Covenant Eyes

Fighting Porn Isn't Just a Religious Issue

Mon, 03 Aug 2020 14:57:33 GMT

Christians and other religious individuals are widely known for opposing pornography for all kinds of moral reasons. I happen to be one of them, so when I tell people I’m getting ready to publish a whole book about the ills of pornography, many people assume I’m primarily speaking to fellow Christians. Now, of course, I hope my book is read by all kinds of people, but my aim in writing this is not to talk to religious people who already detest pornography, but to the culture at large that has no problem with it.

This is because pornography use is not just a religiously motivated moral issue.

Myth: Lads' Mags Don't Count as Porn

Mon, 03 Aug 2020 14:54:06 GMT

In the UK they are called “lads mags.” In the U.S. they are called men’s “lifestyle magazines.” I’m not talking about your typical fitness magazine, but the one’s that routinely showcase women in erotic poses on the front. Many people argue magazines like this aren’t really “porn.”

Myth: To Be Anti-Porn Is to Be Anti-Sex

Mon, 03 Aug 2020 14:47:38 GMT

It is not uncommon today to hear people say they are for pornography, not necessarily because they consume it or like it themselves, but because it is a free expression of sexuality, and this should be encouraged. To discourage it or speak against it is to be, in some way, anti-sex.

Several decades ago the term “sex-positive feminism” was coined. Many feminists at the time were saying pornography was an example of violence against women, but the so-called sex-positive feminists replied saying, “When porn portrays a woman who enjoys sex, why is this a bad thing? Don’t get trapped in this Victorian idea that sex is just a man’s thing. Women enjoy sex too, and pornography a positive expression of this reality.”

Does Porn Empower Women?

Mon, 03 Aug 2020 14:28:18 GMT

Some believe pornography can actually empowering for women. For instance, Betty Dodson has been an outspoken feminist leader since the 1970s. While she doesn’t think porn offers the best in sexual education and she would prefer men generate their own mental fantasies, she sees nothing is wrong with masturbating to porn on occasion. Moreover, porn is not just nice entertainment for men, it can also be empowering for women because of its ability to challenge the norms of our society that would control a woman’s sexual freedoms. Ms. Dodson likens modern porn star to the royal courtesans in Sumeria or the temple priestesses in ancient Egypt or the Amazon women of Lesbos—ancient women who had real social power. Dodson writes, “In order for women to progress, we must question all authority, be willing to challenge any rule aimed at controlling our sexual behavior, and avoid doing business as usual, thereby maintaining the status quo.”