Why is pornography considered a degrading thing?

How is it not degrading? If you are too blind to see it as a vice, then there is really nothing I can say, for you have either (a) watched so much porn you have convinced yourself there is nothing wrong with it or (b) were taught by someone that it is fine.

Or (C) made up your own mind based on your own feeligns and opinions as a unique individual rather than blindly follow others who have preached against it.

If your religion is psychology, there was a study that showed watching violent acts has the effect of increasing violent acts,

Yes there was, this was done with 5 year old children though!! At such a young and impressionable age it is monkey see and monkey do. However this is irrelevant to this discussion unless either everyone has the mentality and maturity development level of a 5 year old, or your intent on showing porn to 5 year olds?

therefore pornography has the same effect. It only makes sense.

You may want to put a mat down before you make a jump like that again. So following your line of thinking, watching a movie about zombies makes peoeple want to kill themselves so that they can come back as the undead? no, It only makes NON-sense

if you don't consider extramarital sex wrong, then the "lesser" sin of pornography is just as fine.

What do you do if you do not believe in lesser or greater sins? Or even sin at all for that matter?

The Family as an institution has been tried and tested as the basis of society, and this is just another way to destroy that institution

HOW?

Although it is politically incorrect, African-Americans were the first to fall into the cycle of children being raised in fatherless homes

Unless this was because all the African Americans were out watching porn, what the he11 does this have to do with anything?

Secondly as long as there has been war, since the beginning of time, there have been single parent families. Two tribes go to war, men don't all come home. Although maybe if the women had porn they would at least be able to cope better.

What you see as happiness is really just temporary pleasure which when gone will leave you hollow and empty, thus increasing your appetite for more and more. Just as any other addictive substance, there may be many that have enough control to just a little bit (but still "just a little bit" of heroine will still cause damage),

I don't really see porn as making me happy, and as far as addicting, perhaps to some. But as you know Alcohol is additive, tobacco is addictive, chocolate is addictive, however you can get any of these at the corner drug store, along with your brown paper bag covered magazines.

but those that don't turn into child molesters and such.

Again, I warned you to put a mat down before jumping like that.

Ever wonder why every major religion in the world teaches that true happieness comes through virtue, not vice?

No, not really.

by giving in to the passions of the flesh, time and time again we have learned we cannot be truly happy that way.

Unless of course, in your opinion, your married, then its all A-OK right?

Your trying to blame the decay of society on Porn when Porn is just an effect of a decaying society.

 

Deviance is deviance no matter how cute of package with a bow you want to wrap it in. I don't think the problem lays with residual Puritanical values; I think the problem resides with the normalization of deviant behavior. Look at Mardi Gras.

<[-]> Saber

 

The only problem is what is deviant behavior?

One thing I have learned from my sister who us a psychologist and from my own sociological and psychological studies when I was at the unviersity, is that "deviance" in reality is not a bad thing and often carries unjusty negative value.

When the reality is, deviance just meand outside the norm or outside the accepted norm.

It does not make it a bad thing.

In American society, porn is considered a deviance. It is a deviance.

But does that make it a bad thing? No. Because again, it falls under belief.

Deviance is not always a bad thing. It is just outside the accepted norm. Does that make it wrong? Not at all.

I can accept porn as deviance, because by the true sociological definition, it is.

But do I think it is a bad deviance? Not at all.

But of see... here is the thing. Deviance according to my own standard.

Do I think child porn is wrong? Yes. It is not acceptable deviance to me at all. No way, no how.

Do I think standard man and woman or woman and woman or man and man or man and woman and midget porn is acceptable?

Yes I do.

Now, I'm not sexually attracted to midgets. But by g-d, if someone out there likes watching midget porn... than more power to them.

But you know what? Times have changed. And more and more Americans are watching porn. In fact, studies show that over 50% of Americans either watch or read porn or have no problem with it at all, even if they don't care to look at porn.

So in reality... porn is not deviant behavior.

So I will make a retraction. I don't consider porn a deviance because now days, majority has proven that to be not the case.

Regardless if those against it are louder or if people rather talk about it or not because they feel it is a personal issue.

EDIT:

Someone mentioned "major" religion. Sorry, I won't buy into that. Because one cannot discredit the minor religions. Because number of followers does not make one religion more important than the other.

There are belief systems that celebrate both virtue and vice. Or that consider what you call a vice, such as matters of the flesh, a virtue.

 

How is it not degrading? If you are too blind to see it as a vice, then there is really nothing I can say, for you have either (a) watched so much porn you have convinced yourself there is nothing wrong with it or (b) were taught by someone that it is fine.

If your religion is psychology, there was a study that showed watching violent acts has the effect of increasing violent acts, therefore pornography has the same effect. It only makes sense.

I'm sorry, but have you ever studied psychology? If not then I don't think the willfully ignorant should be talking about it.

It only makes sense? How do you really connect that dot? About the only thing that only makes sense is that you have no idea what you're talking about. Studies on porn and studies on violence are vastly different. Not only that but you don't post statistics, do not post where this 'study' came from. For all we know it came from Bob Jones University. Which would make the study a bit suspect.

The Family as an institution has been tried and tested as the basis of society, and this is just another way to destroy that institution, and in the end these things will lead to our downfall.

For all of recorded history the 'family' you're talking about has never really existed. It used to be one man and many women. And I know that's not the one you're referring to.

Deviance is deviance no matter how cute of package with a bow you want to wrap it in. I don't think the problem lays with residual Puritanical values; I think the problem resides with the normalization of deviant behavior. Look at Mardi Gras.

I'd really like someone to point to this as opposed to point to a specific festival as proof of deviancy. Obviously anyone that does doe not know what true deviancy is.

 

I asked this in two other places (the first was locked before any real discussion and the second just never generated a response). From a religious point of view, why are sexual sins, above all others, pleasurable? Not counting the psychos who enjoy killing/stealing/etc, only sins of the flesh are naturally pleasurable for all parties involved (obviously it is possible for sex to not be pleasurable, like if used for manipulation or rape or if people are not ready... but sexual sins extend well beyond those special circumstances). So why?

One explanation I heard was that sex was meant to be pleasurable, but since man fell, it became perverted and therefore has elements of good despite being evil. Yet that clashes with the idea that evil is the absence of good.

 

That is only if you subscribe to one particular religious explanation, and then that still doesnt explain why it is a sin. Sex is pleasurable because of nature. In order for the species to continue it must produce offspring, if the act was not pleasurable most would avoid it and thus die out.

Again nature did not make it a sin, God did not label it a sin, Man did!

 

Brunop

I know. If you didn't notice I did say "From a religious point of view, why are sexual sins, above all others, pleasurable?"

 

Alright, here's my "religious point of view" of why certain sexual things are made forbidden and are considered sins.

Sex is a desire and a lot of times you feel like you NEED it, the same way you need food or drink. But unlike food or drink, it won't kill you if you don't do it. It also won't make you go crazy like a lot of people say it does. I mean look at all the people serving hard time in prisons. When they come out after 10, 20 years, they're not crazy, and they didn't have any sex in that time. Having sex is HEALTHIER but it's not a must if you want to stay alive.

Ok, now we know that abstainance can't kill you and won't make you go crazy. So now, look at it like this. God gives you a super-test. Actually an ingenious test. He gives you this physical desire that won't kill you and tells you to only act on it under certain conditions (marriage) or else you're disobeying him and warns you of punishment.

So it's pretty much a decision if you want to listen or not. That's my take on the whole thing anyway.

 

Fire,

That's why I wrote up my post on the true nature of deviancy, in an effort to address that argument he/she said.

 

Of course. But deviancy can apply to anything, not just sexual. Funny that both porn and deviancy can apply to anything.

 

aPPmaSTer

Alright, here's my "religious point of view" of why certain sexual things are made forbidden and are considered sins.

Except I didn't ask why is it a sin; I asked why is it pleasurable (which you did sort of get to eventually).

Ok, now we know that abstainance can't kill you and won't make you go crazy.

No but it will kill off the species.

So now, look at it like this. God gives you a super-test. Actually an ingenious test. He gives you this physical desire that won't kill you and tells you to only act on it under certain conditions (marriage) or else you're disobeying him and warns you of punishment.

It reminds me of the donkey saying 'God gave me a tail to swat the flies, but I would rather have no tail and no flies than both.'

So He is just yanking our chain? If that is the case, then right and wrong are subjective and not absolute; they only depend on God's whims. Morality is nothing more than a test? Is that true of all morals?

There is no deeper reason for it than God says so. To me, that is not an explanation as to why something is wrong.

Although it is an answer as to why sexual sins are pleasurable. It just makes God out to be very shallow and not looking out for our best interests. He is testing us, but for what purpose?

EDIT: He also gave us our will power to resist such desires, did He not?

 

What does any of this have to do with religion? Your explanation is "sex is god's test." That makes absolutely no sense. A basic need of animals (yes, we are no different) is the basic need to pass on our genes. Sex is a NEED. Is it as big of a need as food or water? No, but it is a need.

Why would God make sex a need that is extrememly pleasureable and then sy "oh, by the way, don't do it." Answer: He wouldn't. Sex is a basic part of biology. It is morally neutral.

 

Fire,

Oh yes it can.

For example, most of the people in my mother's side of the family, went into law, medicine, business, engeeniring. I was pressuered to follow a path like them and be like them. But I tore away and followed my own path, into an artistic field... which is just unheard of to them and I still get heck over it to this day.

I am a deviant, because I fall outside the established norm of the family.

 

Enforcer: I was simply trying to underline your point with my last post, not question it.

I mean look at all the people serving hard time in prisons. When they come out after 10, 20 years, they're not crazy, and they didn't have any sex in that time.

So anal/homosexual sex does not count as sex then? Last time I checked this was a pretty large issue in the prison system.

God gives you a super-test. Actually an ingenious test. He gives you this physical desire that won't kill you and tells you to only act on it under certain conditions (marriage) or else you're disobeying him and warns you of punishment.

Does God provide #2 pencils for this test? I would like to know where the instructions to this test you claim he is giving to us is located? If you claim the bible, then does that mean its a free for all orgy if your were not born in a christian society?

I find it interesting that God would choose and exception to his own "don't do it" rule that involves a man made institution (marriage). Could we not broaden His "sex only only if" rule to be more defined by something God Himself created, say Love? In which case it would not be a sin if two people were in love yet not married? Or at least not married to each other?

There is no deeper reason for it than God says so. To me, that is not an explanation as to why something is wrong.

That would require Faith on the part of the person taking the test. I applaud those who have enough faith to follow. I do not question following Gods will as best I can, however I do question where some get their concrete laws of his will from.

Would an all loving God really have such standards as to attempt to catch people on a technicality? It sounds more like something a man would try and do.

What does any of this have to do with religion? Your explanation is "sex is god's test." That makes absolutely no sense. A basic need of animals (yes, we are no different) is the basic need to pass on our genes. Sex is a NEED. Is it as big of a need as food or water? No, but it is a need.

Agreed, it is not an immediate need such as water, food , and the Internet, but it is a need in order to survive as a species. If God has a master plan that involves the homeosapien, then he would have created us with this need in order to keep our kind goign for His greater purpose.

Sex is a basic part of biology. It is morally neutral.

Would that not end this thread then? Pornography being only a reflection of sex would be morally neutral as well. Perhaps this discussion has matured to a new topic regarding premaritial sex and masturbation?

 

Okay, I lied.

I like midgets.

 

Midgets...I dunno, that ranks right up there with amputee porn.

 

To be honest, I like pirate porn.

I dig chicks with eye patches.

Oh baby... or should I say: Arrrr, baby!

 

"Arrrr! Let me see your booty! And maybe later we can swab the deck!"

Some things just should never be thought of and that's one of them.

 

BtW, I was kidding on the midget thing

But I was dead serious on the pirate thing -_- Give a broad an eye patch and a red and white striped shirt, a sword and some tight pants and leather high boots and we got game!

I also have a thing for chicks who dress who dress up elvaan like, hence my sexual attraction for Liv Tyler and Cate Blanchett in LOTR and Kirstie Alley in that one Star Trek movie (she is a vulcan, but she has them pointy ears) -_-

G-d, I need help.

 

You're starting to freak me out. You know that, right?

 

Pre-Veronica's Closet Kirstie Alley OK!
Post ... well.. not so ok.

I think the pirate fetish, with the peg leg, would count as your amputee then. So it looks like you hit about everything, good luck mustering on the poop deck!

 

This is just a general statement. Why are there so many people who openly degrade porn but yet it is one of the biggest business financially in the world. It is like that old saying numbers don't lie. So the playboy bunnies, porn stars, etc. are just giving society what they want. Why do people not speak the truth about how they feel. Many people hide behind lies their whole life. I can gurantee that many people view porn on a daily basis and they might even be in this thread.

 

You aren't human if you don't have urge to look at naked perfection. The human body is a gift and a curse and examining it is such a beautiful thing within reason. As long as you're not looking at innocent kids, it's fine and not degrading.

 

You aren't human if you don't have urge to look at naked perfection. The human body is a gift and a curse and examining it is such a beautiful thing within reason. As long as you're not looking at innocent kids, it's fine and not degrading.

k, let ME play the devil's advocate for a second. what is the diference between watching normal porn and child porn? why is one degrading and one isnt, if watching normal porn isnt bad, why is that? (again, this is not my view)