Thanks Hive account@joeylim. I think what is displeasing to God is explicitly spelled out in scripture, in most cases. In those cases where it is not spelled out clearly, one can derive what is displeasing based on what is clearly spelled out. For instance, nowhere is pornography as we define it in the West explicitly condemned, but I think we can ascertain that God does not like it because it objectifies another human being and there are good reasons to believe God finds that displeasing. The whole "love others as you love yourself" theme wraps it up.

On matters of literature, art, and such, it's a bit murkier what is pleasing or displeasing to God. One could say that anything that doesn't explicitly glorify God misses the mark. That would be just about anything that doesn't intentionally honor God in the way He wants to be honored. In that case, we're talking about 99% of all produced art in all media. That's a pretty narrow window.

On the other hand, in Matthew, Jesus told his disciples to consider the lilies of the field and how they grow into beauty without any effort. Just before that, he was talking about serving two masters. You can't say you love God and hold up some other masterpiece as more valuable. I think God appreciates the natural beauty of the world, and art--literature, sculptures, painting, etc.--is naturally produced by man, who was created in the image of God. So this is a natural outgrowth of God's own creation. Where it displeases God is when it becomes a perversion of the senses, or an idol.