BusinessWorld
April 9, 2001, Monday
A primer on pornography (Feature)
BYLINE: Rev. Fr. Gregory D. Gaston
SECTION: Pg. 4
LENGTH: 2250 words
1. What is pornography?
Mirriam-Webster Dictionary:
*the depiction of erotic behavior (as in pictures or writing) intended to cause sexual excitement
*any material (as books or a photograph) that depicts erotic behavior and is intended to cause sexual excitement
"Erotic" (adj.): dealing with sexual love
Greek "pornographos": a "writing about prostitutes" ("porne"- prostitute, "graph-ein"- to write).
2. What is the Church's stand on pornography?
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2354:
* Pornography consists in removing real or simulated sexual acts from the intimacy of the partners, in order to display them deliberately to third parties.
* It offends against chastity because it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other.
* It does grave injury to the dignity of its participants (actors, vendors, the public), since each one becomes an object of base pleasure and illicit profit for others.
* It immerses all who are involved in the illusion of a fantasy world.
* It is a grave offense. Civil authorities should prevent the production and distribution of pornographic materials.
3. What does the Bible say about pornography?
Although the Bible does not contain the word "pornography" itself, there are verses that point towards the immorality of pornography.
* Such verses refer to committing adultery in one's heart. That is, even though one does not physically commit adultery with another person, one already commits adultery with that person in one's heart if one looks at that other person with lust.
* This is precisely what takes place in pornography: it presents a person as an object of lust.
Some Biblical texts:
Matthew 5:27-28 "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 lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
Mathew 15:19 "For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander."
Mark 7:21-23 "For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly."
2 Peter 2:14 "They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children!"
* Related are passages that mention, "you shall not covet your neighbor's wife", such as Exodus 20:17, Deuteronomy 5:21 and Romans 13:9.
4. Why do people patronize pornographic materials? Is it more prevalent in certain sectors (depending on sex, social status, etc.)?
Among the factors leading people to promote and patronize pornography are the following:
* The pleasure it brings to the user.
* Influence of the mass media, including advertisements that frequently offer a representation of permissiveness in sexual activity that reaches the point of being openly pornographic and morally offensive.
* The great profit gained by producers and vendors of pornographic materials.
* Weakened family ties and interpersonal relationships, leading the person to indulge in a sensually pleasurable narcissistic experience, though devoid of real meaning.
* Corruption of moral standards - those who accept abortion, licentious sex, disrespecting others, etc., would also accept pornography.
* Related issues: drugs (resulting in decreased self-mastery and increased libido), prostitution and pedophilia; these are at times (note: but not always) brought about by poverty and injustices in society.
The incidence of pornography depends a lot on the attitudes of the individuals as well as on the availability of materials.
* Those who have experienced true love, respect, a wholesome family life, and good interpersonal relationships would probably be less prone to it.
* Many are introduced to the different forms of pornography at the adolescent stage, and there seems to be an impression that it is more common among males than among females.
* Although a certain amount of money is necessary to patronize pornography, even the poor could oftentimes afford certain forms (many of which can be availed of for free).
5. Pornography is an entirely personal affair. Why should it be considered wrong?
Pornography IS NOT a purely personal affair. Other people are always affected and hurt.
Pornography degrades the dignity of persons, both those who are depicted in lewd materials and those who patronize them
* Those portrayed as sexual objects are degraded into the level of things, of mere commodities that provide pleasure.
Would you want members of your family to be portrayed in these obscene materials? Probably not. Now, why would you want others to be portrayed?
* Likewise, those who use pornographic materials actually try to escape reality through sexual fantasies. Instead of facing reality and entering into true interpersonal relationships, they enclose themselves in a make-believe relationship with a person turned into an object of pleasure.
Pornography contributes to a general lowering of the morality of society.
* People habituated to pornography would more easily look for other sources of sexual pleasure, such as premarital and extramarital sex or prostitution (and with them, run the risk of contracting AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases).
Since pornography is a way of achieving self-centered gratification, it could also easily lead the person to be more selfish, and to be less considerate of others.
* A person who cannot control his or her sexual impulses is actually less free, if by freedom we mean the capacity to exercise dominion over oneself (more precisely, to do good).
* As in any other form of addiction, one's freedom is actually lost through addiction to sex. (An addict seems to be "free" to take drugs, but he or she is not free not to take drugs.)
Family life is threatened by pornography.
* "It undermines the sexual discipline, especially on the part of men (the vast majority of sex offenders), that is required for strong family life.
* It fosters an addiction to loveless, depersonalized sex that makes it difficult for men to become and remain the strong, self-controlled fathers that can be adequate role models for their children, and makes them undependable husbands inclined to treat their wives not as persons but as sex-objects" (Benedict M. Ashley, O.P., Pornography and the American Family, in Ethics and Medics, September 1992, p. 3).
* Being the basic unit of society, when the family is weakened, society itself is also weakened.
Pornography contributes to the commission of sex crimes.
* True, not all who patronize pornography end up being sex offenders (in the same way that not all alcohol consumers end up being alcoholics or drunken drivers), but is it unrealistic to assume that many sex offenders have used pornography to stimulate their fantasies, which later on moved them to carry out their crimes?
* As to the role of sexual fantasies in sex crimes: "psychological steps by which a sex offender usually commits a crime[:] First there is an emotional state of loneliness and depression that leads to free sexual fantasizing, then to distorted rationalizing thoughts, then to planning the crime, and finally acting out. Sexual fantasy is crucial in this process and leads to compulsive behavior" (New York Times, "Science Times" section, April 14, 1992).
Thus it is clear that pornography is not a purely personal affair.
6. How do you advise people addicted to pornography?
Discover the true meaning of the virtue of holy purity, which inclines us to keep our body and soul free from all forms of uncleanliness and lust.
* It is not a pessimistic virtue, by which we are "forbidden" from doing pleasurable acts.
* Rather, it is our response to love, that leads us to respect ourselves and others, always seeing in all persons the image of God himself.
* It allows a person to be more mature, and to have more dominion over himself or herself - just like any other virtue (i.e., good habits), such as prudence, justice, charity, etc.
Use the means available to us ever since.
* Being a habit, purity can be acquired through a repetition of acts coupled with a firm determination to overcome the bad habit: by constantly trying to avoid the occasions that would lead one to pornography in all its forms (magazines, movies, Internet, imagination), by frequently reminding oneself that one has already made the resolution to avoid them.
* Offering prayers and little sacrifices would help one overcome selfishness and therefore the other vices, including lustfulness.
* The need for "savage" sincerity in confession (and spiritual direction): not only when it comes to sins, but also to circumstances that may lead us to temptation; above all, our struggle to live holy purity.
7. How do you advise parents with adolescent children who may be interested in exploring pornography?
The parents' task today is not easy, given the dissemination of pornography through the mass media, instigated by the desire for profit and the breaking down of adolescent sensitivity.
* Thus, the Pontifical Council, Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality, Dec. 8, 1995: "This must call for two forms of concerned action on the part of parents: preventive and critical education with regard to their children, and courageous denunciation to the appropriate authorities.
* Parents, as individuals or in associations, have the right and duty to promote the good of their children and demand from the authorities laws that prevent and eliminate the exploitation of the sensitivity of children and adolescents."
It is not enough to tell them that pornography is wrong and, therefore, they should not indulge in it.
* Parents should try to create an atmosphere of responsible love in their families. The love that the husband and wife show each other, and the example they give in living the virtue of purity and in respecting others, is the first school of virtues for their children.
* With this foundation, they can then explain to their children what love really is, and how sexuality is actually an expression of love (and should, therefore, not be perverted).
"Education for chastity is inseparable from efforts to cultivate all the other virtues and, in a particular way, Christian love, characterized by respect, altruism and service, which after all is called charity."
* In practical terms, the document continues, "it is not sufficient, therefore, to provide information about sex together with objective moral principles".
* It is also necessary that the children's knowledge of their biological development and impulses be accompanied by a growing love of God and a greater awareness of the dignity of each human person and his or her body.
* Important virtues that create an atmosphere conducive to purity are: discipline of the senses and the mind, watchfulness and prudence in avoiding occasions of sin, having wholesome pursuits, temperance, respect for self and for others, openness to one's neighbor, to live in an orderly way, to make personal sacrifices, and decency and modesty in speech, action and dress (all these without stifling feelings and tendencies, but channeling them into a virtuous life).
Parents cannot simply say, "Be chaste!" or, "Pornography is wrong."
* They would be more effective by presenting chastity as one among the many virtues that the child or the adolescent (and even the adult) needs.
* They should instead say: "Try to be generous, be sincere, study hard, be a master of yourself, be chaste, be modest
* These are not added burdens, but the means to help the person in his or her process of maturity.
The role of God's grace cannot be overlooked.
* Prayer, frequent reception of the sacraments of Holy Communion and Reconciliation, and spiritual guidance or direction, are valuable aids in progressively enlightening the stages of growth and as moral support.
* Well-chosen and recommended books on spirituality offer a wider and deeper formation and provide examples and testimonies of virtue.
8. Does sex education in schools help minimize the incidence of pornography?
NO. In fact, sex education in schools pulls towards the same direction as pornography: the destruction of moral values. Furthermore, sex education in schools are designed to downplay parental authority: "parents are old-fashioned, they don't know anything about sex; don't listen too much to them about sex (or even about other matters)."
Children have a latency stage when it comes to information on sex.
* Until around the age of puberty, they do notice some differences between being a boy and being a girl, but do not really care much.
* Sex education among young boys and girls arouses in them a curiosity that was not there before, and would introduce them to a knowledge that first, they do not really need at their stage, and second, they are not yet able to make use of properly.
* Experience shows that sex education leads them to promiscuity later on, eager to try out the knowledge they have, especially if they have been taught the basics of sex (anatomy, physiology, psychology, etc.) but not its proper use (i.e., only within marriage, the need for virtues and self-dominion, generosity and respect for others, the true meaning of the virtue of purity, etc.)
SUBJECT: RELIGION (91%); PORNOGRAPHY (90%); LIBEL & SLANDER (89%); CHRISTIANS & CHRISTIANITY (88%); CATHOLICS & CATHOLICISM (75%);
LOAD-DATE: April 9, 2001
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
Copyright 2001 BusinessWorld Publishing Corporation
