Pornography, Masturbation, and the Soul: Part II
The Problem of Porn
 
In the last part, I pointed out that there was a problem with the Church’s response to Pop-culture’s obsession with pornography, mainly that the response was mostly futile, or if not futile, a very poor means of grace. I would think myself a hypocrite if I didn’t make some attempt to help heal the problem, so here’s my two cents:
 
 
The Origin of All
 
 
First, what I think needs to be pointed out is that everything that exists comes from God. All things, very clearly, point to a first act, and this is what we refer to as God; a being that has always been in act and is the original principle of all things that exist (Thomas Aquinas very clearly points this out in his Summa Theologica). Really quickly I will make an argument for this:
 
(1) All things are in constant motion (even solid objects are in a constant state of movement via molecular motion).
 
(2) Movement is bringing that which was once the potential to act into action, i.e. cause and effect.
 
(3) It is absurd to say there is an infinite string of act bringing potency in to act because you would have an infinite number of events before now.
 
(4) There must be a first act that was pure action (never having only the potential to act, which needs an act before it to bring potential into action).
 
(5) This First Act is God, and he is the first and only Principle Cause, which the effect gets its principles from.
 
These points come to the logical conclusion that all of creation, directly or indirectly is from God.
 
That means emotions, ideas, nature, love, and, of course, pleasure, are all from Him. John says this very clearly when he writes, “through Him all things have their being, and without Him nothing has come into being that has come into being.” Furthermore, God said of creation, “It is good.”
 
 
The Good
 
 
The point is that everything that exists in porn, and the love of what exist in it, is good, because everything that does exist is from God, and is good. So, what is the problem? Porn, and the love of porn, is not good enough, they lack existance, in what ought to exist, in relation to what actually exist in porn. Whatever porn is, it lacks what it was made for, and it is therefore a thing diminished from its original glory. To keep us from developing a hate for pornography, both the good and the evil, let me point out some of the good in porn, so that we are clearly seeing what the problems actually are:
 
(1) You are seeing gorgeous man and woman made in the image of God, mostly in the beauty God made them. The men and women aren’t chosen for their ugly looks, or for their common looks and there is a deep meaning to that fact. The people chosen have, whether it is their  will or not, uncommon beauty. They are simply beautiful, and loving that beauty is a means by which we love God, who is beauty Himself. You are not sinning in loving that beauty, and you would be sinning if you didn’t.
 
(2) The sexual part of mankind is also beautiful. A man and woman expressing the relationship of man and God and the trinity through a beautiful and pleasurable act is so very wonderful, it is often too hard for us grasp. By seeing or imagining porn you can share in its reality in a sense, via the imagination. You are trying share in a sexual act; an act that. at its very base, is an image of charity and Love Himself. Sex is also a very simple act to partake in – it doesn’t seem to take much work or thought to accomplish, and it is a very viable means of loving intimately, which is something that we too often fail to do.
 
(3) We can learn from pornography, both seen and thought, how to have sex with more skill – to perform well, or, if you can get over the bad grammar, “more good”. To have sex with a greater measure of goodness should be desired. Those who look at sex too simply are really denying more goodness in their lives with their spouses and, more importantly, with God, who called us to take domination over his creation. To dominate, means not so much to control, but to master. We are called to be great craftsmen, artists, and kings over creation. In everything we do within creation, we are called to domination of it. This includes sex if one is called to a life that includes that. 
 
We so long to love others and to love beauty, and sex is a feasible path of doing so. Pornography’s hook is to make you think that, through porn, you can participate in loving beauty, and in a way loving others, skillfully and knowledgeably. All of these intentions are good, but in the end they are leaving something lacking – something essential to our souls. There is a leak in our soul, and it is rotting out the rest. 
 
 
What Is The Problem?
 
 
The problem with porn is simply that porn is fantasy (There are more problems with porn, in it’s different forms, but I am only really dealing with porn at it’s best, not it’s worst or anything in between.). It is not reality. These men and women have a fake understanding of beauty – its plastic and empty, and it only captivates us for a short time. It is always being out done – never lasting. The sex is fake, it lacks meaning and purpose. It is animalistic, and lacking the human qualities that are so essential to it in mankind. It is done without love, without devotion, without caring – the person is just a tool for pleasure, money, or popularity. It is done without much emotion – simply the satisfaction of a chemical release. It is a process of rejecting our humanity and making our bodies into a literal machine for sex.  Porn does not desire for a man to love a woman, but the thought of a woman. It rejects real vibrant, meaningful love with a real person, and replaces it with a fleeting thought. Pretending to love over actually loving. Why would we choose something so empty, hopeless, and futile? Why such a contempt for reality? The truth is, often because we fail to think of better, more beautiful, vibrant ways to love, and hold reality and God in contempt for not giving us what we think would be best. Our selfish pride, which holds hostility towards God, or still is in the habit of hostility towards God, causes us to rebel the only way we can by either trying to remake the world in our own image, or making our own world to live in (fantasy) within our mind, so that we may live without the true God who said of all creation, “It is good.” If you ask me, I can think of nothing that represents what Hell is than that. And God gives those who seek Hell what they ask for, but now shown as it is, who would want this Hell? The answer to this question is simple: the prideful, and those still being healed of the habits of pride within themselves.
 
 
Freed from Hell
 
 
If we fear God giving us what we choose (the fear which is, in many ways, the beginning of wisdom) then we have only established the first part of the redemption within our souls, namely, confession. The next is to choose, not by your own power to your own ends (because we are obviously in a hole of our own making which we can’t get out of by ourselves, because it is ourselves), but to be helped by God to love God and His creation as He made it and intended it. Now, this is a quite a hard thing to comprehend. How can you love God when you hate Him? It is simple: by seeing when left to ourselves, our efforts are nothing but futility, emptiness, hopelessness, and hatred; and by giving up and admitting to God that He is Master of all and we are not. We must admit that He is God, and ask Him to help us to stop our fruitless fight; and finally, ask Him to save us to something better than ourselves. His response to that request is always yes, through Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, He, if you are willing to except Him as Lord, will accomplish redemption within you. Your old self will die eventually along with its old habits, while a new you is being made in glory. This new you will start to shine with the light that will remove the darkness that is the hatred of God and reality. You will slowly grow in your love for God and His creation, and by His power, be blissful lovers, partakers, and co creators of, in, and with Him.
 
Lord, give us the humility to admit how futile we are against you. Turn us to you and make us anew, so that we can be what you intended for us. Amen.

 *In part 3 I will address masterbation and the soul.