At next week's Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting, messengers will vote on a resolution stating that we favor banning pornography, and this is a measure that I will support.
As Christians we should oppose any form of pornography because of God’s Word. In Matthew 5:27-28 Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” That is right before He said to pluck out one’s eye if it causes him to sin.
John warned the church of the things in the world we should shun, which include the lusts of the flesh and the lusts of the eyes (I John 2:16). Job made a covenant with his eyes that he would not look at a woman in a lustful way (31:1). Plenty more examples can be cited from both Testaments.
But even if we could not make a plain case from the Bible, we should still oppose pornography for other reasons. Those who view pornography might say it is harmless, that they are only looking at images. But they are actually hurting themselves[1]. Having any kind of addiction can be harmful, and the brain can undergo chemical changes that leave it forever altered. There is also the fact that creating fantasies leads to unrealistic expectations from the opposite sex, which negatively impacts relationships. Most wives do not want their husbands to have this addiction (nor do women want their future husbands to be addicted now), so this is not a victimless crime.
The amount of dopamine released by the brain while looking at pornography is much higher than during other activities. Scans of the brains of addicts reveal this to be true, with long term changes observable. Like a drug addict constantly chasing a high, porn addicts need their next fix of dopamine.
There is also the harm done to the performers themselves. Assuming they are consenting legal adults, just because they may enter into this profession willingly doesn’t mean they can just punch out at the end of the day.
During a 12 week span in 2017-2018, five adult performers took their own lives[2]. A study reported by Psychiatry Online compared the mental health of young ladies in California with adult performers of a similar age; the report concluded: “Female adult film performers have significantly worse mental health and higher rates of depression than other California women of similar ages[3].”
This is because God’s ideal is one man and one woman together for life. Pornography invites many other people into the relationship. This leads to feelings of guilt and shame, and inability to be intimate with a spouse the way God intended.
Pornography has been protected under the First Amendment, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be changed. The First Amendment states in part, “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech…” Pornography has long been categorized as speech purely for the sake of using the amendment to protect it (just as flag burning is protected as free speech, provided it is the right kind of flag being burned).
But we have placed limits on free speech. A person cannot yell “Fire!” in a movie theater if there is not a fire. Obscene language, calls to violence, and threats of physical harm have all been limited through the courts. If one wants to argue that pornography is speech, I say it is obscene speech, and is therefore subject to limitation. I would also posit that it brings threats to physical harm because we know how destructive it can be.
What about kids? A 2023 national survey of 1,300 students aged 13-17 revealed that 73% had watched online pornography (75% of boys, 70% of girls), and the average age they began viewing it was 12. 40% admitted to watching it during school, and half said they had viewed it on a school device. A shocking 80% said they had seen images of what appeared to be rape, choking, or a person in pain[4].
We are fooling ourselves if we think the ease of access is limited to adults. At a minimum we need to find a better way to restrict access for minors.
This isn’t a harmless pastime or something theologians can debate under the umbrella of Christian liberty. Absolutely no good comes from it, and it leaves a path of destruction wherever it goes.
As Christians, if we are going to follow the Lord’s commands to be holy as He is holy, pornography can have no place in our lives.
As Americans, we are only as good as our worst vices. This is something that must be banned for the good of the country.
[1] https://fightthenewdrug.org/10-reasons-why-porn-is-unhealthy-for-consumers-and-society/
[2] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/adult-film-performers-say-the-state-of-mental-health-in-the-industry-needs-more-attention/
[3] https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/ps.62.6.pss6206_0639
[4] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/raising-kind-kids/202305/new-report-finds-most-teens-watch-online-pornography
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