Catholic beliefs about pornography

[Aaron1988]

I was just wondering what are catholic reasons for hating pornography?

I have always been anti-porn due to the way the women are degraded, demeaned, physically, mentally, emotionally and verbally abused. I also hate the way women are treated as their only purpose is the sexual gratifycation of guys and that it is to me just pure hatred and abuse directed at the women. These women are people, human beings with thought and feelings, hopes and dreams and feel forced into doing this. In short porn is not about making love it is about using, degrading and abusing people.

Is the catholic reason due to porn being basically pure lust and that it promotes promiscous behavior and premarital sex or are there other reasons?

The reason I’m asking this is because I am used to non-religious arguments against porn (I used enough of them in arguments) but I don’t really know the religious reasons if that makes sense?

Thankyou -Aaron

 

[mlldrl]

Everything you said…pretty much the Catholic view on the matter. Objectifying material that leads the user to the sin of lust and encourages a disordered view of the gift of human sexuality that is properly lived out within the sacrament of matrimony.

Good post. Your views I think those who know would say are natural law arguments.

M

 

[Joe_5859]

Yes, all that you said about it is part of the Catholic view of the immorality of pornography. The Catholic moral law is based upon the natural moral law (which can be arrived at by reason alone) and is also rooted in Scripture. It’s not as though the “Catholic reason” is only one thing and that is is only a religious reason divorced from any other context.

Here is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says:

2354 Pornography consists in removing real or simulated sexual acts from the intimacy of the partners, in order to display them deliberately to third parties. It offends against chastity because it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other. It does grave injury to the dignity of its participants (actors, vendors, the public), since each one becomes an object of base pleasure and illicit profit for others. It immerses all who are involved in the illusion of a fantasy world. It is a grave offense. Civil authorities should prevent the production and distribution of pornographic materials.

Keep in mind, this is just a succinct summary. It is not implied that these are the only reasons pornography is immoral nor that other reasons besides those listed are automatically suspect.

I think it was John Paul II that said pornography is wrong not because it shows too much of the human person but because it shows too little. By reducing a person to an object for use, pornography minimizes their human dignity.

 

[CountrySteve]

Yes, all that you said about it is part of the Catholic view of the immorality of pornography. The Catholic moral law is based upon the natural moral law (which can be arrived at by reason alone) and is also rooted in Scripture. It’s not as though the “Catholic reason” is only one thing and that is is only a religious reason divorced from any other context.

Here is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says:
2354 Pornography consists in removing real or simulated sexual acts from the intimacy of the partners, in order to display them deliberately to third parties. It offends against chastity because it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other. It does grave injury to the dignity of its participants (actors, vendors, the public), since each one becomes an object of base pleasure and illicit profit for others. It immerses all who are involved in the illusion of a fantasy world. It is a grave offense. Civil authorities should prevent the production and distribution of pornographic materials.
Keep in mind, this is just a succinct summary. It is not implied that these are the only reasons pornography is immoral nor that other reasons besides those listed are automatically suspect.

I think it was John Paul II that said pornography is wrong not because it shows too much of the human person but because it shows too little. By reducing a person to an object for use, pornography minimizes their human dignity.

 

[JRKH]

Aaron,
It is Soooo obvious that the spirit is already strong within you…I look forward to one say hearing that you have been received fully into the Church…

In your post you said asked:

• Is the catholic reason due to porn being basically pure lust and that it promotes promiscuous behavior and premarital sex or are there other reasons?*

The short answer is YES it stems from Lust, from also from Greed (not necessarily monetary), from inordinate and disordered desires.
The various points that you mention in your paragraph preceding your question are, in fact, more specific items that all grow out of Greed and Lust.

The CCC explains it very well.

Peace
James

 

[porthos11]

I was just wondering what are catholic reasons for hating pornography?

I have always been anti-porn due to the way the women are degraded, demeaned, physically, mentally, emotionally and verbally abused. I also hate the way women are treated as their only purpose is the sexual gratifycation of guys and that it is to me just pure hatred and abuse directed at the women. These women are people, human beings with thought and feelings, hopes and dreams and feel forced into doing this. In short porn is not about making love it is about using, degrading and abusing people.

Is the catholic reason due to porn being basically pure lust and that it promotes promiscous behavior and premarital sex or are there other reasons?

The reason I’m asking this is because I am used to non-religious arguments against porn (I used enough of them in arguments) but I don’t really know the religious reasons if that makes sense?
By
Thankyou -Aaron

It’s not only about women but the men too; they are just as exploited as the women, as are the crew and the viewers.

 

[Aaron1988]

The reason I said women is because in hetrosexual porn it is mainly the women who are being physically hurt, called degrading names and are treated really roughly, not the men the majority of the time; but yes I do agree that porn harms everyone including those who don’t watch it but their partener does.

I think that technically porn (and all sex industries such as stripping, prostitution, escorting etc which I am also totally against) is greedy financially as it is a multi-billion dollar industry, and if people didn’t get paid for making it/being in it do you think it would survive? I personally don’t think so or at least not to the current extent. I do however agree that the consumers of porn are not greedy monitary but lustily greedy in that they want more sex with more sexual parteners. There was some research done regarding this that showed that people who watched porn were much more likely to cheat and much less likely to want to get married.

 

[tvdxer]

I think a traditional answer would be:

1. The only time we may promote or consent to venereal (i.e. sexual) pleasure is in a martial relationship.
2. All other such promotions and consents are grave matter.
3. Pornography does not fall within the bounds of a “marital relationship”, as one is not usually married to those featured in pornography.
4. The whole intent of pornography is to be used as a tool in which the viewer promotes sexual pleasure in himself (or less often, herself).
5. Intentionally leading another to commit a grave sin is a grave sin of scandal.
6. Therefore, those involved in the production side of pornography commit grave sins of scandal (this is not to even say grave sins of fornication, sodomy, adultery, etc. - all of which are common themes in pornography). The consumer of pornography commits sins of lust (in addition to adultery if married, etc.).

This is to say nothing of the reality of the pornography (and surrounding prostitution and striptease, etc.) industries, nor its effects on our society.

 

[kyrie80]

I was just wondering what are catholic reasons for hating pornography?

I have always been anti-porn due to the way the women are degraded, demeaned, physically, mentally, emotionally and verbally abused. I also hate the way women are treated as their only purpose is the sexual gratifycation of guys and that it is to me just pure hatred and abuse directed at the women. These women are people, human beings with thought and feelings, hopes and dreams and feel forced into doing this. In short porn is not about making love it is about using, degrading and abusing people.

Is the catholic reason due to porn being basically pure lust and that it promotes promiscous behavior and premarital sex or are there other reasons?

The reason I’m asking this is because I am used to non-religious arguments against porn (I used enough of them in arguments) but I don’t really know the religious reasons if that makes sense?

Thankyou -Aaron

As you see from the posts above, you pretty much summed up the Church’s position vis-a-vis Catechism 2354. Nice job.