How the Image of God affects Pornography

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thoughts in this article and quotations come from http://www.canonandculture.com/10-lies-you-must-affirm-in-order-to-look-at-porn by Jared Moore

 

Yesterday I wrote an article looking at the demise of Playboy who last week shared they would no longer use nude photographs.  This isn’t because of a conviction, but due to their losing a fight against pornography.

This and other recent events have thankfully led to some excellent writing on the dangers of porn, with “The Ten Lies You Must Affirm In Order To Look at Porn” by Jared Moore being one of my favorites.  I enjoyed this article because Moore began with the premise of every person being created in the image of God.

But do Christians consistently believe that all mankind was made in God’s image to reflect His own glory back to Him? If the answer is “yes,” then we will seek to view our fellow image-bearers as God’s mirrors who display His glory. If the answer is “no,” then we will value humanity as something less than God’s mirror, as something less than God’s image. And what we do reveals what we truly or consistently believe about God and man.

He continues in the article by describing lies that individuals believe if they don’t view people as created in the image of God.

1. The person isn’t a human being defined by God: When you view a man or a woman as an object, you see him or her as created in the likeness of something less than the image of God. You might value them a little higher than the animals; but, not as a human being, as God intended.
2. The inner parts of this “inhuman object” aren’t made for God’s Glory:  If you are a professed Christian, then you represent Christ in all that you do, including in how you think and what you think. By treating God’s image-bearers as merely objects for sexual lust, you value their appearance above everything else about them; thus, you only value God’s creating ability in their outward appearance. 
3. This object is not human: If they are stripped of everything except their sexual worth, then they are diminished to something less than human, slightly above an animal, if that.
4. This object is not an avenue to enjoy the Lord: It is impossible to enjoy the Lord through sin. If you look at your object’s body instead of his or her good works, you selfishly use him or her insteadof enjoying the Lord (1 Tim. 2:10).

According to Moore when thinking about pornography we need to ask ourselves, whose glory is mankind created for?

Man was made in God’s image for His glory. We are not God; man was not made for our glory. One cannot abuse God’s image-bearers, whether oneself or others, and simultaneously and consistently believe that God is God, His word is true, mankind exists to mirror Him, and the good news is Christ’s redeeming work…not porn.