Is it sinful for Christians to read the book 50 Shades of Grey?
Fifty Shades of Grey, the runaway best-selling novel by E.L. James has become so popular for its racy content, that it has even become a subject of discussion in the church, as many Christians have become enthralled by the book series. With this in mind, Beginning and End is very pleased to have Dana Suggs of the From Chaos To Grace Blog, as a guest contributor. We felt it was important to have the perspective of a Christian woman to discuss this book and she has graciously agreed to bless us with her perspective in the article she has written below.
50 Shades of Grey May Not Be So Gray After All
By Dana Suggs
I know this post will NOT be popular with the world. I realize this. And yet…..here I go anyway. I am not supposed to be of this world anyway, so there. LOL
I have been hearing a *LOT* about a certain, new series of books that are out for women and people are going NUT-SO for them! The raving reviews are INCREDIBLE! It’s what The Hunger Games and the Twilight series did for teenagers: got them reading in droves! (Although it has NOTHING to do with the literary talent.)
Now, I’ve always been a book-lover. I love to read.
But, God spoke to my heart a few years ago and convicted me of the kind of books I had been reading: romance novels….the kind involving bodices being torn, etc. (Emphasis on the etcetera.) The racier the better. I loved it all. (Now I look back on it and I cringe!)
I had to come to terms to what exactly I was doing and having it shown to me with such honesty and abruptness by GOD HIMSELF really hit home to me and I’ve never forgotten it.
Ladies, it’s p o r n o g r a p h y plain and simple. I don’t mind being the bad guy that tells you this either. More on this later.
E.L. James, seated, the author of the book series, has women flocking to meet her at every signing.
This book series that has all the women a-twitter is called 50 Shades of Grey. As a Christian woman, striving to live a close relationship with God, I cannot in any way shape or form, promote this book. I find it very sad honestly. I know the reviews are saying things like how “liberating” it is for women, but I just don’t see it like that.
Let me put it in terms that you may see it from my vantage point. If a wife stumbles across her husband’s hidden p l a y b o y collection, she would be upset. If she came across her husband’s hidden p o r n collection, she’d probably scream and yell and possibly throw things.
Men are visual, that’s why these appeal to men.
These books, 50 Shades of Grey, appeal to women’s minds.
IT’S THE SAME THING.
The only difference is, instead of watching outrageous videos women can put it on their coffee tables, carry them around with them in their purses, read them on their kindles, and it is just a part of polite society. Liberating…. (tongue in cheek)
It is p o r n. It is written to appeal to women’s sexual appetites. It is expecting our husbands to live up to this made up, make-believe man in a book and taking our affections away from our husbands and onto another (fake) man. It is emotionally and in some cases, physically draining on our marriages. It’s detrimental. I don’t care about the reviews that say it’s “bringing marriages closer” or about the “50 Shades of Grey” baby boom…..it’s taking your physical desire away from your husband in your own mind. It is finding your pleasure in something else other than your husband.
OR, in the cases of single women…..it’s finding your pleasure in an unnatural source. It’s still p o r n.
1 Peter 5:7-9 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
Now, I realize the early church was not speaking on p o r n o g r a p h y for women, but it IS a warning: Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. I don’t know about anyone else, but that SCARES me!
Sadly, some churches are using 50 Shades of Grey as a theme for sermons.
These books are Satan’s way of devouring us with a made up man named Christian Grey. It’s his way of steering us away from God. Not the direction I desire to go. And it worries me how very popular these books are.
Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:
But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Now, let me end this by saying, this was written by a Christian woman’s perspective. It is directed at the Christian women out there. Those who do not know Christ will not understand what it is I’m trying to convey. I believe these books to be a stumbling block in a Christian woman’s walk with God.
And…..this is something very personal that God has laid on my own heart. If He has not convicted you (and you have sought Him on this), then by all means, make your own decision. But I cannot, in all good conscience, recommend these books on any level.
Be kind to others, and seek Christ diligently.
Please know, I am an exceptionally kind lady to everyone. I am non-judgmental of people, and I have very real feelings that can and are being hurt by comments by internet-brave people.
Also, please remember this was WRITTEN by a Christian woman to other Christians out there that love Jesus. So, before you leave a nasty or mean comment, please ask yourself if it is something that you would say to Jesus Himself. If you are not a Christian yourself, you do not even need to leave a comment because I was not directing this post to you at all.
Article originally published at the From Chaos to Grace blog.
As a recovering ‘romance novel’ reader, I have to agree with you 100%. I literally had tote boxes filled with these kinds of novels. And I strayed into demonic territory many many times with my choice of books…..Laurell K. Hamilton and True Blood as examples. I reasoned it out as “it’s just a book”. But it isn’t just a book. Luke 11:34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness.
Put God’s goodness into your heart/body via the eyes and ears and only good can come out of your mouth. Matthew 15:11 What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean.
God Bless you sister!!
Well Done Donna, You could not have put it in a better way.
John 10;10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Ha Satan wants to deceive all mankind, and what better way than to do it via the Mind.
All SIN…begins with the middle Letter… I. Take the I out and you have no SIN.
All SIN falls into 3 Categories…. Lust of the Eyes…. which then leads to Lust of the Flesh… as what you see, you want to Taste… and then… The Pride of Life.
This SIN is very scuttle as it works from within you, and some where down the line you feel as if you were the MOST HIGH.
We, at some stage of our lives have gone the way of Kane (Cain). The period of Teshuah in Hebrew means to return. In Hosea 6 ” Come, and let us return unto the LORD”.
That’s all we need to do, return to our First Love, Confess our sins and Live in HIS LIGHT, or choose the Darkness (Choshack) which begins with spiritual darkness.
Blessings
DAvid
I agree with you 100 %, at first I didn’t know what the book was about, then found out what it was. An old friend of mine reads it, my neighbor read it, they are not saved. I also before I was saved, I read Danielle Steel books, not anymore, I threw them out for good! I only read the Bible!
Thanks for writing this and warning people about this.
i’m in the UK and this book is popular in UK, everyone was talking about it.
It’s so obvious it’s the devil’s work.
Media will promote something like this so everyone would get it.
Just like Harry Potter, when media talks about something, they are building the heat upon that subject so it can get popular. In fact it’s more of a way of advertising it.
It’s quite annoying because “word of mouth” is the best way to make something popular.
Everyone talked about this book so much, even till now they still talk about this book.
Many people who comment about the book say it’s “mommy porn”, “porn for women”.
Which is basically what you described in your article.
I’m so glad our Heavenly Father spoke to you and convicted you on the kind of book you are reading.
When I was born again, I had to reform my ways because my mind was corrupted with so much worldly things.
I first had to stop watching all these horror movies, then I started to realize the amount of evil there are in everything we watch and read.
The problem about life is that, we do not know what is good and evil for we cannot tell.
This is why God had to cast out Adam and Eve from Eden because if they had eaten from the Tree of Life, they would become immortal and not knowing the discipline between good and evil and not having Fear of God.
The secret of the world is to make evil look good, which Isaiah 5 talked about, woe to people who make evil look good.
There are so MANY demon possession horror movies out there that their poster are becoming very scary for me to look at. Yet people do not see the truth! They are so blind, the world is just feeding them so much evil.
There was even a news about a couple who tried the things on 50 shades of grey and they ended up being arrested because the woman over did the sexual torture act on the man
You DO realize that without “word of mouth,” the Word of God may very well never made it out of Jerusalem?
Also,when did God forbid Adam and Eve from eating from the Tree of Life? It’s been awhile since I’ve read the Bible from cover to cover,but I don’t recall the exact passage about that particular prohibition. Or the Tree of Life itself in the Garden,for that matter….
Have you even road the book? It’s not porn. Not at all. The sexual side is a small aspect if the story, but nowhere near the main theme. It’s a beautiful love story and one where we can root for a child who found safety in his form of expression/live because of his childhood. His abuse and drug addict mother forced him to find a way to cope with his emotions. The story is his journey to overcome his sexual affliction. You are crazy if you think this is Satan’s work. Get real.
Have some respect. Have some respect for the writer, for yourself and for God above all things. Anything that says sex outside of marriage is ok is of the devil, anything that you choose to cope with your problems other than God is sin. I saw the trailer to the movie and its the same stupid story all over again, a young woman putting all her energy into a man, because you know, a man can save you and makes you a person worthy of love. Do not underestimate the rebellion of the flesh, be sober, be careful what you expose yourself to. Just like how videogames make kids less sensitive to violence, this trash can make you less sensitive to sin. Evil comes in a really nice wrapped up box, with a cherry on top. Be sober
This article is very convicting . However as a Christian unmarried woman who has been praying for a mate I do reaad them at times simply because as God hasnt blessed me with a husband although I try my best to be a Christian. I dont sleep around etc but I see friends and family member sleeping around or living with their partners ending up getting married and having kids and I know for a fact that most are happy. Whats the harm in reading these novels every now and then?
I hope that I write this correctly for understanding as I am using my phone (LOL). I am in the same boat with you, not having a husband and wanting God to bless me with one. This is what I believe that the Lord put into my heart for understanding. For women who are not married, The Lord should be your only love Jesus Christ. He is our covering, leader,and, provider. I read a book called confessions of a video vixen only because I wanted to the juicy gossip of Hollywood men. Boy was I convicted after read that book! I will not do it again. SIN starts in the mind and when single women read stuff like this it causes you to imagine sinful things and scenarios. Yes its just a book and has power to create sin mentally just like the Bible has power to create righteousness mentally. Single should not read this or books like it because it may cause you to long for an experience that is not righteous. These are just my thoughts on single women and reading sexy books.
I hope that I write this correctly for understanding as I am using my phone (LOL). I am in the same boat with you, not having a husband and wanting God to bless me with one. This is what I believe that the Lord put into my heart for understanding. For women who are not married, The Lord should be your only love Jesus Christ. He is our covering, leader,and, provider. I read a book called confessions of a video vixen only because I wanted the juicy gossip of Hollywood men. Boy was I convicted after read that book! I will not do it again. SIN starts in the mind and when single women read stuff like this it causes you to imagine sinful things and scenarios. Yes its just a book and has power to create sin mentally just like the Bible has power to create righteousness mentally. Single should not read this or books like it because it may cause you to long for an experience that is not righteous. These are just my thoughts on single women and reading sexy books.
“Whats the harm in reading these novels every now and then?”
Sorry for sounding harsh, but honestly, if one calling oneself a Christian YET STILL needs to ask this…I’m just curious is one a true Christian or those Babylonian Christian sheeples. There’s a huge difference…you might want to distinguish between the 2.
It’s akin to justifying ” I’m a democratic person but what’s the problem of terrorizing those who do not vote for my party? Just manhandling them a little ya know to scare them a bit only…not that I want to kill them or anything.” Different variables BUT sort of CONCEPT.
Everything has to do with intention/ will…that is our MIND [PSYCHE] . So you tell me…what is wrong with polluting your PSYCHE wth porn? Honestly I think deep down you SOMEHOW KNEW it’s wrong that is WHY you tried justifying it with “…etc but I see friends and family member sleeping around or living with their partners ending up getting married and having kids and I know for a fact that most are happy.”
1) Kudos to you for not sleeping around, as you said.
2) Christianity is called Christianity for A REASON…and that is CONFORMING to Christian values and practices…not about end-result happy or not of OTHER people, especially, be it family members or not. Why? coz it’s NOT called Famility / Friendsity. So IF it’s too demanding, then perhaps it may not be for you (I’m by NO means telling you to leave but just presenting a possible venue for you to look into). When you embrace something you MUST have a clear mind what you want to achieve out of it and what are the requirements…the same goes for any dominion. We fit the dominion…NOT the other way round molding and explaining away to a context for the dominion to fit us. OUr only option is either to be part of it..or ex-communicate it.
I read, chick lit or romantic comedy , would you say these books are sinful
to all women married and or in relationshipswho think it is no big deal, its just a book, you’re overreacting…imagine it like this (and I apologize for it being locker room ish)…., your husband or partner reading a book like this and secretly or non secretly getting excited about a woman in the book who’s vagina could sexually satisfy him so much more than you and yours can.when you get down to the nitty gritty, that is definitely one of THEE biggest problems. the most men wouldn’t admit to that. it is so dark and disturbingand feelings can be hurt so easilyall peoples feelings are different you can’t tell someone they are overreacting its just a book”, there’s feelings there is pride and they are hurt… what if the man is already insecure and already feeling like he lacks in that area of the relationship, such a horrible feeling, even without said book….. I know that I am very late to this thread but I just found out that my girlfriend read the bookand I don’t like it one bit lol 🙁
Matt I never read the book but by all accounts I heard it wasnt that good. many women read the book grandma’s mummies girls women. Hope you managed to talk to her about it. At least that was a one off there are so many books for women which are 100 percent worse than 50 shades I remember reading one by lynda chance and actually preferring a character in the book to a real life person need less to say I dont read her anymore and had to repent. I actually do not think those boos are healthy
Thank you! Please pray for me as I know this book/movie is sinful! I know! You true christians are right!… I am so tempted by the movie coming out. Im am a single woman…I get loney. I know God would not approve! Yet I want to fight against what is right and give in…in to watching something that leads to lustful disires and give a sense of sexual satisfaction. Yet I know its wrong! God will always only be my full satisfaction and following his words will only give more satisfaction than I can give myself. Pray plz I do not give in!
I think single women should pray for husbands God said it is not good for man to be alone. In a world where even gays are fighting for their right to be married the church should be leading the way with people getting married and those married with blessed testimonies. and those who are married should concentrate on their own relationships that watch two fictional characters engage in immorality. The fact that bothe actors were very uncomfortable doing the movie speaks volumes the main character had to take long showers before he touched his wife or child. He had to go to actual sex dungeons very unpleasant to study what they do then go on set and do those same things to his co star no wonder they did not get on. She had to drink a large glass of wine to get through the scenes.
Sorry I meant married women should concentrate on their ownrelationships than watching two people engaging in immorality on the screens thats voyeurism and participating in works of darkness read testimonies of women who are now saved who came out of BDSM
Hi Tempted,
You are in our prayers.
God bless you abundantly. -B&E
Even the lead actor in 50 shades said he doesnt understand why the book was so popular after filming he had to take a long shower before touching his wife and daughter now thats saying something
Hi Gigi,
Thanks a very good point. Thank you for sharing that insight. God bless you abundantly. -B&E
Okay I agree with some I find the book very sexual and have stopped reading it but as for the film I loved it. It wasn’t as bad as the books. Just to let you know that it isn’t porn and it is not a sin. You don’t even know what happens. It is a love story and they even get married so explain to me how that is porn? They even end up falling in love how is that porn? I know that there is sex scenes but I never watched it because of that I watched it because I wanted to know why Christian was like the way he is and probably even a few more people. And if you lusted and masterbated to it that would be a sin but I have not done because I never thought it was arousing. I am not being mean but I don’t know why your judging people for reading it when it is harmless. Its just a book and whoever has seen the movie or read the book has NOT sinned. I think people are not giving it a chance and isn’t it a sin to judge? Like I said its not porn and if you reas about what it is really like, you would know that too
Well said Meg I agree. I really don’t see it as a sin only if you lusted after it though and it isn’t por so I don’t know why many people are saying that and judging the people that have seen and read it. It is just a harmless book and there is nothing sinful about it and it isn’t porn and it is also not the work of the devil stop judging people and scaring them.
P.S I know a few people who have seen it and they are Christians
Wow all of you judging much. Quit it, its not a sin and its not porn. Itsa romance story do some research
1. The only reason this book is so freaking talked about and popular is because of the bdsm theme & that is all.
2. Its a stupid book and yes everyone has fantasies whether they be sexual or not. If you let a fantasy overtake your life they yeah its gonna be a problem
3. for some people it might actually bring their marriage together because sex is suppose to bondly you emotionally,physically and spiritually however if a marriage from what i have seen needs to do something different in the bedroom its not gonna fix the problem; its only gonna cover it for awhile till the couple finds the root of why their marriage is crappy.
4. Again its a book, i have read all the harry potter books,the works of j.r.r. tolkien,dracula, dan browns da vinci code, dante’s inferno,works by Shakespeare, works by edgar a. Poe & paranormal romances – its stories at the end of the day that is all that they are. They allow one for a brief moment to escape reality but when done you still have to live in the real world. No your husband will not be like christian grey where he makes millions and is great in bed. For men no your wife wont be the perfect housewife who can cook like Betty Crocker and be a pornstar in the bedroom and look like kim kardashian while behaving in public like kate middleton – its just not possible. Nobody in the world not even when you are married will ever be your dream person. There are gonns be things you dont like about that person or things that get on your last nerve but that is life and work with it.
I really hope you read this and send a reply. I really need your help in this.
So the thing is, I love reading. Have many novels. And I’m just becoming 20 this October. My city doesn’t always have a book fair. And just like any other place where there’s a fair or a discount, I was so excited to go check it out and get as many books as I could. The problem here is, my parents haven’t always been that patient with me going around searching for all the books of any series. I have read so many books of a series that I still haven’t completed. No. They are not of this same genre. So, today at the fair, the books kept on the first line was this one. I went around and looked for more but being a fair, they were all second hand, not in a good condition books. And this looked better. It also had all the books of the trilogy which was what I was happiest about that I didn’t care to think about checking what the book is about and bought them all. And I came back happily believing I only brought good books and saved my mom’s Money.
And I’m a Christian. Have always been. Added to that an Indian too. And any book immoral to our faith, has always been looked down at and are usually banned. But now, I have these three books not knowing anything about them until I sent a pic of all the books I brought to my friend who then told me what that book was actually famous for. That’s when I googled this. And I honestly don’t know what to feel. Why was I even allowed to buy it. My parents are very strict Christians and this book is a sin I brought to our house. I feel guilty and stupid all at the same time. What do I do? My parents will be so disappointed when they find it. I feel horrible now.