The modern society of humans is one that approves and promotes some acts that raise unanswered questions in the moral aspect of life. Some of these questions are unanswered not because they have no answers, but because there seems to be neglect and indifferent towards them. A good example is the moral issue of pornography, which many see as fun and of benefits without paying attention to its effects. Some have been meant to understand that watching pornography is a good habit both to unmarried people and to married couples. To answer the above-posed question, we shall approach it from the double horizon of (i) What pornography is, and (ii) what it does to those who use it, that is to say, its bad effects.
(i) What Pornography is?
Pornography is the display of pictures or movies or shows that suggest, appeal and stimulate the desire for lustful acts. By their nature, such displays from the actors invite the viewers consciously or unconsciously to desire immoral acts. What makes it be so is because the actors are naked, make somebody movements and engage in positions that are amoral. Pictures of naked persons, movies that show sexual or romantic acts of any sort is pornographic. Today, many public shows are pornographic and celebrated as REALITY TV because the celebrities involved wear clothes that expose sensitive parts of the body, such that the audience in the name of entertainment run into the danger of sexual arousal and desire.
There are various attempts to justify the above mentioned because they are considered entertainments, but the irony of this is that such is mental deceit that has ruined the majority of mankind, and has blindfolded many to see sins as funs.
(ii) What Pornography does?
Various arguments on this issue affirm that pornography is not wrong for any reason, but such shows how man’s mind has been blindfolded by lust. Now let us consider the following on moral grounds.
The important question to be asked is what the intention of the addicts of pornography is, no matter the age, gender, status of the person or persons involved. Whatever reason one gives does not justify this habit as moral because, firstly, it violates the Golden Rule of God which Christ taught us to “Do to others what we would like them to do unto us”. From a moral point of view, pornography is a moral deviation because the actors in question in most cases do such for money and fame. Imagine sexual workers indulging in sex movies, which are popularly called ‘blue films’. They are having sex as a way of entertaining the viewers as if sex is something taught by a third party. Thus, it is a deviation from the moral norm of chastity given that sex is something man is aware of by nature. The couples who watch them in the name of learning how to be romantic are deviating morally too because to watch a third party in sexual activity in the name of learning from them is a transfer of affection and attention from the partner to the actors. Such goes against the sanctity of marriage because they are inviting pornographic acts to put asunder. Again, these actors in question are not married but are only paid, which means that such is a sort of career or profession. Here the golden rule is violated because even these married and unmarried people watching these actors will not like to be watched by another person while indulging in intercourse. They also fail if they justify themselves by saying that porn movies enable them to prepare for sex properly. They fail here because they are permitted to prepare themselves naturally by acts of foreplay. So, why should they allow coded acts to replace this?
In the second place, from the psychological horizon, pornography affects both the married and unmarried ones whether young and old in a negative way. Married people who indulge in it face the risk of dislike for sex and attachment to the images and figures they saw in the movies or pictures. Victims of this had confessed that this destroys marriages because it makes one detest conjugal union with the partner and that even if they succeed in having sex, such would not be enjoyed because in doing the act, s/he might be thinking of the person seen in the movie or picture. Such is mental adultery and an act of cheating on the partner. This also is a big challenge to youths and the unmarried because their minds are deviated from their daily activities and trapped into the pool of immorality. Addicts to this suffer to battle constantly with impure thoughts and masturbation, especially when they are idle. Most of them regret it as well as complain that they may not be able to stop it. So, this causes internal laments because addiction to pornography is a trap.
Again, pornography also occupies the mind and influences it to apply such in reality. A good example is what we see in entertainment shows like modelling, fashion shows, movies and music. Some of these have the influence of what is called “voice enigma”, which means employing impure words into a show that is meant to be good. For example, some music is meant by the artistes to praise God, yet they have immoral words, corrupt gestures and even indecent postures and acts. Such brings a crisis and makes a mockery of God and goes a long way to sway and corrupt the public especially the young ones.
Martin is a graduate of Philosophy from the Dominican Institute (now Dominican University), Ibadan, Nigeria. He is the author of the book, The Glories of St Alphonsus Liguori and owns a blog which aims at defending Christian doctrines. His blog address is: themarianparrot.blogspot.com
You can reach him on:
Phone and WhatsApp: +2348167524058 and email:
alphonsomariomartine@gmail.com,
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