Anti-porn activist: 'Ethically sourced' porn 'sounds like an oxymoron'
An anti-pornography activist has taken issue with an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America pastor's support for "ethically sourced porn" and the removal of shame from the sex entertainment industry.
"What she is saying about shame sounds to me like a condemnation of shame in general, that there is nothing good about it," Peggy Cairns, Education chairperson with the Maryland Coalition Against Pornography, told The Christian Post. "I would contend that there is a place for shame in life, it's part of how our consciences work, and we need more of it rather than less in today's compass-less world."
Lutheran pastor and author Nadia Bolz-Weber recently argued that there should be no shame in consuming pornography, especially if it is "ethically sourced."
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Bolz-Weber explained to the New Jersey-based LGBT publication Out In Jersey that while she recognizes that there are "issues of justice and exploitation within the porn industry," she still does not believe that the "consumption of pornography should be shamed."
"There is ethically sourced porn. There are people who say it's sexual immorality, but if you take Liberals and Conservatives who show outrage and made a Venn diagram of those who consume pornography, you'd see a huge overlap," said Bolz-Weber.
"There are people who consume pornography in a shame based way, it would be horrible if people know because they are those who are morally outraged as Liberals or Conservatives. That's a lonely place to exist, let's take that part out of it. I'm not going to shame people when they already feel ashamed."
Cairns said that she felt Bolz-Weber's comments appeared to be "symptomatic of far-left leanings."
Cairns referenced TED Talk's removal of a controversial speech from May in which a medical student gave a pro-pedophilia presentation.
"Perhaps that's a more extreme example, but it's hard to follow Christ and yet show sympathy for an industry whose product has, in my opinion, no redeeming virtues and numberless damaging aspects," stated Cairns.
"'Ethically-sourced porn'? I haven't researched how she defines that but it sounds like an oxymoron to me."
Bolz-Weber's comments on pornography were also denounced by the website Exposing the ELCA, arguing that the provocative pastor's comments reflect the overall views of the mainline Protestant denomination.
"Bolz-Weber is a major leader in the ELCA, and she is telling people that it is okay to view pornography. That, of course, is against Scripture," stated the website.
"This is what the ELCA has become. Many ELCA leaders, members and unchurched people fawn over Rev. Bolz-Weber. She was even picked to speak to 31,000 ELCA teenagers at last summer's ELCA youth gathering despite the high volume of heretical statements she has made in the past."
