Concerned Christians concern me
With the popularity of XXXChurch’s anti-porn film Missionary Positions, it seems other Christian groups are getting involved and trying to cash in on the same message:
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Anti-pornography groups are pushing a DVD that is intended to help families recognize the trappings of pornography.
The DVD, “Pornography — The Great Lie: A Guide for Latter-day Saint Families,” was presented Thursday at a roundtable discussion hosted by the Utah Coalition Against Pornography and Bishop George H. Niederauer of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City.
The 22-minute video was produced over a one-year period at a cost of $125,000. Citizens Against Pornography underwrote the production. It is available at Deseret Book, and a nondenominational version is to be released.
At this point, however, I’m much more concerned with this film than XXXChurch’s. While XXXChurch takes a much more personal and identifiable approach, this new film sounds like it takes on the persona of old 1950s Catholic Church rhetoric.
Before I was born, my family used to go to church at Christmas. However, every time they would show up they would be sent on a guilt trip for not coming more frequently. They eventually stopped going because they were sick of the Priest’s annual harassment.
I have not seen this film, nor do I really want to, but from the description and the people involved in its production frighten me:
“The insidious evil of pornography no longer lurks in the shadows. It’s coming after you,” the voice-over on the video warns.
About 15 concerned citizens gathered for the roundtable discussion, all of them interested in how to protect families and children.
A teacher worried about sex abuse. Representatives of the Utah Council for Crime Prevention said that where there are drug busts, there is pornography. The chairman of The Lighted Candle Society, John Harmer, spoke of his $3 million dream project to find “the scientific evidence that can be presented in any court of law” to prove pornography damages the brain.
Jack Sunderlage, president and CEO of Content Watch, a software provider that filters Internet material, helped produce the new video.
He also worked with Rep. John Dougall, R-Highland, who sponsored House Bill 260, passed by the 2005 Legislature. The bill, among other things, forces Internet service providers to filter “harmful” material from minors, if requested, and requires the Division of Consumer Protection to make public service announcements.
Communities for Decency will benefit from sales of the newly released DVD.
Wow… where do I start?
I can understand these “citizens’” concerns with sex abuse, but most mainstream pornography does not condone such abuse… that is something produced in the minds of troubled individuals, not from regular Joes watching a porn flick.
The teacher who comments about how pornography is always present when there are drug busts is providing a redundancy. If I broke into a regular Joe’s house, there would probably be pornography as well. Hell, even my dear sweet father had a whole box of Playboys stashed in the basement when I was growing up (thanks Dad)… but there was never any drugs in our house! This teacher is sadly deluded.
My suggestion to John Harmer: go ahead and take out a $3 million bank loan to fund your research to find “the scientific evidence that can be presented in any court of law” to prove pornography damages the brain. Just don’t come crying to me on the street begging for money when your research fails miserably.
Now, probably the worst part of the release of this video is that the organization that benefits from it is Communities for Decency. After checking out their web site, I am appalled at the things they have accomplished in the past:
- Sponsored and passed the Utah Library bill which requires filtering on all library computers. (ie. Denied First Amendment rights)
- Tightened local ordinances at city levels regarding decency laws. (ie. Forced people to abide by their own constrictive religious beliefs)
- Successfully asked for the removal of suggestive and provacative advertisements and billboards from several large companies. (ie. Censored the human body… that which their own God apparently created)
- Thanked and recognized many businesses for their family friendly standards. (ie. Given praise, perhaps even money, to Christian business owners)
Just when you thought National Porn Sunday was over… it seems that it was just the beginning. You have been warned.
October 21st, 2005 at 12:57 pm
Kitka- I don’t see any problems with the accomplishments you listed. They really don’t seem over the top, in fact I find them great accomplishments. As for the video that LDS has come out with. I have a few Mormon friends but I have issues with the LDS church in general. I doubt besides those who belong to the LDS church, anyone will even watch the video. Remember we are talking about a group who allowed men to have several wives, seems a bit pornographic to me. There is nothing wrong with coming out against porn. Instead of spending so much money making this video, claiming a connection between porn and child molesters, they could actually use it to help those victims of child molestations. Porno’s don’t molest people. People molest people. Porn has its own issues but legal over age porn shouldn’t be blamed for harming children. Wrong battle here. Besides why do LDS families need a video guide to teach them about staying away from porn, thats just silly. That seems to be a bit degrading to the group. I’m quite sure they don’t need a guide to tell them that porn is something that is against their beliefs.
October 21st, 2005 at 2:38 pm
I was going to post this earlier in the IPorn post, but it probably makes more sense here here.
There is a word to remember here … EVANGELICAL (http://www.religioustolerance.org/evan_defn.htm). These folks are not really interested in bring the ‘news’ to those that have already been converted (heard the ‘news’), but rather in thrusting the ‘news’ upon people they want to convert (non believers). And this ‘news’ frequently takes some form of ‘protecting the children’.
Sadly, Kitka, National Porn Sunday was just one in a long line of PR campaigns (I see a lot of them living in the south/bible belt) that was neither a beginning or an end, but rather a mission in the crusade (and I mean this with all of it’s historically messy meanings). Currently the evangelical Christians are enjoying a feeling of power in the US that they have not had for quite some time and they are going to run with it for as long as they can.
Like you, my father kept a stash of Penthouses in a dark place so that casual aquantances would never see them or know of them. Why, because as good church going folks (yes, we did go to church on a regular basis) we (meaning my father) could not admit to enjoying that fine publication or other similar publications (although my mother read it for the articles).
In the end, the value statement that the evangelicals are pushing is this … pornography is harmful to children, so if you partake of pornography you must want to harm children. So how can you be in favor of pornography? And this message is not going away any time soon regardless of your geographic location.
Name and address withheld
October 21st, 2005 at 3:02 pm
Thanks FrwyTCat… you read my mind. Our only difference is terminology… I prefer calling them fundies…
October 21st, 2005 at 3:56 pm
I use the term evangelical because it is a better description of what the so called ‘far right conservative movement’ (republicans in the US) has become. Not to get into a heavy political discussion, but in a historical context conservatism is that of a low government regulation, taxation and spending philosophy. That philosophy is currently non existent in the US or Canada and extremely difficult to find anywhere in the world (among those in the governmental power structure).
I consider myself conservative in the historical context I describe above, but the only place that type of philosophy can be found in a political sense (in the US anyway) is the Libertarian party (not to be confused with the liberals of the democratic party). Sadly, I don’t see them coming to power any time soon.
BTW, I love the bunny on the bible … sac religious I tell you, sac religious
October 21st, 2005 at 4:10 pm
Thanks FrwyTCat… I worked hard on that image… it doesn’t look like much, but when you have to do it on crappy software like Paint, it’s a real handfull!
I too describe myself as a conservative, but only in the financial sense. I believe in liberal human rights and I can’t seem to find that in today’s conservative political parties. In fact, I’m a member of the Conservative Party of Canada and up until recently I was very heavily involved in the party. However, I’ve realized recently that I’m not interested in being involved in these gas-guzzling bible-pushing 10-gallon hat-wearing cowboys from out West… they don’t give a rat’s ass about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The problem with the Evangelical Christians is that there are so many religions in the world and theirs doesn’t seem any more or less possible than any of the others. I have no reason to believe theirs is the one true faith to follow.
Anyways… you’re one cool cat, FrwyTCat… cum back anytime!
October 22nd, 2005 at 2:19 pm
Might I suggest the following:
http://gimp-win.sourceforge.net/
It’s not PhotoShop (what else is), but it has a lot more functionality than MSPaint and it’s ‘free’ (open source).
October 22nd, 2005 at 10:15 pm
Thanks FrwyTCat… I actually have Gimp on my home computer, but I made the Jesus image when I was at work!
October 25th, 2005 at 10:51 pm
Hi Kitka!
I`m an old cynic!
The pious and the religious have their own agenda in mind…..they don`t care about the poor and the needy, they don`t worry about healthcare and issues important to people at ground level…..they only care whether you have found jesus, or whoever they believe in.
They are so determined that the afterlife is everything, we are all apparently here to suffer, and the afterlife is where we will all be rewarded.
In the real life, ……THIS LIFE…… we have only one chance to find happiness. People shouldn`t have to suffer, people shouldn`t have to starve, people should have a quality of life.
And yes, people have and enjoy sex and love, and all the things which religion frowns upon.
This, as they say, isn`t a dress rehearsal for the real thing………this IS the real thing.
I continue to feel annoyed at the bigotry of religion, its prejudices, its wars, its santimonious and overtly pious nonsense which it spews out as a warning to normal people who wish to enjoy and live every moment of the one important life they have.
As a woman, I also deeply resent that all religions classify me and all other women as the root of all evil.
We are not “evil”, we are a perfectly normal part of humanity.
In every religion right now around the world, the fundamentalists are flexing their muscles, impinging on the rights of ordinary people.
Religious votes are being counted by governments everywhere, and censorship and invasions of our rights are becoming `normal `.
The rights which we have gained through years of struggle by generations before us are becoming eroded.
We are living in dangerous times.
We have to make sure that the next few generations have the rights, if not more, that we have.
We cannot let the religious right remove peoples human rights.
Hmm! I`ve probably went on a bit here, but I do feel concerned.
Those “concerned ” religious maniacs worry me.