Christian Talk on Pornography

Christians have been known for heavily standing against pornography.  A few years ago, Jefferson Bethke (known mostly for his “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus” spoken word piece) and a few others did a tour, talking about the evils of pornography.  I came across a comment thread on a Facebook article, where a woman commented that several Progressive Christians and several Christian feminists seem to have a very strong stance against pornography.

Some have commented on situations where women are forced into it, such as when Linda Susan Boreman was coerced by her abusive husband into performing in the movie Deep Throat, under the stage name Linda Lovelace.  After her conversion to Christianity, she became a famous spokeswoman against pornography.

Deep Throat is one situation where pornography was misused.  However, there have been several women who do pornography, that have admitted to enjoying their work.  In an interview that Buzzfeed did with a few pornographic actresses, one performer, Jessica Drake, said, “I love the business and the career I’ve had so far. I still really enjoy being in front of the camera, and as long as I’m still happy doing it, I’ll continue.”

Angela White, another porn actress interviewed, when asked if there were times she refused to do something, she said, “I’ve never been placed in a position where I would need to. I’m very fortunate that I’ve always worked for companies that have been respectful of my limits.”  Tasha Reign, another actress, said, “I have a strict yes and no list of acts I perform, most girls do.”

Many, such as Bethke and Boreman, have spoken against pornography.  The attitude expressed is probably that it is demeaning towards women.  However, given some of the comments the actresses from the Buzzfeed interview have made, there seem to be positive situations within the industry.

As Christians, should we be judgmental about a situation that we don’t necessarily know much about?  Because some women were forced into it, dealing with major abuse, does that mean we shouldn’t be supportive of the ones who chose it for their career, and are very happily living the life they chose to live?  Aren’t we supposed to be open and affirming to all people?

Maybe we should stop the judgment and condemnation.  We should stand up against hatred and harm caused to others (including situations, such as Boreman’s), but when people are doing what they love and following their dreams, do we really want to shatter that?

Shalom!