"Porn?" is a Question of Cosmological Significance
CJS Hayward
CJS Hayward Publications
979-8377937807 $6.99 Paper/$.99 Kindle
Website: www.cjshayward.com
Ordering: https://cjshayward.com/pqcs
"Porn?" is a Question of Cosmological Significance is a spiritual focus on pornography that takes a hard-hitting look at what St. John Chrysostom perennially warned "about the obscene theaters in which 'the shared nature of women is insulted.'"
The intention of CJS Hayward's book is to encourage thinking readers to "...never look the same way at porn ever again." He achieves his goal by covering the concept of 'sexual sin' and what is actually at stake by viewing and accepting porn.
From the initial trajectory of the world's creation and the evolution of science and technology to the perception of Christ as "...head of the whole Creation, not just the Church. Christ isn't just concerned with his people, but the whole created world," the spiritual discussion mixes history, religious inspection, and routes to lead a more engaged, meaningful life beyond the forces that lead to passive life participation and YouTube inspections.
Hard-hitting discussions of the reality of porn addiction differentiate this pursuit and sin from others: "The reality of porn addiction may be different. It is, with other evils, a pursuit of something that does not exist and cannot create lasting satisfaction. Not that porn is the only evil by any stretch of the imagination. But it is one way of reaching the misery for which the final destination is a Hell that has many, many entrances but not one exit."
In the beginning, Hayward's wide-ranging associations between religious and human history may seem not only broad, but relatively distant from the book's promised focus on porn. Readers who persist through its cosmological and spiritual history will find that salient points connect to other articles to form a unified examination of porn that is solidly intellectual and thought-provoking.
Yes, porn holds issues of cosmological import. It also represents the opportunity to hold dialogues in and reconsider life choices, their connection to and impact on religious pursuits, and the meaning underlying seemingly simple options and perceptions that weigh heavily on the soul.
Discussions of porn here are unlike any other book, embracing existential and spiritual matters that are presented in a variety of forms to cement the reader's inner dialogue, as in the section where Porn assumes a countenance of awareness:
"We live in interesting times. There is a singularity, or rather has been but keeps growing exponentially, and this singularity may turn in to the end of the world: a strange Ragnarok where the forces of Good resound with apocalyptic triumph. And I, Porn, am part of the singularity, an important part. Did you know that I, Porn, am not the only thing in life? Remember: "Every man who visits a Porn site is looking for God.""
Any discussion of porn and its spiritual and social impact would not be complete without the religious inspection and enlightenment it receives in "Porn?" is a Question of Cosmological Significance, which is at once intriguing, challenging, and worthy of discussion in spiritual circles, as well as inclusion in any library interested in applications of religious thought to social conundrums.
[Diane Donovan
Senior Reviewer
Midwest Book Review]