Porn Is Occultism Aided by Unseen Criminal Spirits, Says Russell Moore
Pornography is occultism aided by unseen criminal spirits and it kills sexuality, says Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention.
In an article posted on his website Monday titled "Why Porn Kills Sex," Moore explained that consumption of pornography is more than just a random act driven by biology.
"In order to understand the power of pornography, we must ask why Jesus warned us that lust is wrong. This is not because God is embarrassed about sex (see "Solomon, Song of"). God designed human sexuality not to isolate but to connect. Sexuality is intended to bond a wife and a husband and, where conditions are met, to result in newness of life, thus connecting generations," Moore said.
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"Pornography disrupts this connection, turning what is meant for intimacy and incarnational love into masturbatory aloneness. Pornography offers the psychic thrill and biological release meant for communion in the context of freedom from connection with another. It cannot keep that promise," he continued.
"When pornography enters into a marriage, the result is shame. By 'shame,' I am not meaning the feeling of being ashamed (although that may be part of it). I mean that one is, at the most intimate level, hiding. There's something within us that knows that sexuality is meant for something other than the manipulation of images and body parts," he continued. "Pornography kills sexuality because porn isn't just about sex and because sex isn't just about sex."
Moore, citing biblical evidence, further explained why pornography is more than just immorality but occultism.
"In the ancient city of Corinth, the warning was given about prostitutes in the pagan temples of the city. The prostitutes were paid for sexual activity, disconnected from covenant. They were part of a cultic system that ascribed almost mystical powers to the orgasm. How is that any different from the pornography industry of today?" he asked.
"The Apostle Paul warned that the implications of immorality with these prostitutes weren't just a matter of bad relational consequences or a bad witness for Christ to the outside world (although these were no doubt true too). The one who joined himself to a prostitute participated in an intangible spiritual reality, by joining Christ to the prostitute, by becoming one with her (1 Cor. 615-19). Since the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, sexual immorality is not just 'naughtiness.' It is an act of temple desecration, of bringing unholy worship into a holy place of sanctuary (1 Cor. 6:19)," he explained. "Pornography is not just immorality; it's occultism."
"That's why pornography has such a strong pull. It's not just a matter of biology (although that's important). If there are, as the Bible teaches, unseen criminal spirits alive in the cosmos, then temptation is about more than just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The professing Christian, no matter how insignificant he or she may feel, is a target of interest. Sexual immorality seems to present itself randomly when, in fact ... it is part of a carefully orchestrated hunting expedition (Prov. 7:32-33)," Moore added.
Some 1,000 Christian leaders gathered in Greensboro, North Carolina, Monday for the Set Free Global Summit which will run through April 7 to discuss the social, psychological, neurological, and spiritual impact of pornography.
Author and evangelist Josh McDowell warned that pornography is a public health problem that should be treated like a dangerous addiction. He recently commissioned a Barna Group study showing that 21 percent of youth pastors and 14 percent of pastors struggle with porn. It further noted that 67 percent of young men and 49 percent of young women consider viewing porn to be acceptable behavior.
