The Struggle to do Good

[Gwaithmir]

My last girlfriend was an atheist. We had a vigorous and intimate sexual relationship which was greatly enhanced by watching pornographic films. We were never the worse off for it.

[Little lunch]

I'm thinking depression would be a very good scientific answer for lack of sex drive.
It's a peculiar way to find out god is real.
I'm sure the x-tian girls will be wrapped in your testimony.
Gluttony is also a sin.
Can't god give me a lack of drive for chocolate?

Maybe the answer you should be looking for is what makes you so special that god would help you out with your porn addiction but lets a little child die of starvation in a third world country.

[Mr.wizard]

I used to view pornography, but I stopped because of God's prompting, and I believe this prompting, pull, or urge can be used as evidence for God's existence. I didn't grow up in a Christian home. I didn't even grow up in a religious home. And I've grown up during a time where pornography is no longer seen as a taboo. So, where did this very powerful urge to not view pornography come from? I've always believed in God, but this urge didn't come in the form of, "Do not look at this or you're going to Hell," or "Do not look at this because God says so!" This urge was voiceless, foundational, and powerful.

In an attempt to uncover the source of this urge, I remember asking myself various questions like if two consenting adults choose to have sex on camera and purposely disseminate the footage to the public, then in what way am I wronging anyone by viewing the footage in the privacy of my own home? Or perhaps an even better example would be an unmarried woman who photographs herself nude, and then purposely disseminates the photo to the public. Why am I being urged to not look at such material?

If societal pressures or my upbringing did not produce this urge, then what or who produced it? If I were an atheist, then I suppose my next step would be to look at nature itself or more specifically, evolution. But the urge doesn't seem to come from there either, because how would it benefit the survival of the species for its members to not gaze upon unmarried naked women? On the contrary, if evolution were truly unguided and chiefly about increasing the survivability of each species, then I'd expect to have a powerful urge to look at naked unmarried women without any inner conflict.

If upbringing, society, or nature isn't producing this urge, then is this not a signpost to God? More specifically, to the Holy Spirit? I believe so.

With that being said, if you feel this prompting to do good, then it is from God and you should listen. He's trying to guide you to Him.

Where does the urge to watch porn come from? Seems to me if god didn't want people to watch porn and he was in the business of manipulating peoples urges, he would give people the urge not to make the porn in the first place.

[Shuffle]

Where does the urge to watch porn come from? Seems to me if god didn't want people to watch porn and he was in the business of manipulating peoples urges, he would give people the urge not to make the porn in the first place.

God was probably busy watching kids getting raped or something when @brokenreflector got his urge to watch porn. Maybe there was a small break in the action, so God had a little bit of free time to deal with this guys' urges, and then went right back to allowing atrocities to happen.

[Deesse23]

I used to view pornography, but I stopped because of God's prompting, and I believe this prompting, pull, or urge can be used as evidence for God's existence.

Circular reasoning

---

Before we get into which God (hint: it's the Christian one) if this urge doesn't come from upbringing, societal pressures, or nature, then where does it come from?

Argument from ignorance.
If you don't know, then you don't know.

[Mr.wizard]

Where does the urge to watch porn come from? Seems to me if god didn't want people to watch porn and he was in the business of manipulating peoples urges, he would give people the urge not to make the porn in the first place.

God was probably busy watching kids getting raped or something when @brokenreflector got his urge to watch porn. Maybe there was a small break in the action, so God had a little bit of free time to deal with this guys' urges, and then went right back to allowing atrocities to happen.

Ya, why not stop the urges of a pedo before a child is raped, why is god wasting time with this one guy watching porn. Why bother with a problem that isn't actually a problem, absolutely nothing wrong with watching porn.

[Abaddon_ire]

What I want to know is exactly why do you feel guilt about masturbating? What is there to feel guilt about?

[tackattack]

I believe the OP is convinced that masturbation is sinful. I would completely disagree with that and find no Biblical or spiritual justification for it. Objectifying women and lusting after them is though, which is probably more precisely the sin. Glad you don’t want to objectify women anymore OP, that morality has Biblical foundations and is commonly a societal morality as well.

[Anomalocaris]

"I used to beat off and felt quilty". Therefore, God!

If the guilt of beating off doesn't come from nature, societal pressures, or upbringing, then it would have to come from something metaphysical.

---

How do you know it is not the devil?

Does this mean you agree with the main point of the argument, that if this urge doesn't come from evolution, societal pressures, or upbringing, then it must come from something transcendental?

not even IF, and it is already as utterly risible an IF as would be in IF your shit were made of roses.

[Succubus#2]

Ah the old 'I used to do bad stuff then I found Jesus'.

I suppose it's out of the question you did bad stuff because you were an arsehole?


Obvious troll is obvious.