Erotic imagery is nothing new. The walls of Paleolithic caves show it. The Kama Sutra illustrations created 1,600 years ago remain legendary. Think of "The Kiss," by sculptor Auguste Rodin - which, incidentally, was left out of a 1997 Brigham Young University Museum of Art display so as not to offend.

Erick Janssen, an associate scientist at The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, says that at its core, there's nothing wrong with erotica.

"In itself, sexuality isn't a bad thing nor are depictions of sexuality," he said by phone from his Indiana office this week. "It's not a simple discussion."

There's plenty of pornography that Janssen disapproves of - violent images, for example, or what he called a "no-brainer," anything involving children - but to lump all erotica together or dismiss it out of hand is misguided, he suggested.

Given the millions upon millions of people who tap into pornography, the mere fact that our society isn't overrun with social misfits is proof that it's not harming everyone. Janssen pointed to multimillion-dollar studies conducted by the U.S. government after Congress declared obscenity and pornography a "matter of national concern" in 1967. The special commission ruled in 1970 that, based on its scientific findings, "evidence did not point to significant links between pornography and antisocial behavior."

"I'm not saying it's fine and great and wonderful for everyone, because it isn't," said Janssen, who acknowledges some people and relationships are harmed by porn. But lots of people who do view pornography "are perfectly happy in their lives with it."

Furthermore, he said that in some cases porn can save marriages. It can be educative and helpful in improving sexual relations and boosting satisfaction, he said.

And if used in the privacy of a couple's own home, he added that pornography "is a more innocent outlet than adultery."

jravitz@sltrib.com