I have to admit rather recently I went through another one of my highly anxious phases and only came out of it. I worried my self to death about everything and talked with God about everything. One of the issues I wrestled with was what was appropriate in movies. The anxiety is just part of my life and to be honest I talk to God when I am praying like I would talk and try to reason with myself and others. After all that is what he is there for and he pulled me through again through another season my extreme anxiety. (runs in the family) But where does everyone else draw the line? I don't really like any nudity in what I watch but I don't believe that nudity in itself is sinful. I just don't want to lust. If it is something I really want to watch I will put up with a small amount but I wanted to watch Game of Thrones but it was just to much. What is everyone else opinion?
As a person who has been brainwashed by porn for nearly 20 years now, I would avoid it as much as possible. There are some rare instances, such as the breastfeeding scene in the Passion of Joan of Arc, where it is done with artistic taste and reverence, but there are also pathetic attempts to elevate smut to a level of 'dignity'. One example that I recall was a sleazy cosmetics commercial where half naked women are shown while the magnificat is recited partially but out of context ("And all generations shall call me blessed") to make it sound like it's talking about beautiful women who use this product. I also seem to recall another commercial (probably by the same people) where scantily clad girls are shown, and St. Ignatius' praise in his letter to the Romans is used out of context to make it sound like it's talking about the women. I wonder how people felt when they saw those writings being used in that way. I remember my mom being puzzled about the magnificat one and saying "That's about the Virgin Mary. What does it have to do with the commercial?"
Good for you! I commend you for your active prayer life. Game of Thrones portrays much in the way of evil lifestyle and it isn't just in the nudity. If it were just the naked bodies, one could fast-forward through those scenes. One might ask: what effect does it have on a person to watch these depictions? Will it tend to lead one toward an acceptance, perhaps even practice, of sin? The answers might vary from person to person.
It is probably very bad on teenage boys. Now in my. mid thirties probably not so much except I don't wish to be exposed to them to much.
I myself since reaching my 30s no longer find the naked human form to be enough to provoke lust; more often than not it is rather a turn off. Even less so the Game of Thrones contains dark and disturbing scenes of extreme sexual violence and perversion. It is more nauseating than anything. But what effect will it have upon the many youth who have been allowed to watch it?
Sad to say most youth see far worse on the internet. I am trying to figure out ways to protect my son from such things in the future. I don't think it can be good for boys.
It is amazing how we change as we get older. I will admit I am currently attracted to a woman. She is not the most beautiful woman I know but pretty enough but I am attracted a lot to her mind, actions, and our shared interests. The actual physical attraction is way down on my list of things now where as when I was 20 those things would be reversed. Call it age or wisdom or what. Btw I am 34 now
Wait until you're 50 or 60; the physical attraction will be even further down the list.... The #1 attribute a person should look for in a potential spouse is commonality in the faith. Few things are worse than being unequally yoked with an unbeliever. I'm reminded of a joke. A guy pays for an online date-compatibility consultation service, fills out forms about himself, his interests, his likes and dislikes, etc. At the end of it he asks, "What sort of wife should I be looking for?" The answer comes back: "Just look for a single girl and leave the wives alone."
Most amusing. That said the most priceless result of my last romance was, with my nudging, my amour completed a previously planned conversion. She was a secular German who was married at 16 by a 26 year old Muslim ... individual ... from Tunisia, who introduced her to various bad habits including excessive drinking and use of the water pipe and converted her to Islam, of a sort, this all being legal in Europe; she met him online and moved to London to join him and then got stuck there with their autistic boy after the inevitable divorce. She was wearing a cross and identifying as a cultural Christian when I met her; I convinced her to hasten to the font. So I am not entirely sure I agree with Rexlion on the equally yoked bit; I could have made that relationship a success if I were older and less driven by youthful impulses. But that said, the equally yoked aspect does apply and I think one way for the Church to regain relevance and for us to correct major social problems would be to assist youth in forming these relationships, and providing continual pastoral and and even financial support to avoid divorce. This would solve the fornication problem, the problems college students and older high schoolers suffer as a result of the comingling of fornication with the abuse of drugs, and other social problems, and the divorce problem; not completely, but if we combine it with the positive trends of this generation in terms of reduced youth pregnancy compared to Generation Y and Generation X, and more sexual restraint (although the availability of pornography is causing problems with sexuality as a result; marriage could, in the case of a young person raised properly and kept from porn, keep them off it as they transition to adulthood), I think a 33% reduction in long term marriage failure and a 75% reduction in sexual problems, including homosexuality, which is known in some cases to result from males and females who find themselves frustrated by the process of finding an opposite sex mate, among the youth. This could ideally be coupled with a program for parochial and parochial school, and parochially supported homeschoolers, of sexual education, which would also tout the benefits of ascetisism and the monastic vocation for those who felt that particular calling.
I'm glad you had a satisfactory experience with the secular German. But it does sound like you did not marry, yet she would have been converted by the time you did marry and thus you would have been equally yoked. My reference is to 2 Cor. 6:14, regarding which marriage is one of many pertinent applications. In marriage the "two people become one" in some important ways so it's really best for them to be paired up well in the faith. Look at all the efforts God made to keep the Israelites from marrying outside of their own, because the spouses from the "-ites" tribes constantly led the Israelites astray. Marriage is sort of like putting two horses together in a team so they can plow; the team will be able to plow most effectively if they are well matched in size and strength. (The application for us would not be physical, but spiritual matching.) A marriage between a Christian and a Muslim would be analogous to teaming up an ox with a donkey (Deut. 22:10). A believing husband may 'sanctify' an unbelieving spouse, says the scripture, but it will usually be a rough pull and the team is more likely to tear apart (divorce) because of the acute difference in core beliefs. I've seen it happen with my own children. (BTW my wife and I were both of the same faith when we met, and we have been married and faithful to each other for 39 years.)
Congratulations! Just 11 years to to for your Golden Anniversary! Out of curiosity, if you don’t mind my asking, what age range were you and your wife in when you tied the knot?
This is my issue with “The Tudors” series, which I label History Porn, depicting more porn than history and giving young lads the exuse of saying, “I watch it for the history.” Sure and people read Playboy for the articles. I was thrilled PBS Masterpiece created Wolf Hall, which allowed me to watch The Tudor period without the excessive nudity and porniea. Henry VIII certainly was a casnaova, but you can get this across without indoctrinating the viewer in pornography.
I still try to just limit the nudity. In of itself it is not sinful but most of the time it is just pointless.
I find nudity vs porneia depends on the spirit of the artist. For instance you can see a Venus de Milo that accentuates the beauty of a woman’s form and body, or you can find a Venus that beckons and seduces you sexually, conveying porneia.