# Do you believe in demons and is pornography sinful? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 22, 2025, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-demons-and-is-pornography-sinful/1021184 "2025-07-22T16:27:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![mjmartin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3d9bf3/32.png) [@mjmartin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mjmartin)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-demons-and-is-pornography-sinful/1021184/23 "2025-07-22T18:45:48Z")
> [@a\_dudes\_thought\_s](#): > > Also have you had any similar issues from consuming pornography or engaging in any act that would be considered sinful or immoral? Porn is not sinful or immoral, but it seems clear that it would be in your best interest to take a break from it or stay away from it entirely. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-demons-and-is-pornography-sinful/1021184/24 "2025-07-22T22:27:44Z")
I don’t believe in demons, nor do I consider pornography wrong or “sinful”. And I don’t care about _somebody else’s_ definition of sin. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > I know of a number of cases where a person hallucinated something that wasn’t there. Sometimes it’s harmless, sometimes it’s constructive, and sometimes it’s destructive. Yeas, it’s my understanding that hallucinations aren’t nearly as rare as people assume; it’s just hat most people don’t talk about it. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-demons-and-is-pornography-sinful/1021184/25 "2025-07-22T23:07:13Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > I have the theory that sometimes the brain enjoys giving your fears and concerns too much power in your dreams, and resents when you figure out a way to deal with the fears that it tosses at you. During a discussion of lucid dreaming, one poster here characterized this as the dream pushing back. That happens a lot in my experience. My take is that the brain is operating on story logic, but who knows? ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-demons-and-is-pornography-sinful/1021184/26 "2025-07-22T23:13:20Z")
No on the demons thing and I think that pornography can be degrading and hurtful to the participants, but doesn’t have to be. I am troubled that there is a lot of people participating in a lot of exploitation and that exploitation is so mainstream that people don’t even see it, but again, it doesn’t have to be that way and isn’t always that way. I like my porn like I like my bars: consensual and no kids. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-demons-and-is-pornography-sinful/1021184/27 "2025-07-23T02:02:01Z")
Demons, Gods? I don’t know. I do know there’s evil and good in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-demons-and-is-pornography-sinful/1021184/28 "2025-07-23T03:50:30Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I think that pornography can be degrading and hurtful to the participants I have the unpopular opinion that watching pornography, be it ever so ethically produced, can also be harmful to the watcher, by making sex in real life less special, raising unrealistic expectations, and other potential reactions. This can happen, not necessarily will. And I don’t think anything should be done politically about it, but I think this possible outcome should be part of conversations about sex between parents and offspring, much as parents might like to think that their teens (and younger) are not exposed to it. Note that this has nothing to do with sin (a concept I don’t accept) or morality (one that I do). ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-demons-and-is-pornography-sinful/1021184/29 "2025-07-23T03:52:16Z")
Yep. I like that post^^ ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-demons-and-is-pornography-sinful/1021184/30 "2025-07-23T04:08:06Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I have the unpopular opinion that watching pornography, be it ever so ethically produced, can also be harmful to the watcher, by making sex in real life less special, raising unrealistic expectations, and other potential reactions. I am at a loss to identify a meaningful difference between this scenario and the possibility that (for example) watching celebrity chef shows will make one’s actual diet less satisfactory. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-demons-and-is-pornography-sinful/1021184/31 "2025-07-23T04:29:48Z")
What are people doing while watching cooking shows opposed to pornography? ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-demons-and-is-pornography-sinful/1021184/32 "2025-07-23T04:33:04Z")
In that example, cooking of course, but not doing as good as the chef in the video, because usually they find that an ingredient is missing, they can enjoy the meal they are doing anyhow… ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-demons-and-is-pornography-sinful/1021184/33 "2025-07-23T04:35:39Z")
You can’t eat the TV remote. You actually have to get up and stir the pot, dress the salad, marinate the meat. Share with your SO, perhaps… ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-demons-and-is-pornography-sinful/1021184/34 "2025-07-23T04:36:39Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I have the unpopular opinion that watching pornography, be it ever so ethically produced, can also be harmful to the watcher, by making sex in real life less special, raising unrealistic expectations, and other potential reactions. Isn’t the same true about watching anything on TV or movies? If I watch an episode of _Friends_ and then compare it to my own life, I’m going to feel that my real life pales in comparison to the fun the characters are having on screen. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-demons-and-is-pornography-sinful/1021184/35 "2025-07-23T04:39:23Z")
Watch alittle of “The Walking Dead”. Your life will seem like a cake walk. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-demons-and-is-pornography-sinful/1021184/36 "2025-07-23T04:47:49Z")
No, watching shows like _The Walking Dead_ or _Breaking Bad_ or _The Sopranos_ makes my real life seem bland and unexciting in comparison. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-demons-and-is-pornography-sinful/1021184/37 "2025-07-23T04:54:24Z")
No, and no. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-demons-and-is-pornography-sinful/1021184/38 "2025-07-23T04:56:08Z")
Well, ok. I don’t let media, movies, TV, or the news tell me how to feel about my life. Not to say I haven’t been moved by a book or movie. I love biographies and there are often things that are sad and horrible or exciting. But it’s not me or my circumstance. It’s just consuming of a product. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-demons-and-is-pornography-sinful/1021184/39 "2025-07-23T05:40:25Z")
Demons were invented by Religion to give people something external to blame for troubled thoughts and actions. We all like to alleviate guilt and shift blame, so it caught on. Couple that with hallucinations from psychiatric episodes, and scary Biblical fairy tales, and they are solidified into our culture. But tangible evidence for their existence remains elusive, i.e. they ain’t real. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-demons-and-is-pornography-sinful/1021184/40 "2025-07-23T06:46:14Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I have the unpopular opinion that watching pornography, be it ever so ethically produced, can also be harmful to the watcher, by making sex in real life less special, raising unrealistic expectations, and other potential reactions. This can happen, not necessarily will. On the other hand _not_ watching pornography can create frustration, resentment and bigotry in the people denied any outlet for their desires. IMHO, one of the main reasons so many societies have tried to suppress expressions of sexuality is because it’s a great method of producing frustration and rage that can be directed at groups the powers-that-be want persecuted or attacked. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-demons-and-is-pornography-sinful/1021184/41 "2025-07-23T08:11:08Z")
I place pornography pretty much in the same place as computer games: ultimately pointless. As such, I consider it a sin. I don’t think that all sin is a big deal. In my 20’s I stopped daydreaming about flying when I came to the point of lucid dreams. I recognized that the belief that I could fly from the top of the stairs was dangerous, and I had to stop daydreaming about it before I did my self damage. I think that pointless behavior (pornography) becomes dangerous when it starts to be real, and that you are right to direct your attention to other outcomes. Also, I am aware that some of my friends are prescribed charms/medication by psychiatrists, that protect them from demons. I have used that kind of charm myself. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-demons-and-is-pornography-sinful/1021184/42 "2025-07-23T08:32:19Z")
In brief: No, I don’t belief that demons exist. I do agree that if you are “seeing” (either literally or in the form of excessively intrusive thoughts) “demons”, you should consider seeking the advice of a medical professional as soon as possible. Pornography is not intrinsically harmful or immoral, although it can certainly be so in some circumstances (both to those involved in making it and those consuming it). Setting aside the abusive side of the industry for the moment, pornography should be consumed in moderation and with the firm understanding that it portrays fantasy scenarios and not any form of reality. No one should base their expectations of actual sex (or of what the opposite sex are really like) on what pornography shows. And addiction to it is a real thing and should be treated accordingly. And “sin” is not a useful term except in the broad metaphorical sense of “something that causes harm”. Which I’ve already covered. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-demons-and-is-pornography-sinful/1021184.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-in-demons-and-is-pornography-sinful/1021184.md?page=3)