The Seventh Commandment forbids adultery (Exodus 20:14), defined as a sexual relationship outside marriage. But Jesus created a “fence” around it with his warning, “Everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28).

This Associated Press headline is intended to make us click on the story: “They were there, but barely: Celebs embrace naked fashion trend at Oscar after-parties.” (I won’t link to the article lest I expose you to the images I’m sure it contains.)

The Academy Awards themselves “featured” numerous celebrities dressed in similar fashion. This trend at award shows has been going on for years and was especially in the news when Bianca Censori appeared at the Grammy Awards in an entirely see-through dress.

Pornography in popular culture.

This issue is not confined to celebrity appearances at award shows. For example, my wife and I were watching a very popular primetime television show this week; in one scene, a couple was obviously going to have sex on her desk before a phone call interrupted them. Such immorality is more common than ever on television programming my grandchildren could be watching. Not to mention what is shown on subscription television shows.

And of course, there are the movies. The Academy Award for Best Picture this year went to a film that displayed explicit and gratuitous nudity while normalizing prostitution as “sex work.” In fact, the Wall Street Journal called it the “most sexually explicit film ever to win best picture.”

Several other nominated films were similarly immoral. One popular movie this year told the story of a sexual affair between an older woman and her younger colleague, showing scenes that were especially explicit. (I know all of this only from news coverage since I cannot in good conscience see any movie that includes nudity.)

In addition, recent years have seen a marked increase in “mainstream” online media images that are highly suggestive. Some outlets do this so commonly that I will no longer even go to their home pages.

And artificial intelligence is being used to fabricate nude images of celebrities and even young girls. In response, First Lady Melania Trump lobbied on Capitol Hill this week for a bill that would make it a federal crime to post intimate imagery online, whether real or fake. She said it was “heartbreaking” to see what teenagers, and especially girls, go through when they are victimized by people who post such content.

What happened to movie morality codes?

In the 1930s, the so-called “Hays Code” was enacted to promote morality in motion pictures. In 1968, this code was replaced with a system that led to “G,” “PG,” “R,” and “X” ratings. In 1984, “PG-13” was introduced; in 1990, “NC-17” replaced “X.”

The 1968 revision was a reflection in large part of the so-called sexual revolution that had been sweeping the culture for years:

• In 1953, Hugh Hefner began publishing Playboy magazine.
• In 1960, the first birth control pill was approved by the FDA. For the first time, couples could have sex without worrying about an unwanted pregnancy.
• In 1962, Helen Gurley Brown’s book Sex and the Single Girl encouraged single women to be sexually active.
• In 1963, Betty Friedan’s book The Feminine Mystique argued that women are victims of a false belief system requiring them to find meaning and identity through their husbands and children.
• The 1960s saw a rising anti-war movement promoting rock music, the use of drugs, public displays of nudity, and complete freedom of sexual activity. “Make love, not war” became the slogan of the era. This movement influenced college campuses; by the end of the decade, many permitted coed dorms.

Court rulings reflected this trend:

• In 1957’s Butler v. Michigan, the Supreme Court rejected the principle that adult material must be restricted because it might harm minors.
• In 1964’s Jacobellis v. Ohio, the court struck down “community standards” for pornography, ruling that such decisions must be national rather than local.
• In 1969’s Stanley v. Georgia, the court found that a state cannot prohibit citizens from possessing obscene material for personal use.

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