Discussing
Barna study details porn’s pervasive influence – including in the church

Pornography denies a positive, Biblical vision of sexuality, which is part of God’s plan for human flourishing.

Thank you for tackling an important subject!

Sadly, this does not surprise me. I appreciate that you understand the severity and pervasiveness of the problem and continue to write about it.

What is the substantiation for the claim that “Pornography violates all relational values between the individual and self"? That sentence's last part "between individual and self" doesn't even make sense. Pastors, priests, rabbis, and imams reinforce guilt complexes with bombastic phrases like this one. because it makes *cents* – for them. Alas, religious leaders will continue to be dismissive toward the sciences, particularly human biology, psychology, and sexology.

Porn-consuming youth today are well-armed to see the ludicrous errors in religious leaders' sex-disparaging, hell-and-brimstone messages. So-called "Biblical sexuality" is riddled with logical and moral errors. The common Golden Rule is a far better guide to sex. It is far more noble than anything the Bible has to offer – particularly as regards the issue of rape. Read your Bibles and Qurans on this topic. Their prescriptions for rape actually inflict harmful on victims. How moral is that?

In Reply to David Cox (comment #27843)
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Hi David,

The quote you reference is from Josh McDowell, so I can only speculate on what he might be referring to when he says "relational values between the individual and the self." Perhaps this: given that porn can make one see people and their bodies as commodities, encouraging that viewpoint can be damaging to one's own personal integrity. As for the Golden Rule, Jesus considered it the summation of the law, so it's far more compatible with the Bible than antithetical.

In Reply to Josh Larsen (comment #27844)
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Josh, Why cite a statement that you admit you don't understand? How does quoting it help your argument? I noticed you didn't address the immoral Biblical recommendations regarding rape or marriage in general (including marrying slaves). Biblical sexuality is thoroughly immoral. It's time for Christians to take a hard look at where they get their real values from. It's NOT the Bible!

In Reply to David Cox (comment #27845)
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You had challenged a specific phrase of Josh McDowell's, David, so I simply wanted to be clear that I couldn't speak directly for him in my response. I included his entire quote as part of this article because, taken as a whole, I believe it adds to the conversation. As for the question of the morality of "Biblical sexuality," that's a discussion far beyond the purview of this post, but includes considerations such as the cultural context of the verses you reference; whether or not the description of sexual practices in the Bible necessarily means the endorsement of them; and the fact that Christians view each verse in the Bible not as some independent "final word," but rather in terms of how it fits with God's overarching story of creation, fall, redemption and restoration. Cherry picking verses here and there will hardly give you a nuanced, holistic understanding of Christianity.