This church notes with grave concern the public commodification44 of the human body as an economic asset. The sexual body is never to be used as an object for commercial purposes, and this church will speak against the public idolatry of pleasure, freedom, and wealth that undergirds such practices.
Especially deplorable are the billion-dollar global sex market and the economic systems that thrive on it, both in the United States and abroad.45 The people trapped in this system are damaged and often destroyed by degradation, abuse, and, sometimes, torture. Companies that profit from this enterprise need to be identified and strongly denounced. This church supports building international agreements and national laws to prevent these practices.
The possibility of profit is not a sufficient moral basis to use human sexuality for purposes that harm individuals or undermine social trust.46 The ELCA opposes the sale and purchase of pornography. It also objects to commercial and technological efforts to sell sex, including mass media and commercial marketing, since these negatively impact individuals and society in significant ways.