Our nation's, and mankind's, morals continue to erode and decay in the same way a cancer victim's body slowly succumbs to the ravages of his disease. Pornography, a moral issue that many view as harmless, is a prime mover and is largely to blame for mankind's downward slide into the cesspool of moral decay and sin. Recently, pornography has reared its ugly head on the information superhighway, the World Wide Web. I am reminded of the words in scripture, "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart." (Genesis 6:5,6)

Pornography Defined
Pornography, an age old problem, can be traced back to first-century Roman culture. By definition, it is "the representation of erotic behavior in books, pictures, statues, motion pictures, etc., that is intended to cause sexual excitement. The word pornography, derived from the Greek word porni (prostitute) and graphein (to write), was originally defined as any work of art or literature depicting the life of prostitutes. Webster defines it as: "1) the depiction of erotic behavior (as in pictures or writing) intended to cause sexual excitement; 2) material (as books or a photograph) that depicts erotic behavior and is intended to cause sexual excitement." Pornography will be on the battlefield until that great and blessed day of the Lord when the sheep are separated from the goats. True are Solomon's words: "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, see, this is new? It hath been already of old time, which was before us." (Ecclesiastes 1:9,10)

The Worldly View
Pornography is one of the more controversial subjects of our time. There has been much argument on both sides of the issue, and even in the courts.

• In 1957, in the case Roth v. United States, the Supreme Court ruled that obscene material was not protected under the Constitution. Judge William Brennan wrote that the First Amendment had originally been written to allow "unfettered interchange of ideas for bringing about political and social changes desired by the people," and that obscene material supplied little, if any, social value. The Supreme Court went on to define obscene material as that which "deals with sex in a manner appealing to the prurient interest." "Prurient," according to the court, means "material that tends to excite lustful thoughts."
  
  
• A ruling handed down in the 1973 Supreme Court case Miller v. California remains the basis used to judge whether a work is obscene. In this case, Miller had been convicted for mass-mailing brochures that advertised sexually oriented books. The ruling set forth in this case required that "community standards" be applied in determining whether or not a work is obscene. This ruling tightened the Roth decision--that obscenity is not protected by First-Amendment rights.

Even though many Americans oppose pornography, there is much argument and discussion, and little agreement, on the part of society in general regarding what we should do about it. Some see any pornography restrictions as "censorship" and a violation of their First-Amendment rights.

Others see pornography as a way to discriminate, on the basis of sex. In a controversial paper written by two antipornography activists (Andrea Dworkin, a writer, and Catharine MacKinnon, a law professor), they wrote, "Most frequently, pornography promotes rape, pain, humiliation, and inferiority as experiences that are sexually pleasing to all women because we are women. The studies show that it is not atypical for men to believe and act on the pornography. Each time men are sexually aroused by pornography--the sexually explicit subordination of women--they learn to connect women's sexual pleasure to abuse and women's sexual nature to inferiority."

No matter how the world or the highest earthly court rules on pornography, God's people must appeal to the divine standard--God's written word, the Bible--and "not to think of men above that which is written." (1 Corinthians 4:6) Honest students of God's word who strive to be "doers of the word, and not hearers only," will seek, search, and submit to God's principles of truth regarding such matters (James 1:21-25).

The Bible Teaches
Pornography is sinful because it violates the principle Jesus taught in Matthew 5:27, 28. He said, "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." Jesus taught that not only the act, but the very thought that causes the act, is sinful. The magazine racks in our local grocery stores contain porn publications such as Playboy, Penthouse, and other smutty magazines for purchase by those who have lustful hearts (2 Peter 2:12-14). A woman who dresses (or perhaps I should say, undresses) in a way that causes arousal of a man's sexual desires is just as guilty as the man who lusts after her (1 Timothy 2:9,10). Jesus taught a divine, far-reaching truth, and this principle of truth applies equally to the male and female involved. Pornography is a violation of this principle of divine truth.

Pornography is sinful because it is lasciviousness. W.E. Vine defines lasciviousness, saying the word "denotes excess, licentiousness, absence of restraint, indecency, wantonness;... the prominent idea is shameless conduct.,," Most certainly, pornography in any form is void of holy thoughts or actions. Pornography encourages a gross lack of self-control and self-denial. The mind or heart of the individual who desires to be party to this smut is without restraint and is condemned in God's word (Mark 7:21-23; Romans 13:12-14; Galatians 5:19-21). A Christian must subdue all fleshly lusts (1 Peter 2:11).

Pornography is sinful because it promotes fornication. Pornographic media portrays all manner of unlawful and illicit sexual behavior. The so-called "soft core" magazines, such as Playboy and Penthouse, glamorize and glorify the life of a "playboy" and teach that men can enjoy the sexual pleasures of the female without committing to a lifelong, lawful marriage relationship. "Hard core" pornography promotes bestiality, sadomasochism, homosexuality, prostitution, lesbianism, kiddie porn, and violence.

Thayer defines fornication as "illicit sexual intercourse in general" (p. 532). All of these sexual sins fall into the realm of fornication. Smut publications generally depict the woman as nothing more than a tool of pleasure, a thing to conquer, a mere peace of meat, rather than a lifetime mate who is man's "help meet." (Genesis 2:18) The apostle Paul teaches that those who desire to inherit the kingdom of God must "FLEE FORNICATION." (1 Corinthians 6:9-20)

Pornography is sinful because it dishonors God's marriage law. In the beginning, God said: "It is not good that man should be alone," and He made woman to be his "help meet." (Genesis 2:18) For Adam, God made Eve, NOT Steve! And in Genesis 2:24 the record says, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." Cleaving to a wife is far different from the one-night stands and live-in partnerships that pornography glamorizes. A good majority of movies and T.V. shows (even prime-time programs) promote and condone unlawful sexual relationships. Hard- and soft-core pornography flies in the face of the God-ordained marriage relationship. They depict the sexual union as nothing more than recreational activity to satisfy one's out-of-control desire. The Bible teaches that sexual desire is to be satisfied within the bounds of a lawful marriage relationship. The sexual union is reserved ONLY for a man and woman who are joined in a lawful marriage according to God's divine standard (1 Corinthians 6:9-20, 7:2; Hebrews 13:4).

Pornography is sinful because it violates the principle taught by the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12). The kingpins and servants of pornography also violate the first and second great commandments (Matthew 22:36-39). Porn pimps dish out their smut at the expense of men, women, children, and even animals, for the express purpose of gaining easy dollars (Ephesians 4:17-19). Alcohol and illegal drugs are sometimes part of the package deal. Producing and/or consuming smut expresses a complete lack of love for God and his creation-our fellowmen. The apostle Paul's words ring true, "For the love of money is the root of all evil." (1 Timothy 6:9-10) And Paul teaches that God gives those involved in such filth over "to a reprobate mind." (Romans 1:21-32)

Pornography is sinful because it is destructive to society in general. Consider the effects the out-of-control AIDS epidemic is having on our society. Study the case of Ted Bundy, a serial rapist and admitted murderer of more than two dozen young women. In his eleventh hour interview with Dr. James Dobson, Bundy said: "Pornography can reach out and snatch a kid out of any house today. It snatched me out of my home 20, 30 years ago. There is no protection against the kind of influences that are loose in society." He also stated, "What alcohol did in conjunction with, let's say, my exposure to pornography, was alcohol reduced my inhibitions; at the same time the fantasy life that was fueled by pornography eroded them further..." He also admitted how in the early days he was generally half drunk, "almost without exception," and alcohol diminished his inhibitions when he went on his rape and murder sprees. These are just a few examples of the poison fruit borne by this sinful activity. Even though all pornography consumers are not affected to the same degree as Ted Bundy, his example illustrates pornography's destructive force on society. It is void of any good works (Galatians 5:19-21).

Conclusion
Brethren, do not be deceived and misled. Pornography is not restricted to skid row or "adult" X-rated sleaze shows. It is in the local grocery stores, in the words of pop music, and is even piped into our homes by way of cable T.V. and computers that are "online" via the Internet, to name a few sources. Pornography is a real problem that every Christian must battle. No judicial court decision can overrule the divine decision about this subject. In order to receive the inheritance that is reserved in heaven for us, God's people must live under divine law's constraints, not under smut's influence (1 Peter 1:4; Colossians 3:3-7). Without question, the Bible teaches that pornography is SINFUL! I urge all to adhere to the divine admonition given by the apostle James, "Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves...But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." (James 1:21-25)