Just Don’t Do It!

A professor at the City University of New York (CUNY) seemingly had a one-year fling with one of her students. After the breakup, he started posting nude pictures of her on the internet.

New York has a law against “revenge porn” and charged him with the crime. Conviction provides for up to a year in jail and a $1,000.00 fine. However, this guy pled the charge down to a misdemeanor of “disclosure of an intimate image.” As a result, he was given no jail time, and he had to participate in a 26-week program for abusive partners.

Since she didn’t feel she got justice in the criminal case, the professor decided to file a civil suit. She won that case, and the judge ordered the guy to pay her 30 million dollars. She’ll probably never see that money, as the guy doesn’t have enough to pay it. But the case did set a president, and will hopefully serve as a warning to others who might think about posting revenge porn.

There are a couple of really awful things here.

The first is, obviously, what the guy did when he put nude images of his ex on the internet for the purpose of humiliating her and causing as much suffering as he could. He fully deserved all the punishment he got, and perhaps should have received more.

The second awful thing is that the woman put herself in a position where the guy was even able to do that. What was she thinking allowing him to have nude pictures of her in the first place?

We live in a society where this kind of immoral behavior is now so accepted, that hardly anyone even gives it a second thought. Both exchanging nude pictures and out of wedlock sexual behavior are pretty much socially accepted. The natural result is what happened in this case where a break-up occurred and someone got mad. An American Psychological Association study estimates the one in twelve adults will become the victim of revenge porn (non-consensual pornography) in their lifetime.

Biblical morality is seen in modern society to be naive and passe. Anyone who dares advocate for biblical sexual morality is considered a prude and worthy of ridicule.

So just where does that kind of thinking come from? It comes from the naturalistic worldview that now dominates our society. Naturalism is the belief that the natural universe, operating by natural laws, is all that exists.

When it comes to the human person, the implication is that we are nothing more than an animal, just like any other animal creature. According to that philosophy, the only thing that distinguishes us is that we have a more highly evolved brain.

Regarding morality, Naturalism expresses the belief that there is no such thing as objectively real right morality. Without an objectively real moral law giver, the only possibility for developing moral beliefs is for human beings to do it based on their own personal preferences.

With that as a starting point, it is only natural that people participate in sexual relations anytime they want with no real moral constraints. After all, that’s just what animals do.

But those naturalistic worldview beliefs are simply not true. There is a part of reality that is beyond what is visible in the natural universe, and there are objectively real moral laws God has revealed that define what is right and wrong.

In the case of this couple, the guy doing the revenge porn acted wrongly. But the girl herself was not innocent. She was a willing participant in the immoral behavior that ultimately led to the revenge porn crime.

So, what happens when people defy the moral precepts God has revealed to be true and right (when people sin)? Well, there are earthly consequences that they bring upon themselves. The consequences for the guy will come out of his pocket for the rest of his life. The consequences for the lady will be guilt, shame, and the curse of always having look over her shoulder to see if her nude pictures are once again on display for the world to see.

But as bad as these consequences are, there are some that are even worse. Unless these two people turn aside from their sinful life and put their trust in Christ, they will be experiencing the consequences in eternity as they live forever separated from God.

We have a choice when we are faced with sin – do it or don’t do it. Make the right decision and just don’t do it!

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Freddy Davis is the president of MarketFaith Ministries. He is the author of numerous books entitled The Truth Mirage, Rules for Christians Radicals, Liberalism vs. Conservatism, and his latest book Shattering the Truth Mirage and has a background as an international missionary, pastor, radio host, worldview trainer, and entrepreneur. Freddy is a graduate of Florida State University with a BS in Communication, and holds MDiv and DMin degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a popular speaker, particularly on the topic of worldview and its practical implications for the Christian life. He lives in Tallahassee, FL, with his wife Deborah.

You may also contact Freddy at Leadership Speakers Bureau to schedule him for speaking or leadership engagements.

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