Pornography
- Larry Kutzler
- Apr 16
- 4 min read
The $97 billion global porn industry continues to grow, but those viewing porn is also changing. Time Magazine published an article called, ‘How Porn Is Changing a Generation of Girls.’ They reported that over 40% of children ages 10 to 17 have been exposed to porn online, many accidentally. By college, according to a survey of more than 800 students titled ‘Generation XXX,’ 90% of men and one-third of women had viewed porn during the preceding year. Even if what kids watch is utterly vanilla, they’re still learning that women’s sexuality exists for the benefit of men. An 11th-grade girl confided to me, “I watch porn because I’m a virgin and I want to figure out how sex works.”
This pornography blight on society is affecting people in all walks of life.
Sixteen people, including a teacher and a school bus driver, are facing child pornography charges in New Jersey. They were arrested in a state and federal probe that targeted suspects using online file-sharing networks to distribute kiddie porn, including child rape videos. ~Hamilton Township, New Jersey
If you don’t think pornography is a problem, here are the facts:
Porn Sites Get More Visitors Each Month Than Netflix, Amazon and Twitter Combined.
30% of the Internet industry is pornography.
Mobile porn is expected to reach $2.8 billion by 2015.
The United States is the largest producer and exporter of hard-core pornographic DVDs and web material, followed by Germany.
Roughly two-thirds (67 percent) of young men and one-half (49 percent) of young women agree that viewing pornography is acceptable
Nearly 9 out of 10 (87 percent) young men and 1 out of 3 (31 percent) young women report using pornography.
Every 39 minutes a new porn film is created in the United States.
20% of American men admit they access pornography at work.
70% of all Internet porn traffic occurs during workdays (9am – 5pm)
Children as young as 11 years old are regularly accessing hardcore pornography
Following first exposure, the largest consumer group of internet pornography is boys between the ages of 12-17.
I also found that some of the facts about pornography include some very interesting participants. This problem is also deeply entrenched in the Church according to some research.
Could half of Christian men have a problem with porn, as so many of the statistics say? Porn is reported to be a 12-billion-dollar industry in the U.S. 50 percent of men viewed pornography within one week of attending a Promise Keepers stadium event… 54 percent of pastors said they viewed porn within the past year. ~Pastors.com survey
Pornography is the drug of lust, and even an occasional user will be hooked to viewing more. As in any addiction, there is a desire to go beyond the last experience with pornography to the enactment of rape, and even murder.
Dr. Victor Kline of the University of Utah described several stages observed in the addiction process. Kline noted that pornography can be proven to be psychologically addictive with the subject craving harder and harder forms in order to gratify the obsession.
The first stage usually involves the ‘soft-core’ magazines or Internet exposure.
A second stage involves the addiction becoming more severe with the subject craving harder and more ‘bizarre’ material.
Third, a stage of addiction to ‘weird’ porn evolves in which the addict views pictures of children, sexual acts involving animals, and violent sex.
A fourth stage of acting out the fantasies, including the extreme forms violent behavior, is the final result of the addiction.
The pornography addiction is so powerful, that it doesn’t matter how religious a person may be, you can be tempted to click on the wrong website and be caught up in it’s web users. (Note the 54% of usage by pastors.)
The Bible is clear when it states:
2 Timothy 2:22 Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.
The biggest concern for me is how our young people are being affected by it. The viewing of pornography will affect how a person sees a sexual partner, and it will affect a marriage in later life. The pornography industry stages the most graphic fantasies it can, luring people into thinking this is what sex should be like and it creates a false understanding and standard for a healthy sexual relationship. Pornography is a hidden sin for many people who claim to have a relationship with Jesus. It is hidden, because it can be so private, and many Christians viewing porn don’t feel they are sinning because no real people are involved. However, images are just as powerful as a real experience, and they have lasting effects. Pornographic images that get ingrained in your memory can affect you for years. Jesus told us that if a man lusted after a woman in his heart, it is the same as committing adultery. So, the thinking that pornography doesn’t have spiritual ramifications … think again.
Matthew 5:28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
The Church should teach on the horrors of pornography, and use the research that is out there on how it affects people personally and in their relationships. Ultimately, pornography is destructive for any society, creating lust as a legitimate pastime and acceptable practice.
Challenging the Culture with Truth … Larry Kutzler