Do you believe in demons and is pornography sinful?

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

Demons, Gods? I don’t know. I do know there’s evil and good in the world.

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).

Yep. I like that post^^

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.

What are people doing while watching cooking shows opposed to pornography?

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…

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…

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.

Watch alittle of “The Walking Dead”.

Your life will seem like a cake walk.

No, watching shows like The Walking Dead or Breaking Bad or The Sopranos makes my real life seem bland and unexciting in comparison.

No, and no.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.