Is my hobby and sidejob sinful?

[GibbaWithAttitude]

I’m a digital artist and pretty decent at drawing. I’ve taken commisions from to draw whatever they request. A lot of those drawings have been lewd in nature and, at times, even pornographic.

Is this bad?

 

[Tinker Grey]

No.

 

[bèlla]

What does your conscience tell you? I ask that as a fellow creative. I view nudity from an artistic slant but that isn’t true for most. We know some images are tastefully composed and meant to present the subject in a positive light and others are meant to debase.

As the creator, you have jurisdiction over your commission. It may be time to consider a policy with applicable boundaries and visual examples for prospective clients. The work bears your name. What image do you hope to have?

 

[Christopher0121]

Always follow your heart and convictions. As an artist, it's your call.

 

[renniks]

Of course making porn is sinful, whether in drawings or photos.

 

[Paulos23]

No.

Having known people that have to draw for a living, do it until you get good and have a following. Then draw what you want.

 

[tall73]

I’m a digital artist and pretty decent at drawing. I’ve taken commisions from to draw whatever they request. A lot of those drawings have been lewd in nature and, at times, even pornographic.

Is this bad?

A. stop by the visual arts section and share some of your paintings--just not the lewd ones, as they would violate TOS for the site.

B. Since your profile says you are an atheist, there is no need to go too far into Christian thought on the subject. But from that standpoint for on-lookers, fixing your mind on things of the flesh tends to take your mind off of the Spirit. So depictions of sexual scenes that would be outside of God's will would have a negative effect spiritually.Also, Jesus indicated that to lust after a woman is to commit adultery in your heart. As almost all art refers back to some degree to reference material, either immediate, or from memory over time of observation, this also has implications.

C. From a secular perspective, consider that objectification of people for purely pleasure reasons could lead to changing thinking on relationships and sex. If you encourage such in your art, you encourage it in your thinking. It somewhat depends on your worldview.

For instance, porn can lead to changed thinking over time, and we seem programmed to always desire novel content. The seeking mechanism triggers the dopamine pathways. Often in the modern day this can result in surfing through varous photos or videos of porn, looking for novel stimulation.

Over time you are exposing yourself to larger amounts of novel partner stimulation than usual life supplies, however. And this can wind up with negative effects. Some studies are now showing ED among some heavy porn users, which can clear up from porn abstaining.

Now is there a similar effect where you are drawing various lewd scenes, in increasingly provacative ways? Do you find that the creation of the art is itself a seeking behavior, looking for novel stimuli that results in stimulation? If so that could be negative for you in the long run. You start to think of sex as something new and thrilling, rather than relationally based and bonding, or life creating.

Also, if it encourages such in those who view your art, it could be an issue.

For these reasons I would say do not do it.

But why do you think you are asking the question? What bothers you about it?

 

[pdudgeon]

I’m a digital artist and pretty decent at drawing. I’ve taken commisions from to draw whatever they request. A lot of those drawings have been lewd in nature and, at times, even pornographic.

Is this bad?

yep. Bad for them, and bad for you too.

Think about this:
Accidently seeing something that you had no business seeing is one thing.

For your clients, if they are deliberately choosing to taking steps that will enable them to see that same thing every day that they had no business seeing in the first place, it will have the same effect on their soul that taking a sip of poison every day will have on their body.

As for your part in all of this, it's called 'enabling'.
Enabling someone to see again and again what they shouldn't have seen, is like pouring the poison in the cup, and handing it to them; over and over and over again.

By all means do use your talent for drawing things. But remember whatever you choose to draw will be etched into your brain forever, and in your client's brain as well.

The answer here is to make good choices, both for yourself and for your clients.

Best Wishes.

 

[AlexDTX]

I’m a digital artist and pretty decent at drawing. I’ve taken commisions from to draw whatever they request. A lot of those drawings have been lewd in nature and, at times, even pornographic.

Is this bad?

That is between you and the Lord. I had a friend who was a video game programmer, whose unease at the job finally caused him to quit the industry.

You have to take your stand according to your conscience. Consider the Colorado baker who, as a Christian, refused to bake cakes for homosexual weddings. His stand caused him to go through expensive litigation since they sued him for discrimination. Court ruling has been won in his favor, but leftist activists often don't care about winning, only destroying the oppositions.

In their case, the baker must have had a conviction that God would carry him through his ordeal.

But, honestly, the very fact that you are questioning your work and hobby would seem to be a nudging on the Lord's part for you to reconsider how you apply your craft.

 

[Ophiolite]

For your clients, if they are deliberately choosing to taking steps that will enable them to see that same thing every day that they had no business seeing in the first place, it will have the same effect on their soul that taking a sip of poison every day will have on their body.

Circular arguments, such as you have used here, are rarely convincing. Perhaps you have a more effective, fallacy free, way of presenting your case.

 

[rockytopva]

15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

1 John 2:15-17

 

[timewerx]

I’m a digital artist and pretty decent at drawing. I’ve taken commisions from to draw whatever they request. A lot of those drawings have been lewd in nature and, at times, even pornographic.

Is this bad?

If you have a sister and if you think they can make themselves look like in your drawings and it's okay...

That's your answer.

 

[timewerx]

That is between you and the Lord.

Pardon me for explaining this.

I'm hearing that advice a lot. But we Christians are supposed to learn to recognize what's bad from not because:

Ephesians 5:11
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

 

[eleos1954]

I’m a digital artist and pretty decent at drawing. I’ve taken commisions from to draw whatever they request. A lot of those drawings have been lewd in nature and, at times, even pornographic.

Is this bad?

From a biblical perspective yes ... from a atheists perspective no.

 

[SarahsKnight]

What does your conscience tell you? I ask that as a fellow creative. I view nudity from an artistic slant but that isn’t true for most. We know some images are tastefully composed and meant to present the subject in a positive light and others are meant to debase.

As the creator, you have jurisdiction over your commission. It may be time to consider a policy with applicable boundaries and visual examples for prospective clients. The work bears your name. What image do you hope to have?

La Bella has sage advice here, I think, @GibbaWithAttitude .

 

[Mathetes66]

Scripture looks at it in various ways.

1) We are ambassadors for Christ, representing Him to the world, with the ministry & message of reconciliation. Would you want to represent Christ with that as your message? Would you want to stand before Him when your works are judged & these are presented before Him?

Though you might feel 'liberty' to do so, nonbelievers will question that you would do such a thing & you calling yourself a Christian.

2) There is the issue of causing a Christian who is young in the faith, with a weak conscience (Rom 8; 14), who is seeking (as I do as an older Christian) to keep away from pornography (I call it prostituting on a page or image) & then sees you doing this & thinking its OK to view it.

Romans 14:15-20 If your brother is distressed by what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother, for whom Christ died. Do not allow what you consider good, then, to be spoken of as evil.

17For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating & drinking, but of righteousness, peace & joy in the Holy Spirit. For whoever SERVES Christ in this way is pleasing to God & approved by men.

19So then, let us pursue what leads to peace & to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to let his eating be a stumbling block.

3) There is the whole issue of not exposing the nakedness of anyone (Pentateuch, etc.)

Gen 3:7,21 And the eyes of them both were opened & they knew that they were naked & they sewed fig leaves together & made themselves aprons. And the LORD God made for Adam & for his wife garments of skins & clothed them.

Before the fall, they were naked & not ashamed. But we now live in a fallen world. God took corrective measures.

Lev 18:17,24,25 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman & her daughter, neither shalt thou take her son's daughter, or her daughter's daughter, to uncover her nakedness...it is wickedness.

Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you. And the land is defiled; therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it & the land itself vomits out her inhabitants.

4) There are the principles of liberty in Scripture.

All things are lawful for me, but not all things edify (build others up in the faith); all things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.

I Cor 10:23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient ('a means of attaining an end, especially one that is convenient & practical but considered improper or immoral). All things are lawful for me, but all things do not edify (build up).

I Cor 6:12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power (slavery mastery) of any.

Galatians 5:1,5,6,13,14 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then & do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. All that matters is faith, expressed through love.

For you, brethren, were called to freedom; but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is fulfilled in a single decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

These are some things to consider.

 

[Blade]

I can only speak for me. I would not let the world tell me what SIN..or ART really is. We are human... now take Christ out of it...

You already know the answer He always makes it a free choice.. and He will not judge nor condemn. I will not do anything that might cause someone else to sin. For in that I will have to answer to the Father.

 

[JustRachel]

I am wondering why you would care as an atheist.

 

[pdudgeon]

Circular arguments, such as you have used here, are rarely convincing. Perhaps you have a more effective, fallacy free, way of presenting your case.

Oh absolutely! If you don't want a circular argument, then how about a fork-in-the-road argument?

The thing the artist has to do is to make a positive decision for themselves first.
Simply put, the artist has a clear choice here: continue on down the road that they are currently on, or else choose a different road.

In order to choose which road to take, they have to decide what outcome- what product- they want from their talent, and the price that they will pay in order to achieve that.
We're talking about two different directions, each with it's own points and drawbacks.

 

[AlexDTX]

Pardon me for explaining this.

I'm hearing that advice a lot. But we Christians are supposed to learn to recognize what's bad from not because:

Ephesians 5:11
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

Every believer walks with the Lord at their own pace. God does not rush us because He knows how much we can handle. You may already see the fruitless works of darkness, and you should say so. But saying so does not mean acceptance. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. God alone knows where we are in our walks with him.