live the ideal life for God. I don't think you can make some 'iron clad' argument that it is a youthful desire. However, I think you can make the argument that we need to consider God's ideal or desire for our life, instead of looking for self interests, even if it isn't a sin. Yet at the same time, God will not condemn you, so long as it is the small fraction that is permissible. Obviously, if it leads to the sinful types (which could easily happen), you should consider avoiding it, so you are right with God. And, personally, I would recommend you pray about all things and seek the woman God has for you in your life, as that is something that will ultimately lead to fulfilling your true desires, as God designed.

Yes, you are afraid to come out of the closet on this aren't you? That was a joke (I am not for the gay lifestyle). But, I do find it humorous how so many people do not want to touch this topic with a ten foot pole, whether they are religious or not. The default is to make everyone assume you are somehow different than everyone else and never look at porn. I am a pastor and wear a suit and say all the right things when everyone is around, but behind closed doors, I am tempted by porn. Yes, you can admit it, although, you would be burned at the stake if you did. Of course, if you had admitted to trying to keep up with the Jones, no one would make a fuss. I know how it is and don't blame you. But, you have to ask yourself if there maybe a contradiction here.

I am not saying porn is good. Not even close. I am not sure if I should put a number on it, but I can tell you it is only maybe a small fraction of what is out there that is permissible. We live in the world and as you know, everything is corrupted by the prince of darkness. Even children's cartoons have horrible doctrines and things in them for your kids to watch. You have to screen anything and everything anymore. Even recently, a new movie was released for kids (The Golden Compass) that is written by an atheist and the cryptically hidden plot to the story is the main characters fight against God and shows him as an evil person. But it looks so innocent and your kids want to see it! Yes, sometimes the Devil comes in sheeps clothing. It is easy to look at a prostitute and say they are going to hell, but you can't as easily look at that CEO of a big company who ruins families, other businesses and steals, yet hides it all under the banner of business and appears to have "clean hands". Remember, the Devil comes as an angel of light and the pharisees were Jesus' main problem, not the prostitutes and tax collectors. Jesus even said that the prostitutes and tax agents will be in heaven before the religious leaders. - Matthew 21:31 How is it we miss that verse? The pharisees where good at making themselves look clean, although they were doing evil in secret the whole time. And what was their main evil? Pretending to be righteous, when they knew they were not. So, it was not accidential sin in the pharisees life. No, it was intentional sin, covered by false righteousness. It is better to just be a bad person upfront, then to be bad and hide it. For instance, the white collar "pretend to be nice and backstab people" attitude is far worse than you just being bad upfront. And, I KNOW many Christians have a problem in this area, and you should realize, you hurt people when you pretend to be nice and then do evil in your mind or behind their back. And, you are definitely not fooling God.

But are not all those pornstars harlots to the Nth degree? Well, what about the "harlot" Rahab? Everyone just assumes she was just an "in keeper". Oh come on, admit it. You know she was a harlot and "soldiers" stayed with her. Talk about painting things the way you want to see them. Soldiers + harlot, staying in the same house. Wake up people. How is it the soldiers just happened to stay at a prostitutes house? She is in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11. Now, if harlot was presumed to be a sinful occupation, how is it she is still called a "harlot" in the New Testament? Even God changes the names of people from Saul to Paul, Abram to Abraham. Why not drop the term harlot? Something you might not realize. The term harlot generally refers to a non-married prostitute. A non-married prostitute can not commit adultery. So, most Christians would view a harlot as probably the worst lifestyle, but if she is non-married, she is not nearly as bad as many "perceive". Yes, not the best lifestyle, but it goes to show that even prostitutes can not only make it to Heaven, but also to the Hall of Faith. However, notice that even today, harlots are still considered not exactly the "highest" lifestyle. And, I would say this is a correct status, because God doesn't want people to go down that road, yet it does not mean such a person can not be saved and actually Jesus came to save such people. I think he had a heart for those downtrodden and were outcasts of society, along with those sincere in wanting to live right. I should also mention that Jesus' lineage has a prostitute in it? It would seem, things are definitely not adding up with the "standard" interpretation. Here is what I can gather on God's viewpoint of harlots: a harlot can be saved and can avoid adultery, however, her lifestyle is definitely not what God desires, for scripture says that a child born out of wedlock will not be allowed to enter the congregation of the Lord for 10 generations, Deuteronomy 23:2. This shows God's desire for sex to be within marriage. Yet, as I said before, not all sex outside of marriage is sin, though.

OK, so what is a sexual sin. I will give it to you competely, laid out below. If you want to know if you are sinning sexually, you do not need to look any further than the Old Testament, where all the basics are defined and laid out:

1. Do not have sexual relations with thy father (Leviticus 18:7).
2. Do not have sexual relations with thy mother (Leviticus 18:7).
3. Do not have sexual relations with thy father's wife (Leviticus 18:8).
4. Do not have sexual relations with thy sister (Leviticus 18:9).
5. Do not have sexual relations with thy son's daughter (Leviticus 18:10).
6. Do not have sexual relations with thy daughter's daughter (Leviticus 18:10).
7. Do not have sexual relations with the daughter of thy father's wife (Leviticus 18:11).
8. Do not have sexual relations with thy father's sister (Leviticus 18:12).
9. Do not have sexual relations with thy mother's sister (Leviticus 18:13).
10. Do not have sexual relations with thy father's brother (Leviticus 18:14).
11. Do not have sexual relations with thy father's brother's wife (Leviticus 18:14).
12. Do not have sexual relations with thy daughter-in-law (Leviticus 18:15).
13. Do not have sexual relations with thy brother's wife (Leviticus 18:16).
14. Do not have sexual relations with a woman and her daughter (Leviticus 18:17).
15. Do not have sexual relations with a woman and her son's daughter (Leviticus 18:17).
16. Do not have sexual relations with a woman and her daughter's daughter (Leviticus 18:17).
17. Do not have sexual relations with thy wife in addition to her sister, as rivals (Leviticus 18:18).
18. Do not have sexual relations with a menstruous woman (Leviticus 18:19).
19. Do not have sexual relations with thy neighbour's wife (Leviticus 18:20).
20. Man can not have sexual relations with the same sex (Leviticus 18:22).
21. Man can not have sexual relations with an animal (Leviticus 18:23).
22. Woman can not have sexual relations with an animal (Leviticus 18:23).

4202  porneia  por-ni'-ah

 from 4203; harlotry 
(including adultery and 
incest); figuratively, 
idolatry:--fornication.