Is a porn platform plank just pandering to religious
conservatives or is there a problem?
There’s a problem. But who should do what?
Republicans provided a 2016 political platform and porn is a part of the final document.
According to Judith Shulevitz writing in the New York Times (July
16, 2016), efforts to restrict access to porn have not fared well. Some
attempts at legislation in the U.S. fell to First Amendment rights concerns.
Software filters are not powerful or pervasive enough to limit exposure to porn
for children. In the end, Shulevitz draws our attention to examples of current
trends in porn and challenges parents—especially liberal parents—to consider what
their children will be viewing at age 11—the average age of exposure to internet
porn.
The Politics of Porn
Given Christian concerns about sexuality in the culture, it’s
no surprise to see sexual issues arise in the Republican party where
significant numbers of evangelicals find a political home. The question is,
what about porn makes it a political issue?
I think Shulevitz has a point. Porn is a problem—at least the
protection of children from exposure to porn is a social issue of concern to
many parents. We limit speech rights when it comes to inciting violence or
threats of harm. We have reasonable evidence that at least some forms of porn pose psychological harm. Reviewing the scientific evidence, or even funding new
studies aimed at identifying the porn-harm connection, might be a reasonable
path for legislatures to consider in dealing with porn in the United States. Government can also offer grants to support better filtering technology. Obviously, people with advanced technical skills will find ways around most
digital controls, but that ought not to stop governments from trying to limit
access.
Christians
and porn
Instead of looking to government for assistance, Christians
have resources available online to help them understand the problem and install
software controls. There are controls on browsers and smart TVs. The
limitations are not perfect but they are available. Keeping computers in public
places in the home has been used by some though I do not know how effective
that is.
Children will be exposed to porn regardless of what parents
do. So, a comprehensive sex-education program is needed. You will need to start
early. If your church does not address the issue, then consider a book study
with other parents as a way to start a discussion. Think broadly about sexuality,
morality, and culture (a not subtle hint at my book A House Divided).
Then consider more details about a sex education program (see Chapter 7; More resources below).
Here’s a suggestion. Don’t lie to children about biblical morality
and sexuality. Intelligent youth will see through the often flimsy arguments in
Christian sex books and end up tossing the whole purity speech in the toilet. Honesty
requires us to deal with the troubling stories in the Bible. And a sound
program requires grounding in principles of morality, virtue ethics, and an
appreciation of weighing real (not trumped up) consequences of risky sex.
Psychological Science and
Porn
Human sexuality has been studied by psychologists for decades.
Obviously, sexuality is not simply a biological process. The full range of
psychological dimensions of functioning may be added to the biology of sex—thinking,
feeling, personality, and social context. And I would add to these, the
spiritual dimension.
The American Psychological Association (2014) has an
online article you may wish to read because it includes some statistics. The
article summarizes some studies revealing differences in how men and women use
porn. It also reviews research suggesting how porn use interferes with
relationships. Problems of intimacy and depression exist for some users.
The APA article discusses “porn addiction” or better "compulsive pornography use." In one study by Valerie Voon, the brains of compulsive
porn users resembled the brains of alcoholics. Scientists debate the nature of
the problem but that does not mean a problem does not exist. Here’s a quote
from the article: Whether or not pornography is a diagnosable addiction, it's
clear it hurts some people.”
References and Resources
Shulevitz article can be found at http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/17/opinion/sunday/its-ok-liberal-parents-you-can-freak-out-about-porn.html
My book, A House Divided: Sexuality, Morality, & Christian
Cultures is available from the publisher at https://wipfandstock.com/a-house-divided-13548.html FREE copies are available to
reviewers and teachers. It is also
available at a low priced Kindle
book from Amazon.
I have provided a FREE study guide, which you can download
from the book’s web page. https://sites.google.com/site/dividedchristians/resources
Graves article in CT may be of interest to parents. http://www.christianitytoday.com/women/2013/november/raising-christian-kids-in-sex-filled-culture.html
Here’s the link to the APA article on porn http://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/04/pornography.aspx
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