See No Evil, Hear No Evil

I have been thinking about the issue of pornography lately for several reasons. The first is that I have been reading for my book club this month Jeffrey Toobin's The Nine, focusing on the Supreme Court Justices. In his history of the court justices, he speaks again of the appointment of Clarence Thomas in 1991 and the testimony of Anita Hill who accused Thomas of speaking graphically about sex to her as well as his love of "pornographic films starring Long Dong Silver." After a rushed oath to swear him in as justice, reporters from the Washington Post "had testimony from eyewitnesses and the manager of a video store where Thomas rented" pornographic films. But . . . it was simply too late to affect the decision.

Another reason I have been thinking about this subject is the story of a young friend of mine who called her family recently to report that someone close to her was addicted to pornography. Her brother, who is blind, did not know what pornography was. I had never thought, though I certainly should have, about the close relationship between sight and pornographic image.

A final reason the subject looms in my thoughts is my devotional reading this morning in Our Daily Bread. The focus again is on pornography. In the Scripture reading of the day from I John 2: 16-17, we are told, "For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever."

While it would be lovely to truly see no evil or hear no evil, unfortunately our lives are not lived in bubbles. Philippians 4: 8 reminds us, however, that we are to meditate on the things that are pure, good, and praiseworthy. I wish it would be so easy to do that for those who are addicted to pornography.