Pornography

I wanted to share some more statistics (thank you Pastor Donny) on something that has an even greater negative effect on our society than electronic devices (my last post) – pornography.

Statistics and other Reference Resources on the Impact of Pornography to Marriages, Families, and Society

Pornography's Impact on Marriage & The Family
Before the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights Committee on Judiciary
United States Senate
Testimony of Jill C. Manning November 9, 2005: http://www.heritage.org/Research/Family/tst111405a.cfm
Complete Report reviewing all major research on pornography: s3.amazonaws.com/thf_media/2010/pdf/ManningTST.pdf

Impact on Society
• Approximately 40 million people in the United States are sexually involved with the Internet 1
• 25% of all search engine requests are pornography related 2
• Sex is the number 1 topic searched on the Internet 3
• 15% of online porn habitués develop sexual behavior that disrupts their lives 4
• 38% of adults believe it is 'morally acceptable' to look at pictures of nudity or explicit sexual behavior 5

Impact on the Marriage
• 47% of families said pornography is a problem in their home 6
• 42% of surveyed adults indicated that their partner's use of pornography made them feel insecure 7
• 41% of surveyed adults admitted they felt less attractive due to their partner's pornography use 7
• 30% of surveyed adults said their partner's use of pornography made them feel more like a sexual object 7

Impact on the Job
• 20% of men and 13% of women admitted to accessing pornography at work 8

Impact on the Church
• 53% of "promise keeper" men admitted viewing pornography in past week 9
• According to pastors, the top sexual issues damaging to their congregation are 10:
1. 57% pornography addiction
2. 34% sexually active never-married adults
3. 30% adultery of married adults
4. 28% sexually active teenagers
5. 16% sexual dissatisfaction

Impact on the Church
• 5 out of every 10 men in the church are struggling with some issue concerning pornography 11
• 34% of churchgoing women said they have intentionally visited porn websites online 12
• 54% of pastors admitted to viewing Internet porn in the last year and 30% admitted viewing within the past month 13
• 50% of all Christian men are addicted to pornography 14
• 20% of all Christian women are addicted to pornography 15
• 60% of women admit to having significant struggles with lust 16

Wow!  I would never have guessed these statistics would be so high.  Unlike electronic devices, pornography is a hidden issue that no one talks about, and so we don’t realize how prevalent it is. 

There is no doubt that pornography can devastate a marriage.  Who can compete with the actors/models that are made up to look perfect?  While the “acts” performed in pictures and videos may look appealing, let’s face it, sex just doesn’t work that way.  Not when you are married and working and taking care of a family.  No wonder sex in marriage can look terribly boring when you compare it to a picture or video that is touched up, made up and far from the reality of normal people. It also  makes women feel terribly inadequate.  Statistics show that men reach a point where they can’t physically make love any more to an actual woman when pornography has become a daily part of their lives.  

Unfortunately, our society tells us that pornography is perfectly fine.  I’ve seen talk shows discuss how it can help your sex life.  Really??

Pornography can easily become an addiction, one of the most difficult obsessions to break (some say it's harder to stop than drugs.)  Stop it before you reach that point.  If you are addicted, get help.  It will destroy your marriage.

Matthew 5:27,28  “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’  But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

(Yes, this also applies to women.)