Abbreviated Pornography Ethical Dilemma Essay

The case study used: Pornography

There are times when some actions which appear private and harmless are very harmful when analyzed adequately. Some actions harm us slowly, and our addiction to those actions makes it difficult for us to understand the harm which is being caused to ourselves and others. I will examine the pornography ethical dilemma according to my Christian worldview and compare it to other options of resolving ethical dilemmas.

Ethical Dilemma

In this case TJ enjoys pornography privately and masturbates with its help. He believes that he is harming no one until he discovers some statistics on the Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking website which states that 43 percent of the human trafficking victims are used for forced commercial sexual exploitation, of whom 98% are women and girls, and that the pornography business is a multibillion-dollar industry. TJ understands that his freedom to view pornography is coming at a personal cost as well as a cost to others.

The dilemma is that as TJ should I maintain my habit of watching pornography because of my freedom of choice or should I change my behavior because of the harm being done? Exercising my freedom of choice would mean being responsible for the damage being caused by the pornography to myself and many other innocent people. I could do the following to resolve this dilemma:

• I could value my freedom of choice above everything else and continue watching pornography
• I could convince myself to stop viewing pornography because it doesn’t do good to anyone and in fact, a lot of people are harmed because of it.

Core Beliefs

One of my first core belief is that Pornography attacks the dignity of men and women created in the image of God. Pornography also distorts God’s gift of sex which should be shared only within the bounds of marriage (1 Cor. 7:2-3). There is an absolute limit on the manner in which God prefers us to enjoy the gift of sex. Secondly, the Holy Bible condemns explicitly the practices that result from pornography which include sexual exposure (Gen. 9:21-23), adultery (Lev. 18:20) and prostitution (Deut. 23:17-18). Thirdly, I believe that even thoughts of sexual nature with anyone except for one’s partner are condemned. Premarital and extramarital sex is doomed (1 Cor. 6:13-18; 1 Thess. 4:3), and this needs to be taken seriously in the Christian worldview.

These core beliefs might influence the decision-making in this scenario by understanding that even though Pornography gives an impression of it being an incredibly private activity, it has significant ramifications. It harms the person, his/her relationship and also makes him/her a partner in the crimes being committed to traffic and sexually exploit the people for pornography. I am also influenced by the belief that sex is useful only when it is between husband and wife. It has a purpose and logic behind it. One has to respect some modesty because our scriptures tell us to do that.

Resolution

The Christian thing to do in this scenario is to stop watching pornography and ensure that I develop better distractions for my mind. I am becoming more and more impure by viewing pornography, and the lives which are being ruined behind this cannot be ignored as well. I will also discourage my close friends about indulging in this practice by convincing them from a Christian worldview. Pornography is a victimless crime, and it leads to a lot of insult to the human spirit (Muehlenberg, B. 2005).

Evaluation

As a result of the discontinuation of watching pornography by me, I will be able to feel a difference in my thoughts and my overall energy. This is because I will not have any guilt. It is possible that my discontinuation and the same by some of my friends can contribute to some loss to the Pornography industry and some people might get saved from being trafficked. If the word about the harmful impact of pornography spreads far and wide, it is possible that the industry will decline entirely and no one will be sexually exploited. The number of girls being used for this purpose will reduce drastically.

Another key perceived benefit is that one will be closer to God because one will become more Christian. This will also improve one’s satisfaction levels from life, enhance the relationship with one’s spouse and lead to a more fulfilling sex life.

Comparison

The comparison of the Christian worldview with the Islamic view on pornography reveals that there are several similarities. The opposition to pornography is more severe and direct in Islam as compared to the Christian worldview, but both of them oppose this. While Bible talks about the guilt that can come, Islam mentions the harm to one’s soul and lowering of one’s self-esteem which can begin from watching pornography. For instance, In the famous 151st verse of the chapter named An’am, among the five chief commandments, in the fourth one Allah says, ‘and do not even draw to things shameful – be they open or secret.’ The Qur’an 24:30 states ‘Tell the acknowledging men to lower their gaze and guard their private parts, for that is purer for them. God is fully aware of what you do.’ These quotes from Islam prove that it is, in fact, more vehemently opposed to pornography and stresses more on modesty. Christianity is a lot more practical when it comes to its views and doesn’t mention about lowering one’s gaze or covering the lady’s body or face with Hijab or Burqa. In fact, both Islam and Christianity think that refraining from pornography is like respecting one’s almighty God (Allen, P. 2007). Nevertheless, both worldviews are against pornography, sexual thoughts, images, adultery and sexual exploitation.

Conclusion

It is safe to conclude that Christian worldview has helped me to resolve this ethical dilemma of whether or not I should continue watching porn. It is sometimes challenging to understand the extent to which one’s private actions could be having such full ramifications. There is no denying that some actions harm us slowly and our addiction to those actions makes it difficult for us to understand the harm which is being caused to ourselves and others. This is especially true of pornography which is not useful for anyone and is also prohibited by our religion.

References

1. Allen, P. (2007). Challenging Diversity? Indonesia’s Anti-Pornography Bill. Asian Studies Review, 31(2), 101-115.
2. Muehlenberg, B. (2005). Pornography: is it a victimless crime. Australian Family, 26(3), 11-15.