Recently, I did a search on google.com for the topic of pornography and I found this article here: Pornography and the Bible.
Believe it or not, at one time, I had essentially the same viewpoint she has. However, the problem is with her viewpoint is "terminology". As I have mentioned in my other articles, since 2002, I have noticed a pattern of among Christian resources, where the meaning of words have changed. Often, Christians tend to use common english definitions for words they read in scripture, rather than seeking the original definition within the greek and hebrew languages.
Although unintentional most of the time, I believe this is the root of many misunderstandings in scripture today.. For most all read the Bible in their own language and rarely look into the original meanings of words. Often the common definitions found in society are used.
Diane first mentions the most common scripture used to cut at the root of pornography, namely, Matthew 5:28. However, as I have demonstated in many articles, if you look at the original greek definitions of the words, you discover, that the common understanding of this passage is actually incorrect. To make a long story short, the term "adultery" in the passage means, "unlawful intercourse with another man's wife". The term "woman" is actually "wife", due to the definition of "adultery". And the term "lust" is refering to the 10th Commandment "thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife". So, the passage is saying not to covet (desire to take) your neighbor's wife.. It is not saying you can not desire a non-married woman and it is not refering to sex in general, but, rather, desiring to steal another man's wife. Click here for further details.
Matthew 5:28 - "If a man looks on a woman(wife) to lust(covet/desire) after her, he has committed adultery(unlawful intercourse with another man's wife) with her already in his heart."
Diane mentions in her article that pornography comes from the greek word porneia, which is often translated fornication in scripture. This is an accurate statement. I believe the porn industry as a whole assumed they were sinning when they came up with terms to denote their materials. For instance, the term "adult" likely is formed from the term "adultery". And, if you have noticed the voice of the porn industry, they have drawn a line in the sand, just as have most Christians, in the war over sex and religion.
However, just because I make up a name from a common word, does not mean it is directly related.. For instance, in WWII and Vietnam, soldiers called various bombs, tanks and guns by devil or religious names. Does that mean those weapons are of the devil or sent from God? Does that mean those who served in World War II were serving the devil or God shooting bombs with "Satan" or "Hand of God" written on the side of them? Of course not.
So, virtually all the misunderstanding on this topic comes down to the definitions and derivations of words.
I do agree that much of the pornography in the world is likely bad, however, does that mean all of it is evil? And just because people call it by the name "pornography" does it mean, it is automatically evil because of its name?
Diane also mentions these two passages:
Psalm 101:3 "I will set no unclean thing before my eyes."
Philippians 4:7, 8 "Keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus... Whatsover things are pure... if there be any virtue... think on these things."
On the first passage, she implies all pornography is "unclean". Again, we are coming down to terminology. She assumes pornography is 100% unclean, therefore, this scripture is refering to putting pornography in front of you. However, what if 10% of pornography was not evil? Then, this passage would not apply to that 10%.
Again, same thing with Philippians 4:7. She assumes 100% of pornography is "impure". Therefore, it is all evil and sinful. However, again, if 10% is not evil, that 10% would be "pure".
So, we see, with basically every verse she quoted, it is all dependant on her understanding of various words in the text. As Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding". So, it is wise to see the original definitions in the greek and hebrew, to know exactly what each word means. Further, it says in , "28:10 For precept [must be] upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, [and] there a little", which means we should be looking at the entirety of scripture (including the Old Testament) to truly understand how it is conceptualized and harmonized with every passage. As generally, a viewpoint that is in error will not be harmonious with every scripture on the topic being discussed.
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