Mommy Porn and Temptation
I follow a liberal Christian woman on YouTube named MJ and she recently posted a video about a blog post she wrote that got a lot of attention. I didn’t really know she had a blog, but now I do. The post was her criticism of what has been dubbed, “Mommy Porn” (totally not what you’re thinking). MJ is righteously (or self-righteously) outraged at “Fifty Shades of Grey” and “Magic Mike,” both marketed toward mommies.
This is one of the many problems I have with the Abrahamic religions. They induce a serious fear of temptation. MJ is terrified that this “Mommy Porn” will tempt her. Tempt her to do what exactly, I don’t know. Here is my response:
The fault lies not with the material necessarily but in ourselves. You feel tempted, why? What are you afraid that you will do if you read or watch this stuff? Some people read/watch porn to get new ideas on how to spice up their sex life with their partner. There is nothing wrong with that.
There is an old Buddhist story of two Monks just out of training. They are walking down a road and see a young woman trying to cross a large puddle without getting wet. One of the Monks offers to carry her across. She accepts the offer, he carries her across, and she goes off. A mile down the road, the other Monk stops and chastises him because it is forbidden to touch a woman. The Monk responses to being chastised with a smile and says, “I put her down, but you are still carrying her.” (Paraphrased from Zen Flesh, Zen Bones)
I can read/watch porn and can put it down afterward, but you are still carrying it with you all the time and the fear of it is consuming you.
Also see my articles: Can Religion Handle Sex? & Pornography: Is It Moral?
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Filed under: Blasphemy, culture war, Progressive Christians, sex, sin
