Last night at Ohio State University was a Porn Debate. This one was different then most. Tag team.  Two on Two. Special guests. However you want to say it. Me and Donny vs. Ron and Nina. Here is Donny’s recap. Enjoy – Craig

The Debate went great. Craig Gross and Ron Jeremy were introduced by the moderator. Craig gave an opening statement of 10-15 minutes, followed by Ron rebutting what he’d said. Both men made the crowd laugh a lot. Craig then introduced me, and Ron introduced Nina Hartley. After the introductions it was my turn to speak.

I told the crowd right up front that I firmly believe in the free will and freedom of speech of all people and that as such I’m opposed to legislation against pornography. Education, not legislation, is the key to changing hearts. I spoke about some of the realities of porn, sharing behind the scenes information as well as the personal costs of porn in the lives of some of the models who worked for me. I challenged them to make a decision to consider all costs before choosing to participate in the “supply and demand circle” of porn, because all of us in that circle have made our contribution to the broken lives I’d discussed. Perhaps at some point I’ll share more of what I said.

After my speech, Porn star Nina Hartley was then given an opportunity to rebut what I’d said. Since we’ve never debated each other before, she could only assume that since I’m a Christian I’d be the type who wanted to tell her “what she should do with her body and what she should do in her sex life” (my fellow Christians, now is the time I’d like to ask: why do so many of us try to take away the God given free will of others by attempting to pass legislation that denies them just that?). Although I’d taken away that argument by asserting my belief in free will, Nina already had her speech prepared and rolled with it anyway.

Following Nina’s speech, the crowd was given a chance to ask any question they wished to ask. I loved that part. Someone would ask a question, and those of us on stage would debate each other on our thoughts and opinions on the topic raised. I’d love to share some of the discussions that resulted but I think I’ll save that for a future blog entry, because what I think you’ll find most interesting had more to do with Ron and Nina than with the debate.

Ron Jeremy, my friends, is a really soft hearted man. He loves people. I can tell he has a big heart. Despite being told that security would whisk him away from the autograph table 30 minutes after the debate so that he’d have a chance to get something to eat, Ron wanted to make sure every last person had the chance to talk to him. Craig says it’s always that way. And throughout the night, I didn’t hear a negative word towards anyone escape Ron’s lips. If you ask me, I really think there is a call on Ron’s life to help people. To love people. To be used by God to do a lot of good in the world. I believe Ron is in the process of changing his life dramatically, and he may not even realize it yet.

Not much is open after 11pm, so after the debate the 4 of us had a very late dinner at a place called Moe’s, one of the few eating establishments still open near the campus. The food was pretty good. Ron patiently spoke with anyone walking by who happened to recognize him, including a homeless man on the sidewalk asking for spare change.

One of the event’s organizers drove Nina Hartley and I back to our hotels. Along the way I was able to listen to Nina share her thoughts on Jesus. It’s very apparent she firmly believes in what a great man he was. She told the driver all about him. She was right-on in everything she said. Had I not just heard her speaking about her thoughts on porn and polyamorous bi-sexual relationships I’d have sworn she was a very non-judgmental Christian. She understands grace. She understands Jesus’ sacrifice for mankind. She spoke fondly about the wonderful things he did for people, and she never once questioned his existence. I have no idea whether or not she believes he is God’s son, but I know she is well aware of what he did for mankind.

Does that surprise you?

The point I’d like to make with this blog article is that people we call “lost” are really not too far removed from any of us. Like many of those I know from the world of pornography, Ron and Nina are very transparent with their lives. They don’t feel a need to hide their “dark side”. I’m not sure about Ron, but from the conversations we had I know Nina is very much put off by judgmental, hypocritical people who have given her a hard time over the years. Whether it should be this way or not, I firmly believe her own relationship with God has been negatively influenced by the people who claim to know him best: Christians. She commented frequently on the attitudes towards people Craig and I both share: that we love everyone because Jesus loves everyone. There is nothing any human could ever do to make God love him or her any less. Nothing. Nina found that non-judgmental outlook refreshing.

During the debate, a question was raised to Ron asking him when he was going to start a “ministry” to show Christians the error and ignorance of their ways. Ron responded that he would never wish to take away a person’s religious beliefs. Comments on that question were opened up to the rest of us, and I told the audience that while I agreed with the person posing the question that church sucks, I hoped he’d separate God from those who claim to represent Him, because God, my friend, doesn’t suck. The crowd applauded. I also told them that as I’ve been traveling and speaking with Christians at churches all across the country, I’ve been very encouraged to see that many people are also working to put away judgmental attitudes and behave more like Jesus. I know that trend is going to continue. For anyone who is serious about doing what Jesus asked each of us to do, there is no other option.

Because God doesn‘t suck.