Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian
Is it a sin to look at porn?

Is it a sin to look at porn?

Last updated on: December 27, 2024 at 9:33 pm by John Shore

Is it a sin to look at porn? 2024-12-27T21:33:53-08:00 John Shore

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Got in this short letter from a young man. I answer him below it.

Is it a sin to masturbate? I do it while looking at porn sites online. I think it’s sinful, but am not really sure, since everybody does it. Isn’t it just part of being human? To be honest, masturbating doesn’t feel like it’s so sinful before I do it, but then, when it’s over, I feel like it is. I can’t find anything in the Bible to help me with any of this. I would be very grateful for any advice from you.

“Masturbating doesn’t feel like it’s so sinful before I do it, but then, when it’s over, I feel like it is.” Man, if that doesn’t wrap up the entire male relationship with … doing hand-to-gland combat, I don’t know what does.

You’re right, of course: literally everyone cranks their own case. And there’s nothing in the Bible saying anything different—or really saying anything at all on the matter. Apparently even God is too shy to talk about . . . doing the hand jive.

The porno industry’s raison d’être is male masturbation. Sure, sometimes couples watch porn together. But that’s like two people riding the same Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Yes, they’ll probably both get where they want to go. But co-ed fun isn’t what keeps the HD company making money.

There are only two modes by which you can access any knowledge about yourself. One is all the information that comes to you from the outside world. All of that information is relative. You’re strong, you’re smart, you’re short, you’re tall, you’re right-handed, you’re ambitious, you’re lazy, you’re young, you’re old, you’re funny, you’re boring, you’re good-looking, you’re not … all of that sort of thing—which is to say pretty much everything you think about yourself—originates from outside of you. It has meaning only relative to everyone and everything else in the world. It’s not internal to you. It’s not organic to you. Though (God knows) it can feel like it is, it is not self-generated. It all comes from … out there.

From inside of yourself—from the other mode of knowledge about yourself available to you—there is only one single thing that is true.

One. Your whole nature and being consists of one quality that is absolute, irreducible, and organically your own—that exists inside of you, and has nothing to do with the relativity of the outside world.

Ultimately, you possess one quality, and only that one. And that quality is that you love.

You love, you love, you love. That’s what you were born to do. That’s what we were all born to do. That’s the only thing that truly, for each of us, defines us.

You, my horny friend (which is to say, my human friend) will masturbate. That cannot be helped. But when you do, do not look at pornography. Why? Because you don’t really want to anyway. And why not? Because there is nothing about the commercial product of pornography that is anything at all about love. It is instead about—and by its objectifying nature can only be about—the exploitation of human beings. It’s about power, creepy voyeurism, the violation of privacy, the heartless subjugation of women, and the reducing of human beings to animals.

The reason you get that crappy, split-down-the-middle feeling after using pornography to get off is because in so doing you’ve betrayed your very essence. You’ve gone against your own nature. You’ve stomped on the only real thing about you that matters to you. You’ve worked in opposition to the love that you were born to give.

You’ve used porno as an ax to drive a separation between … well, you and you.

Not good. Results, as you know, in a very unpleasant feeling.

Again: you will masturbate. Don’t even bother trying not to. If you wish to feel better about it after the fact, an outstanding idea is to use as a masturbatory aid only your imagination. There you can be just as … imaginatively lustful as you want to be. There power and voyeurism and All Things Sexual is fine—you can’t stop it from happening there anyway. So, inside the sanctity of your imagination, give yourself permission to have at it. Go wild, big guy. Doing that is your private business, and your right. (Also recommended: using someone else’s imagination, via erotic literature. Though, of course, buyer beware: see True sex story, or guy lying like a dog?)

When your sole agent of stimulation is your imagination, no one gets hurt. That matters. Lots of people get hurt when you drop a coin into the coffers of the producers of online porn by visiting their websites. And in the very now of that moment, not least amongst those people getting hurt is you.

Previous Post

January 23, 2014

The Hobby Lobby's baseless grab for women's rights

Next Post

January 29, 2014 How To Make a Living Writing

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Christian Issues Christian Spirituality Dear John En Espanol Everywhere She's Not Humor Look See Pastor Bob's Corner Personal Portuguese Relationships Russian Short-short story Smith Family Chronicles Uncategorized

Select a Month March 2024 August 2022 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 February 2020 December 2019 June 2019 December 2018 May 2018 May 2017 January 2017 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What is the key message of Proverbs about how to live?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Pursue wisdom Amass riches Win battles Seek power

Books by This Author Books by John Shore

See All Titles »

Related posts from John Shore

Progressive Christian

What should I tell my child about racism?

Progressive Christian

Taking Out the Garbage Your Parents Taught You...

Progressive Christian

Psychopaths sleep just fine

Progressive Christian

Here's what happens when you yell at your...

TRENDING AT PATHEOS Progressive Christian

Why Christians Have a Sacred Duty to Vote:...

The Bible offers strong support for the sacred duty to vote. Here...

What Being a Modern-Day Apostle Means to Me

In my last column, I discussed the ins and outs of modern-day...

Did Ancient China Once Worship the God of...

Across human history, a common thread weaves through the origins of the...

Love Your Neighbor – Including Earth-Kin: Lev. 19,...

God’s command to love your neighbor means acting in an ethical and...

Lead a Church Study of “Jesus and Lao...

Guest writer Jack Thomas (The Irreverent Reverend) reflects on leading his church...

Principles for Understanding the Apostolic Ministry Today

Whenever people discover that my formal ministry title is "apostle," as in...

view all Progressive Christian blogs

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Copyright 2008-2026, Patheos. All rights reserved.

Subscription Support Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In

Follow Patheos