In every day’s life, people are faced with a variety of situations which results in ethical dilemmas. These dilemmas call for a particular cause of action each with a particular consequence, either minor or severe negative one. How the kind of worldview determines an individual deal with the difficulty that an individual holds. In most circumstances, an atheist will take a different perspective of a given dilemma situation that is different from that which will be taken by a theist. The ethical dilemma scenario in this paper will involve pornography and how to deal with the same dilemma based on the Christian worldview and then compare it with the other worldviews. This paper, therefore, focuses on the moral dilemma caused by pornography addiction and analyze it in the Christian worldview while also making a comparison on how atheists will deal with the same situation.
Ethical Dilemma
The ethical dilemma, in this case, involves a man by the name TJ who is addicted and enjoys watching pornography as well as masturbation. TJ gets much pleasure and gratification whenever he views pornographic substances online. However, he does it in secret where no one sees him, and he feels that his actions harm no one. The dilemma, in this case, starts when TJ reads a website which states that 43% of the human trafficking victims take part in the forced commercial sex exploitation. At this point, TJ realizes that the freedom he enjoys while watching pornography now contradicts with his previous belief that he causes no harm to anyone. While he gets pleasure from this act, he risks causing harm not only to himself through addiction but also to others through forced trafficking and media exploitation. He is in a dilemma on whether to continue watching pornography because of his free will and the pleasure he receives or whether he should stop due to the harm that could be caused. TJ has two options from which he can decide to choose while making an ethical decision. He can stop the act and prevent any harm that could result. By doing this, he will have to forego his free will to watch pornography while also letting go of the gratification that he enjoyed from the act. He can also decide to continue with the act and risk causing harm to himself as well as others. Both two causes of actions come with certain consequences.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Christians Core Beliefs
Based on the biblical perspective, God created human beings in his image (Gen. 1: 27) as sexual beings, but because of the sins of the world, sex has been misused (Rom. 1: 24-25). Because man and woman were created in the image of God, pornography goes against the dignity of humanity. When God created man and women, he gave them the gift of sex which was to be shared between the people who are in the bond of marriage, a gift which is distorted by pornography (1 Cor. 7: 2-3). At the same time, the Bible condemns any kinds of practices that could result from the act of pornography such as adultery, prostitution, and homosexuality ( Bradley et al., 2016 ). The bible further warns against the misuse of sex because the extramarital and premarital sex are all condemned (1 Cor. 6:13-18; 1 Thess. 4:3). Christians must, therefore, keep themselves pure by staying off any sexual immorality. People must keep their thinking and hearts pure because pornographic materials can only fuel the desire for sexual immorality. Christians must abstain from the lust of the flesh.
Resolution
Based on the Christian worldview and the biblical perspective, the only option that Christians can give TJ is to have him stop watching pornography so that he can keep his mind and soul pure and stay away from any temptation that could lead to sexual immorality. He should forego his free will and choice as well as the pleasure he received from pornography and stop the action to avoid not only causing harm to himself but also others. By doing this, he will keep off the actions that could lead to abuse and misuse of sex which is a sin according to the scriptures ( Foubert, 2016 ). On the Christian perspective, he should realize that pornography can have serious harmful effects on him as well as others. The effects he could face include increased guilt, obsessive thinking, comparison mentality and the feeling that only forbidden sex can be satisfying.
Evaluation
The unintended consequence that could result when TJ chooses to stop watching pornography would be the foregone pleasure and gratification that he has been receiving from the act. Because he had been addicted to pornography, TJ would undergo a psychological struggle to let go of the perceived pleasure he got from the act ( Picone, 2016 ). Getting over an addiction is usually a challenging task especially when one believes he was getting some pleasure. Pornography can corrupt the mind and make one want to watch it more and more with the attempts to quit leading to a feeling of denial and deprivation.
The perceived benefits of quitting pornography would include reduction of the consequences of addiction and keeping the mind pure and away from the temptations of sexual immorality. It also helps eliminate specific side effects and harmful behaviors such as increased guilt, obsessive thinking, comparison mentality and the feeling that only forbidden sex can be satisfying ( Rhoad, 2016 ). Such behaviors can have a serious side effect on one’s sexual life even after marriage.
Comparison
If TJ was an atheist, the solution to this dilemma could have taken a different view completely. Because atheists do not have any book such as the bible which determines the right and wrong, the issue of morality and the difference between the right and wrong depends on the decision of the individual. Atheism is founded on the standard of absolute truth which allows an individual to decide by himself what is wrong or right ( Bradley et al., 2016 ). As long as one feels that particular thinking is justified, it becomes an absolute truth and thus the moral right. Theism justifies an individual self-interest and the feeling that a particular act is justifiable. As a result, TJ would have made a decision based on his self-interests and whether he feels his actions are justified.
In the solution to this dilemma, worldview plays a key role in determining the kind of decision that an individual makes. Christian’s worldview would have compelled TJ to follow the biblical teachings and stay off sexual immorality. Atheist worldview, on the other hand, allows one to justify his feelings and self-interest without being compelled by anyone. Atheism allows TJ to make his own free will as long as he makes the decision that is to his self-interest and gain.
Conclusion
The solution to this ethical dilemma could vary depending on the kind of worldview that an individual holds and their belief. While the Christian’s worldview would have required that TJ adheres to the biblical teachings which condemn such acts as pornography, atheism worldview would have made no any compellation but instead would allow TJ to make own decision using free will and self-interest as long as he feels his actions are justified. Irrespective of the solution to the dilemma, there are unintended consequences that TJ could have faced.
References
Foubert, J. D. (2016). How pornography harms: What today’s teens, young adults, parents, and pastors need to know ? LifeRich Publishing.
Bradley, D. F., Grubbs, J. B., Uzdavines, A., Exline, J. J., & Pargament, K. I. (2016). Perceived addiction to internet pornography among religious believers and nonbelievers. Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity , 23 (2-3), 225-243.
Picone, D. E. (2016). The relationship of shame, guilt, and religiousness to pornography use . Fuller Theological Seminary, School of Psychology.
Rhoad, N. R. (2016). The Effects of Pornography Use on God Image (Doctoral dissertation, Regent University).
