Privation and Pornography in Brief

Vancouver, trekearth

This is my seventeenth post of the month of May. I, God willing, will stay committed to working as a theologian and philosopher even while working in corporate security and justice full-time and while homecaring for my elderly Mother. I remain able to take a part or full-time ministry position at a Christian or in a sense, secular institution if the right opportunity arises.

Mail Online: May 29, 2014

Cited

'Viewing porn shrinks the brain:

Researchers find first possible link between viewing pornography and physical harm

Study showed striatum was smaller the more porn someone had viewed

The striatum is a brain region linked with motivation and reward response

This is the first direct link between pornography and a lack of motivation

Researchers said it is not clear whether watching porn leads to brain changes or whether people born with certain brain types watch more porn'

End Citations

I am not presenting any firm comments on a scientific studies because this is a Mail Online article on one particular scientific study and some studies may somewhat agree with this one and some may disagree. 

I am interested in theological and philosophical concepts.

Cited

'Men who watch pornography may be shrinking their brains and dulling their responses to sexual stimulation, a study has found. It is the first time researchers have found a possible link between regular viewing of pornography and physical harm.

However, an alternative explanation is that people who spend more time looking at pornography are born with a certain type of brain.'

End Citations

Even in this short article there is an alternative explanation, therefore room for scientific and philosophical caution. 

There is theory that the difference in the brain, if there is one, may be more genetic than developed. 

Cited 

'Men who watch pornography may be shrinking their brains and dulling their responses to sexual stimulation, a study has found. It is the first time researchers have found a possible link between regular viewing of pornography and physical harm.

However, an alternative explanation is that people who spend more time looking at pornography are born with a certain type of brain.

Dr Simone Kühn, the study’s lead author from the Max Planck Institute in Berlin, said it was the first evidence for a link between porn consumption and reductions in brain size and brain activity in response to sexual stimuli. But the study can’t prove porn-watching causes changes to the brain, she said.

People who already have a smaller ‘striatum’ – the reward part of the brain – may be more likely to use pornography. ‘It’s not clear, for example, whether watching porn leads to brain changes or whether people born with certain brain types watch more porn’ she said.'

I have readily admitted in person, offline and online that I struggle with sexual sin, and I also reason nearly everyone from a Biblical perspective does.

This is why, as a single adult man, unmarried, I list Biblical Chapters such as 1 Corinthians 7 where it stats that because of sexual immorality (2) a man should marry and if not gifted with with self-control as in contentment as a celibate from God (6) (should marry). The Apostle Paul (6) wishes in the New Testament Church context that all were like this, but admits they are not, and surely most persons are not.

As I have also noted on my blogs, Matthew 5 states to deal with lust in an aggressive manner. 

Is pornography a privation of sexuality?

I have quoted Augustine on the subject of privation in my Doctorate and online:

Augustine’s view of the corruption and privation of created matter and nature was that they were good things as created originally by God, but had become less than they were originally intended through rebellion against God. Augustine (388-395)(1964: 116-117). Augustine reasons that every nature, and by that he means substance that was finite (limited as angels and humans beings are) could be corrupted. Augustine (388-395)(1964: 116). The term substance, particularly in regard to God, is not necessarily physical substance but, instead, is the very core of a being. Augustine (388-395)(1964: 117). Each nature and substance that could become less good would still be good, and every nature would become less good when it was corrupted. Augustine (388-395)(1964: 116-117). With this view both physical matter and spiritual inner being could become corrupt.

Rowan Greer indicates Augustine viewed privation as meaning that evil has no ontological status (meaning evil does not exist on its own). Greer (1996: 482). But from his writings Augustine does not necessarily state that as his view. Augustine dealt primarily with the idea of evil as negation, and I doubt he would fail to see that after corruption had taken place in creation that living, existing, beings committed evil acts, and in a sense evil beings existed. Augustine reasons that every human being that exists is good, but is evil where it is defective. Augustine (421)(1998: Chapter 13: 7).

Although privation seems true in a negative sense, a problem with the concept in creatures is that corruption and the resulting evil in creatures is not merely an absence of something good, but consists of its own positive, destructive quality, as private creatures not only lack the will to do what is good, but will to do evil. John Hick reasons that Augustine’s idea of privation fails to deal with the fact that corrupted persons do not always tend to disintegrate and cease to exist in will and personality. Hick (1970: 62). This would seem correct as a corrupted and evil entity can grow in intelligence and power, so a mere corruption of a being from original perfection does not appear to weaken it to that status of non-existence. Something is considered evil because it can be seen to have a diminished degree of goodness. This appears reasonable; however, the diminished goodness in a creature is not replaced by non-existence, but by an actual corrupted nature within the person.

It should be noted that Augustine is quite difficult to read and understand and it is not surprising that he is interpreted in varying ways. His writing style makes interpretations difficult as well, in my opinion, from the English translations.

AUGUSTINE (388-395)(1964) On Free Choice of the Will, Translated by Anna S.Benjamin and L.H. Hackstaff, Upper Saddle River, N.J., Prentice Hall.

AUGUSTINE (421)(1998) Enchiridion, Translated by J.F. Shaw, Denver, The Catholic Encyclopedia. 

GREER, ROWAN A. (1996) ‘Augustine’s Transformation of The Free Will Defence’, Faith and Philosophy, Volume 13, Number 4, October, pp. 471-486. Wilmore, Kentucky, Asbury College. 

HICK, JOHN (1970) Evil and The God of Love, London, The Fontana Library.

Pornographic sexuality is less sexuality. When a woman is viewed by a man, for example, in a pornographic context this is lacking levels of mutual deep commitment,  mutual deep devoted love, as well as lacking a reasonable Biblical marriage and family focus and is replaced with commercialization of sex, lust and mutual using.

I admit lust is at times pleasurable, but in the end it is empty and not something to rely on for peace and joy, as it is not of God and abundant life, therefore leading to death via sin. 

The struggle for Christian marriage made all the more difficult by the decline of Christianity in the West and secular ideas influencing the Church in regard to marriage.

End...

Hmm, as noted in blog comments I am becoming pretty skeptical in regard to 'Facebook Search' the last few days.

All of a sudden the rows 1 to 8 are changing more than usual as far as leaders, especially 1 to 4, letters A to Z. As much as I would like to be kool with the single ladies and new Facebook friends and honestly believe that so many worldwide are reading my posts and profile, in reality one word is coming to mind...

Random.

And Random=Useless

Thanks, Facebook

Now if I am wrong, I am creating a worldwide 'silent stir'...