Brother I have spent a lot of time really wrestling with this whole issue.

I support both what Kristofor and Blackstone have said... but for me I also want to know some more practical details.

Here are some conclusions I personally have come to:

To see someone and think they are sexually attractive (even if you feel this strongly and to the point of arousal): not sin.

To desire someone sexually: not sin.

To fantasise about someone sexually: not necessarily sin per se but it could excite you towards actually pursuing something with that person and thus lead you into temptaion... for me I avoid it totally.

To fantasise about some random or imaginary person: not sin.

To flirt sexually with someone: sin.

To engage in sexual activity with someone (who is not your spouse): sin.

Basically my view is based on the idea that sexual sin involves two people actually doing something sexual together. In all else liberty.

My above view can be loosely applied to visual media as well but that is still quite a gray area for me. Scripture doesn't discuss "visual", potentially erotic, material that is separate from any actual person (though real persons may have been involved in producing it).... so I struggle to come up with a definitive position on that one.

A picture which could have been quite non-erotically created (eg: a child swimming at the beach) could be quite erotic to a person attracted to such a child. The picture is not technically pornographic and thus the risk of such an item being sinful will depend largely on individual's reactions to it. "No thing is unclean of itself" says Paul in Romans 14:14, "but if anyone thinks it is unclean then to him it is so". Conscience is an important guide in all these things... because whatever you cannot do from faith is sinful (vs 23).

For a thorough go over my view and the biblical basis for it please see my article on cjat: http://www.cjat.org/ipb/index.php?showtopic=303

Blessings
Cat




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