What about this?

[Lasting_faith]

I have been thinking for a long time about porn, but not the way you now may now think. Porn is wrong, it does nothing good and exploit on people who think they will do it only for a while, but we all know that only a few lucky persons can walk away and still have a normal life after that.

I don’t know about US or UK or any other country, but in Finland we try to keep it away, every “adult” movie is first watched by sensors as all magazines as well. I have been thinking about this because I don’t know this: those the censors who check every item (sad though the net is full of porn nobody can stop) that may be classified as “hardcore” porn, sin? I mean, they pretty much spend the whole day watching things nobody, in my mind, should. They get paid for it, yes, but still…is it a sin?

 

[Mary_Ellen]

So, as I understand, your question is - is it a sin for censors to watch what they are employed to watch in order to determine the rating, even though this exposes them to sexually explicit content?

I’d say no, it’s not a sin. It’s their job to help protect the rest of us from harmful content. Unfortunately, in today’s environment, someone has to do it. It may, however, be a near occasion of sin and if a particular censor is aroused by the material they must watch it may be a sign that they need to change jobs in order to avoid sin.

 

[lucymeadhbh]

We have the same thing in Ireland.
Now I’m not an expert on moral theology by any means but my take on what you’re asking is this- If the censors who watch these things do it simply to protect others from it, then it is a noble occupation. However if these censors watch it to stimulate their sexual desires, then it is a sin, just the same as you or I watching porn. It’s the same as drinking or eating isn’t a sin, however if you drink to a stupor to shut out anger, sadness or depression that is sinning.

Anybody else want to weigh in on this?

 

[Lasting_faith]

Hmm…I hope someone who know moral theology better then I do, to answer it, but you both have a good point. However, if someone is paid to check if porn is OK or not, which is another matter because some is OK and some not, and in my mind all kind of porn is far from acceptable. What you see in a x-rated movie is so far from reality as it can be, and I may be wrong on this one but I would not like sex as it is shown in a porn movie. But back to the subject, I think watching porn for eight hours or so five days a week will make sure it does not bring any unwanted thoughts surface. Wonder though how they get people to that job, it can’t be in a newspaper among other open jobs?

 

[captainrick]

So, as I understand, your question is - is it a sin for censors to watch what they are employed to watch in order to determine the rating, even though this exposes them to sexually explicit content?

I’d say no, it’s not a sin. It’s their job to help protect the rest of us from harmful content. Unfortunately, in today’s environment, someone has to do it. It may, however, be a near occasion of sin and if a particular censor is aroused by the material they must watch it may be a sign that they need to change jobs in order to avoid sin.

The same goes for police, prosecutors, and judges who must view the most vile child porn as part of their jobs.

 

[Lasting_faith]

OK, now I am confused. In a earlier thread (this question have nothing to do with that) I was told that everything that is against the official teaching of The RCC is and will always be a sin. If watching porn is a sin, and it is, how can it be suddenly “right” if you help keeping hard-core porn away from decent peoples eyes. If I sin while helping someone, why is this not a sin. (I should never have asked this thing about porn.) I don’t understand this. Please someone who know about this to answer.

 

[Mary_Ellen]

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

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. (2523)

Unless those civil authorities actually view the material they cannot possible know what specific material needs to be prevented from production and distribution. Pornography can be viewed in a manner that does not offend chastity, particularly if being viewed in order to classify it as pornography or not.

 

[Lasting_faith]

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

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. (2523)

Unless those civil authorities actually view the material they cannot possible know what specific material needs to be prevented from production and distribution. Pornography can be viewed in a manner that does not offend chastity, particularly if being viewed in order to classify it as pornography or not.

OK, that make some sense. What a good world this would be without people trying to make money on something that really belong to just two people, and hopefully two who are married, to each other. This however do raise one question more but I think I let that one wait so that we all can have a merry Christmas.