“It made me feel crappy and disgusted.”
“I am so disappointed in you, how can you teach our son to be a Godly man if you are filling your head with that filth?”
“I feel like he is cheating on me.”
The quotes above are real reactions from women upon finding out that their significant other watched the wildly popular television show, Game of Thrones.
Wait a minute, Game of Thrones? Isn’t that the TV show everyone is talking about? I thought this article was supposed to be about pornography…
Yes, we are talking about pornography- and that is why I am writing on Game of Thrones, the two words are interchangeable, really.
I’m willing to bet that quite a few people just stopped reading this. Some of you that are still with me are probably just reading so that you can leave a really scathing comment below about how as Christians we can’t bury our heads in the sand. Come on, I am obviously ignorant about the plot of the show, why am I being such a prude? What about all of that be “in the world and not of it” stuff? Christians need to be relevant; we need to meet people where they are. We need to be in the real world.
Right, because in the real world you walk in on two girls eating each other out in full nudity in a (your?) palace with sexual moans that can be heard from upstairs every day. Give me a break.
Don’t start with me about my obvious ignorance of the storyline and how relevant the sex is to the plot. I know good literature. I’m an author. I’ve seen a few episodes. I’ve read the reviews. I’ve read the synopsis. I’ve read all the “Game of Thrones goes above and beyond any other work in its genre.” It is comparable to Tolkien in its prose yet bitterly realistic in its portrayal of the hardship of life. In the Game of Thrones, there are no impeccable heroes, no saviors, and there are absolutely no morals. What they do have is great story telling, coupled with a raunchy sex scene every 3 minutes, on average.
Just like real life, right?
Wrong.
And the fact that there are so few Christian articles addressing this is astounding to me. What it shows is how easily the devil can fool us.
Has it not become obvious to the rest of the world that sin is ALWAYS, AL- WAYS wrapped up in something that looks good? Seems harmless? Has some “redeeming” qualities?
Sin always seems, “not that bad…”
What I am saying is, excellent story telling is not an excuse.
Being a Christian and watching Game of Thrones is a sin.
There, I said it.
Real life, the real world, the world that you and I are living in, the world where in New York City more Black babies are killed by abortion than are born alive, the world in which Pope Francis has won the hearts of all by his reflection of Christ, the world in which slavery is at an all time high and sex slavery is a booming industry, the world where I can use the internet as a means to ruin someone’s life and where I can save it by the same tool, this world is a world that is struggling, to be sure, but this world is also full of hope.
Hope that we can have more good than evil. Hope that maybe one day people will figure out that sex makes babies so that when they do have sex they will be open to life and can then bear and love and raise the child instead of killing it because it is embarrassing or inconvenient. Hope that maybe one day the number one killer of women will not be men, and that the highest number of women killed by men will not be the ones who are pregnant. Hope that boys and girls who runaway because they have no hope can find or return to a loving home, instead of being swept into a repulsive form of slavery that is being fed by the very thing, the very culprit that many Christians, many Americans are choosing to ignore.
Pornography.
Creating that world starts with us as Christians closing our hearts to anything that may even slightly open the door to sin, sin in our hearts, sin in our minds, sin in our homes.
“If you want to stop people from becoming like me, don’t burn Catcher In The Rye, burn Hustler.”- Ted Bundy
Now, you tell me, does Game of Thrones add to the culture of life, this world we hope for, or does it do the exact opposite?
I think we all know the answer to this question.
“Sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as “an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law.”(CCC 1849)
Basically, if it ain’t leading you to God, it is leading you away from him.
We as Christians need to stop and acknowledge the fact that porn is not just graphic material that is distinctively labeled “Pornography”, it is everywhere. The film industry is competing with the porn industry for audiences, and we need to step up and say that they don’t have to.
Put your actions behind your creed, friends.
Janelle Sanchez's Blog 
I sincerely doubt you could identify half of what is actual pornography.
I say this, because I know more about the subject than you do.
If you would put away all your books, then do so, and read only the Bible.
Shall I give you some examples of Pornographic works?
“Meatballs”
but, oh, the porn is so much more insidious than that!
Any book or movie that focuses too much on the feet — porn for foot fetishists!
Or on the armpit — people fetishize that too, you know.
Or on shrinking people, or on overlarge people!
Oh, do yourself a favor and leave all writing behind.
Read the bible and nothing else.
But skip The Song of Songs.
Hey Kim! You don’t actually make any point in this comment or defend your position. My blog is reserved for intelligent conversation. Please keep future comments in that category if you would like them to be approved. Thanks for writing!
My point was that you would need to remove a lot of works that you would not consider erotic to avoid all pornography.
I cited Meatballs, which was created by some people with pedophillic tendencies — do i really need to cite some movies with foot fetishes in them?
Okay, so I’ll cite Peter Pan, and Honey I shrunk the Kids!
I’ll simply suggest that you read the Song of Songs if you haven’t already.
Thanks for making a point! Yes, I totally censor everything I watch to avoid pornographic scenes. However Peter Pan and HISTK would definitely not be considered porn because there is no nudity nor sex scenes. I’ve never seen Meatballs so I can’t comment on that. I have definitely read Song of Songs, it is a lovely and Holy book about marital love and the beauty of the sexual union, bestowed on us and blessed by God. Not sure what you are trying to say there but I’m glad you brought it up because it is one of my favorite books in the Bible! Thanks for writing!
I could see what you’re saying , but its a book/ show. If you don’t like it ,don’t watch or read the books. There are worse shows than this, worse things written. Yes, there is nudity and sex scenes. That being said , this show is for ADULTS, with ADULT content,They even show that before showing the episodes. I know it is your opinion , but this is mine. Just don’t watch the show if it bothers you that much.
You are absolutely right, and adults are certainly free to make their own decisions. This blog was written for Christians. As Christians, we abide by a different set of morals than most of the world. I saw a lack of Christian opinion on this TV show, so I decided to write this for them. I do totally appreciate your opinion and completely agree. There is a lot of shows like this, that are worse than this, and I certainly have the choice not to watch Porn. Thanks so much for writing!
Hey no problem. I respect your opinion as well 🙂 trust me, I like what you have written and it did interest me. Otherwise I wouldn’t have read it. Haha I have seen very vulgar stuff on tv (not like HBO) and sometimes I think ” they allow this on tv?” Game of thrones is out there ,but like breaking bad I heard is very vulgar as well. I would like to hear your opinion on breaking bad. I never watched it ,but I heard that is out there too.
Thanks! I have never seen Breaking Bad, is it on Netflix? I’ll find out, I’d be happy to write about it 🙂
Yes it is. I haven’t watched it but I want to see what this is all about.
Great blog! There is a spiritual and emotional numbness created by watching things like this. The devil is cunning and real … He comes in sheeps clothing.
Thanks Laura! Amen and Amen!
Thank you, Janelle, for writing an intelligent, Christian perspective on GOT. I viewed a small portion of two shows for the first time yesterday during a free HBO preview. My son, who is fairly liberal, told me about it, and he thinks the amount of sexual content is ridiculous. I think if most of the sexual content was removed, the viewership would sharply decline. I see it being a masturbation tool for men. It also makes me sad that more women (and Christians) don’t speak their minds about shows such as this, which I see as being written mostly by men for men. I don’t understand why women would want to watch it, particularly when it degrades women, and is well within the viewing reach of children, no matter what precautions are taken. People should pay more attention to what Ted Bundy had to
say.
Bella, Thank you so much for your kind words! I completely agree! There is no need for such explicit content. If a show needs that to get a following then it must not be a good show! Thanks for writing!
I’m truly sorry to say, but everything since the dawning of man has been that women were always the one that have been sexualized. If it is a sin, then the whole bible is full of sinners that are able to get by. In Esther there is a tournament style match where the lord choses his bride only through sexuality. How is that not considered bad moral values to your eyes, but a medieval alliance based on the true nature of history through the grouping of a man and a woman from separate societies is not. As said by Paul, a woman’s meaning is to be sexualized and to pleasure from Esther. This is raunchy material that shouldn’t be on television, but who would use it to sacrifice the nature of their own home? The world is full of things good and bad, and it is up to us as people to teach the difference to our children, but let them form their own decisions. Maybe the son doesn’t want to be a godly man, but who are we to stand in his way. Just a side note, if you ready the bible thoroughly, you see that we cannot escape sin, for our everyday lives revolve around it. Even being a woman is considered a sin to some extent, so who are we to know good from bad and right from wrong.
Angel, I am having trouble responding to this for a few reasons. Where in any of my articles did I say that there are no examples of sin in the Bible? (I didn’t) Also, where in the Bible does Paul say that the meaning of a woman is to be sexualized and to pleasure? (He doesn’t) And how in the world is simply being a woman a sin? (It’s not) I am afraid I am unable to answer your comment due to the inconsistencies above.
Being a Christian is not to escape sin, but to overcome it. Please, if you decide to respond, keep your comments to claims that can be supported. Thanks for writing!
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Dear Janelle,
Thank you so much for raising awareness and opening dialogue. I have watched GOT (reluctantly but with an open mind/heart) because my husband seems to be addicted to the show of late. I am a writer and I try to remain unbiased as long as possible before forming opinion. When I finally voiced my thoughts about the show to him, he called me a prude and said that as an artist, he appreciates the show’s artistry. I have no problem with this, as long as it is tastefully done, enhancing the storytelling. What I feel while watching this program (repeatedly unfortunately) is hopelessness….gratuitous and senseless violence/debauchery. I want to either curl up in the fetal position or take a hot bubble bath to wash off the filth.
Good literature that stands the test of time and provides catharsis is the classic struggle of good versus evil…and what has characterized prosperous periods in western civilization is that good prevailed in the arts. With such a large audience as GOT enjoys, my prayer is that they would use this vast power in a more responsible way. I am very worried about our society and its vulnerability. We are bombarded with an unbalanced amount of evil from all sources now and it has become harder to be a good parent. Life does tend to emulate art, and if we have not studied history and the lessons learned from fallen civilizations, history will repeat itself. We can’t turn a blind eye and say that evil is everywhere. Although it is and always has been, we do have the responsibility and power to limit our society’s exposure to destructive material. Although our president has pronounced us “not a Christian nation,” I believe that it is our Judeo-Christian roots and people that have driven our successes…and its dwindling presence that could ultimately end in our demise. We absolutely know the difference between good and evil when we see it…the problem is that there are too many leaders (in our schools and gov’t) who blur that line for future generations. Stay strong and keep up the great work. God be with you.
Mignon,
I am so honored by your comment and so sad to hear of your husbands addiction. For men, it can often be difficult to differentiate between what is appropriate and inappropriate, since many of them have already been desensitized by pornography and other evils. Be patient and loving to him, yet stand strong. He has no right to insult you nor to watch a show that you feel is inappropriate and harmful to your marriage. Please know that you both will be in my prayers!
Janelle
Dear Janelle,
Thank you for your prayers, insight, and inspiration. I wanted to let you know that I have since shared your blog with my husband and as he read through your thoughts, as well as the contributions of others to the discussion, it was as if the light came on. He completely realized that he had fallen prey to the moral relativism that is so pervasive today. Prayer, kindness, and patience is the only answer in this situation… it worked more quickly in his case because he already has a very strong basis in faith and active dialogue in his own daily prayers. So many thanks to you….we are happier than we have been in a while and I have found some peace (it was affecting many areas of our life together). May God keep His hand on you so that you may continue to help countless others in their journey.
All the best,
Mignon
Oh, how wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing this with me! 😀
Thank you so much for your writings. They mean so much to so many people and I love how you defend your points. Bravo! Keep up your writing!
Thanks Savannah!! 🙂
Thank you for speaking the truth so bravely!
In Christ,
Danielle
Thank you for the encouragement Danielle!
Janelle
I’m so glad I found your blog about Game of Thrones. My husband started watching it a few months ago. I didn’t know much about it, but when I did look into it I told him that I wasn’t comfortable with him watching it. He was very upset because he thought I was mothering him. I was caught off guard because we have talked about porn many times before and we see eye to eye on the subject. The problem is he does not see GOT’s sex scenes and nudity as porn! He has since stopped watching it because he knows it bothers me (good man), however, every time the subject comes up we argue about it. He claims that not every episode has sex scenes and that he likes the show for the story line and other things it has to offer, not the sex scenes. I just want him to see it for what it really is.
Allison, I am so sorry that you are going through this! I am so glad that he has stopped watching the show, but I know how frustrating it probably is for you that he doesn’t see why he shouldn’t watch it. At this point, I don’t know what you can do besides pray for the Lord to open his eyes and see what you see! Know that I am praying for you! Thanks for writing! -Janelle
Janelle,
I agree with you, I’ve heard from many people that the Game of Thrones is saturated with lewdness and nudity.
I’m a fan of Lord of the Rings and other mythology but I cannot stand the low culture of many modern works of media; to me, it seems many people take the path of least resistance, accepting whatever is thrown at them just because some reviewer who has low standards says something is great.
If a work of literature or art has to rely on pornography and wanton violence to have popularity it has already failed as a cultural piece; it takes true skill to create art and beauty, not vulgarity.
Not accepting crappy work is not “prudishness”, it means you have standards Janelle and you should NEVER compromise them, it makes you noble in character. People will always try to drag you down to their base level, do not let them. This concept goes beyond being a good Christian, it is being a good person; good and evil are absolutes, not relative.
Thank you for your review, God bless.
Thank you so much for your encouragement! I agree with what you say about art and beauty requiring true skill… people often do not want to take the time, energy and talent to create something worthwhile. Thanks for writing!
you are an inspiration…i agree with you 100% …
Thank you so much!
I was at a friend’s house last night and she played an episode believing I would enjoy the show. Mind you, her child and her sister’s child (both teens) were in the room and asked to leave. I should have known I was in trouble.
The gratuitous female nudity was ridiculous, and demeaning. I mentioned the lack of moral compass to my friend and she responded by stating the show is a true reflection of history. Even her teenage son screamed from the adjoining room that this is pure fiction. Oy vey. Anyway, I asked her if she won’t let her son watch it, why she thinks it is ok that children star in it. Surely they are watching it.
It is light porn. Anyone can nay say the facts, but the show outdoes light porn from early cable years. And of course, I just confirmed that the show recruits porn stars as cast members. Why? Let’s be honest, people.
Thank you for posting.
Clare, thank you so much for sharing your experience. I admire you for your fortitude in explaining to your friend the demeaning aspects of this show. Thank you for writing!
I don’t watch much TV since getting married years ago. Just not much time for it. I kept seeing at the store the books about this show/topic, saw reports on news, all the glowing reviews, and as you said, I saw no opinions from those who claim to be saved (from any denomination for that matter). Haven’t heard a single sermon about it and I get uncomfortable missing Sunday. So after some quick YouTube searches… I was shocked. I’m in my early 40s, I can identify with the husband mentioned above. I don’t have to “fight” with my wife over TV content that much because it’s just not there. For me, I was addicted to computer games before marriage due to my profession in its early development years, and I can say that the content has gotten way far away from its innocent flight simulator days to the… stuff it is today. And so this “show” looks much the same. Men do have a hard time with the flesh. I don’t know a single man who can testify it isn’t hard. I wish it wasn’t that way. I know women have their challenges, and I don’t think they will really fully understand what a man “feels” when he sees a revealing woman other than the chemical response. One can train their eyes to look down or away, but the thought is still there nagging and the image… teaching my son a way to avoid such things is just so hard today when it is hard to avoid as a grown man.
Thank you for this blog/article. It’s really a relief to see, some clear, visible area in the smog we seem to live in and try to navigate. I know my wife would agree you. I know most women would agree, modest or not. Men… I can’t find any of my co-workers who would agree. Others at church either have no idea or simply won’t comment (?). This show seems targeted at men in general, but I really think even young women are meant to be drawn in with the drama, even if it is poorly written as has been claimed. And now HBO and Apple have a deal and I guess I have to be concerned more about what is on my iPad. Life was easier when I was my son’s age. But there’s no going back… yet.
Arnold, thank you very much for sharing your perspective! I can’t imagine what it must be like for men in the world we live in… I would assume the women’s version would be the constant comparison to those impossible and often disgusting standards of “sexy”. Thank you for being a man who does not succumb to this, and for raising a son who will follow your footsteps. God bless!
my boyfriend watches this garbage and nothing i say makes him second guess it, we are both christian and it disgusts me. the fact young boys are watching this show after school and their parents are oblivious makes me sick, ugh this whole thing is just depressing me
Whitney, I am so sorry to hear this! I can only imagine how you must be feeling. At this point, pray for the Lord to open his eyes (I will pray for you both!)… and I would also recommend truly discerning this relationship. God bless you both! Thank you for writing!
Well stated. It may not be the popular opinion, but you are correct. I am a Christian mental health therapist. My team of therapists specialize in treating sexual additions. We come across issues such as this frequently with our clients. I fully support your article. The nudity and sexual acts may be considered “soft porn” by popular media, but porn is porn. I believe it is so important to educate ourselves about the world around us so that we may make the best decisions possible for ourselves. Before watching shows like this or any show, ask yourself if you are okay with the content. Is it compatible with your personal beliefs? How is it affecting you, your brain, your emotions, your family? Is it worth it? Thank you for the great article.
Andrea, thank you so much for writing! I can only imagine the negative impact shows like GOT have on those struggling with sexual addictions. May God bless you in your incredible work!
Well let’s see… first of all, your base evidence is wrong. You claimed that there was “a raunchy sex scene every 3 minutes, on average”, but this just isn’t true at all. In the first three seasons, there was approximately 24 minutes and 20 seconds of nudity. This is out of thirty 55-minute episodes, meaning that there is over an hour of non-nudity for every minute of nudity. One issue with claiming that GoT is porn is that you’re failing to recognize the purpose of porn as compared to GoT. In porn, the point is sex. Anything else is just words to lead up to sex. Game of Thrones, however, has an actual plot line. If you removed every sex scene with the words “_____ and _____ are having sex” on-screen while any important lines were played over, the plot of the show would carry on. Sure, maybe it would lose a few perverted viewers, but those people prefer real porn, where they just cut to the chase and do it. It might lose more viewers since it’s a really weird way to move a plot line and it pulls you out of the story, but the point is is that THE SHOW WOULD CARRY ON. The point of real pornography is sex. If you remove the sex, there’s practically nothing besides terribly-written lines beforehand. Yes, you could turn certain scenes of GoT into porn, but the television franchise as a whole is not, by any means, porn.
Hey JFP, Thank you for your comment! What is your second of all?
All joking aside, you brought up some points to address. I will begin with the claim that my base evidence is wrong… followed by my claim that there is a raunchy sex scene every 3 minutes, and once again followed by a statistic on nudity… not a statistic on sex. I’ll address it anyway. My claim about the “sex scene every three minutes” was based on the three episodes I watched while researching this article. The intention of that statement was wry sarcasm. If it had been an actual fact I would have expanded on it much more and recognized the source (which you failed to do for your statistic).
Now I will address your second statement, about the purpose of porn versus the purpose of GOT. The purpose of pornography is to excite and stimulate its viewers, so that they want to come back and watch more. The same goes for GOT or any TV show- as their ratings and their profits depend on a wide following. The differences between porn and other shows is that they employ sex as a form of stimulation. This is true of GOT as well.
The fact is JFP, that even though “THE SHOW WOULD CARRY ON” without the sex scenes, porn is porn no matter how great the plot line is. I will leave you with the definition of pornography: “movies, pictures, magazines, etc., that show or describe naked people or sex in a very open and direct way in order to cause sexual excitement” in order to save other authors from having to respond to a comment using your opinion rather than an actual definition. Good day, JFP!
I totally agree. My girlfriend is obsessed with this morally unethical show. I on the other hand feel it is cheating, in a manner of speaking.
Kevin, thanks for writing- I am so sorry to hear this! I wonder what it is that has her “obsessed”? I will pray for both of you!
Thank you for writing this Janelle. I use the parents guide from imdb before allowing movies into our home. I was amazed how graphic the episode descriptions could be. We won’t be watching Game of Thrones.
Alan
Alan, thank you for writing- you are very welcome! That is an excellent idea that I will suggest to other parents.
Thank you for being so bold as to call a spade a spade. I, too, take offense to these shows as a christian woman….my husband watches Marco Polo which also has full on nudity and sex but says “I don’t watch it for that.”
He doesn’t understand how humiliating it is for me for him to allow his eyes on that content. Also, consuming this media is participating & endorsing sin–those are real humans sinning right before your eyes and you are paying to view it!! Not to mention that it only serves to support the larger, more horrid issues at hand you mentioned. As believers, we should NO part in furthering the objectification of women and degrading the dignity of sex between husband and wife.
Meg, Thank you for writing, and for your support of this article. I completely agree that we should do our best to remain as far as we can from objectifying and degrading others. I am sorry to hear about your husband and will keep him in prayer!
I’m a Muslim and share the same view regrading the show. I wish more people spoke against it, but the show has unfortunately normalised openly watching what should be considered immoral and pornographic so that people now feel no shame in admitting to seeing such scenes. Choosing not to watch the show on the basis that it contradicts with one’s values is incomprehensible and laughable to the majority of people.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and opening a space for discussion regarding the issue!
Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts Houda! I agree that there is very little sense of shame in committing such immoral acts, which is sad and shows how off course our moral compass is.
I’m at guy and a huge film and television critic and I have to say after the 4th or 5th episode with the two female prostitutes going for it with each other why the manager watched and encouraged them I turned it off. Even if I wasn’t Christian I would see no purpose in this scene other than to demoralise society. I’m not a father but this kind of crap steers me away from ever wanting to have children who will grow up watching this. The show is almost aimed at being a family affair with such focus on all the young characters coming of age.
Thank you for your comment! I agree that there is little purpose behind many of the scenes on this show. It is very sad that it is aimed at young people and adults alike!
I’m so glad that you posted this. My fiancé had a true obsession with this show and it almost ended our relationship (crazy right?) I never thought a TV show could cause such a burden in our relationship. I told him I didn’t want it being viewed in my home because I felt as if it was very degrading and might as well have been a porno on our television. This caused endless arguments where he proceeded to tell me that he would leave me over this television show. He has since stopped watching as far as I know and I have noticed a huge difference in our relationship since.
Taylor, thank you for your comment. I truly hope that this show never makes its way into your relationship again! The fact that he would leave you for this show definitely means theres an addictive quality there. Kuddos to him for giving it up! Good luck and know of my prayers!