So…

Last night I read this article on Huffington Post entitled, “Women and the New Pornography: Embracing Our Sexuality“. Being that King Solomon was inspired (2 Timothy 3:16-17) to pen that there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9), I seriously doubt that there is a “new pornography” (just maybe some “better” editing and lighting) and I’m not sure how calling “art core” makes it any classier or less objectifying,  but either way, I wanted to share these excerpts to see what you thought:

The word comes from two Greek words, porn, which means whore, and graphos, which means writing. Though prostitution was a respected profession, the porne were considered to be the lowest class of the prostitutes and were found only in lower-class brothels. They were virtual sex slaves. They were either forced or coerced into the profession, or poverty-stricken and willing to do whatever the customer demanded. Because they were thought to be vile and unclean they were looked down on, not only by the populace but by their higher-priced sisters, the highly skilled Hetaira, who were sheltered in clean, upscale “houses of pleasure” and lived quite well.

Pornography was thought to enhance the sexual act between partners who were literally taught techniques and “ways to pleasure” each other through the observation of the prostitutes. Married couples of means either frequented high-priced places of pleasure or had their favorite prostitutes, male and female, come to perform in their own homes. In Pompeii, you can see special rooms in the houses of the wealthy dedicated to sexual pleasure. The depiction of graphic murals and certain alcoves in the room were designed for engaging in sex. There are many places throughout Europe and the Americas with areas similar to those in Pompeii…

Thankfully for women, pornography has changed. A number of women, tired of mainstream male-oriented porn, began producing and directing erotica they themselves would want to watch. These women distance their films from mainstream porn, making theirs romantic as well as erotic. They are referred to as “art-core” films.

There are videos that cater to all needs and wants, satisfying the ideas of both men and women, and showing affection between them. They are a far cry from the “films” of the past that objectified women, making them out to be no more than slow-brained sex-slave idiots, and making men seem like brutes with a nonexistent IQ.

Now the *history* is pretty accurate (although I’m also not sure so sure if prostitution was a *respectable* profession; in the Bible, it certainly was not-I Corinthians 6 and it bears noting again that the Greek word for *fornication* is pornea-Hebrews 13:4) but as I was putting all of this together, I recalled another article that I read on WebMD about women and what shapes our sex drives:

Women’s attitudes towards (and willingness to perform) various sexual practices are more likely than men’s to change over time.

Women who regularly attend church are less likely to have permissive attitudes about sex. Men do not show this connection between church attendance and sex attitudes.

Women are more influenced by the attitudes of their peer group in their decisions about sex. 

Women with higher education levels were more likely to have performed a wider variety of sexual practices (such as oral sex); education made less of a difference with men.

Women were more likely than men to show inconsistency between their expressed values about sexual activities such as premarital sex and their actual behavior.

So, I’m pretty sure you know which one on the list caught my attention the most. Actually, it’s two: that women who go to church have permissive attitudes about sex and that women are most influenced by their peers.

I have an opinion (I always do, right?), but for now, I just want to pitch three questions out:

Do you think that women still use porn as a “teacher” for sex? If so, why?

Do you think that “church going women” have permissive attitudes towards sex? If so, why?

Do you think that women talk too much to their friends about sex? I ask this because I know *a lot of wives* who talk to their friends more than their husbands about their sex lives…it usually causes problems or at least a stagnate sex life as a direct result.

I’m asking this because here’s the deal. As seemingly the world is *lying to people* (I john 2:16) and saying that porn is making sex better for people, I counsel *a lot* of couples that share the opposite opinion: that it’s making sex fast, selfish and non-intimate. Kind of like the five-minute uploads that people watch online (and people don’t believe that you can become what you think-SMH).

Anyway, I’m curious to hear your thoughts. Is porn putting women’s sex drives in overdrive…or neutral? (I’d like to hear the men’s thoughts on this as well!)

Sound off…