The grim price of porn

Quote

“The only freedom I care about is the freedom to do right; the freedom to do wrong I am ready to part with on the cheapest terms to anyone who will take it of me.” Thomas Huxley

News

Earlier this month Ariel Castro, who kidnapped and sexually exploited three women over a decade in Cleveland before their dramatic escape in May, committed suicide in his prison cell.  At his trial, Castro spoke of his addiction to pornography. 

The internet porn explosion means anyone can now access online content in their home or on a smartphone, with little risk of detection or embarrassment.  Porn accounts for 12% of Google searches and 35% of downloads, and the industry reports that demand is moving towards more and more violent content.

Opponents to curbing internet porn say it would be impossible practically, it would undermine freedom, and there is no conclusive evidence that pornography directly causes sexual violence.  But what is the collateral damage to our relationships?

Exposure to pornography undermines marriage; an obsessive interest in internet porn was cited in over 56% of divorce cases in the US last year.  Someone whose sexual norms are established through pornography will bring unrealistic expectations into a genuine sexual relationship; acting out fantasies may be more important than building a tender, loving union.

The sexualisation of society – when soft porn is normalised in advertising, media and entertainment – distorts young people’s identity by elevating sexual attractiveness and performance above character, intelligence and relational skills.  Perhaps the greatest tragedy coming from society slipping from soft porn to increasingly hard core sexual violence, is the gradual destruction of the beauty, subtlety, sophistication and creativity of relationships between men and women.

What has happened to our concept of freedom that we stand by while the profound, intricate potential of our relationships is sacrificed so that people can behave like animals on heat?

Read on...

Further statistics and insights accompany a personal testimony about the social cost of pornography in this article from the US.

Walk the talk

If you are struggling with this issue, you are far from alone – and yet you may never have spoken to anyone about it.  Do you need to bring matters into the light with someone who will help, not judge you – or might you offer that support to someone else?

The last word

From the Bible, Philippians 4 verse 8: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.”