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Pornography has saturated our societies, causing havoc, objectifying women and destroying men. As Christians, we need to deal with this issue by focusing on Christ – the only one who can transform us from the inside.

Poisoned Behaviour

In recent years we have been shocked by stories of pre-schoolers sexually assaulting other pre-schoolers. The reports claim that these sexual assaults are learned behaviour.

This raises the question: how are four and five-year-olds learning such behaviour?

Sadly, they are learning it from early exposure to pornography.

The poison of pornography has so saturated our society that it has seeped down into our kindies and nurseries. Basically, the pre-schoolers are merely imitating the adult behaviour they have seen performed when watching pornography.

What is Pornography?

Pornography (often abbreviated as “porn) is printed or visual material containing the explicit description or display of sexual organs or activities and is intended to stimulate sexual excitement.

It is an industry involving huge money, based on Satan’s lie that sex can be divorced from love, from morality, from responsibility and from lifetime commitment.

The Pornification of Society

Here in Australia, we are overwhelmed with pornography. From TV, movies, sports, music, the arts and the news media, to video gaming, virtual reality shows, marketing and magazines, it has invaded almost every area of our lives.

With the advent of the internet, this flood of immorality has risen to dizzying heights. Only a decade or two ago, people had to go outside the home to access pornography. Now, it is only a click away!

It is almost impossible to control.

Not only does pornography specialize in nudity, but it often dwells on violence, particularly aimed at women and children.

Today, almost all people convicted of sexual crimes are found to be avid users of pornography.

As a society, we have become so desensitised that we are drowning unaware in polluted waters.

Unfortunately, the behaviour of Christians has also been affected by this in a serious way. One Australian study has revealed that 60 per cent of Christian men — and even church leaders — view porn on a regular basis.

What’s Wrong With Pornography?

In the beginning, God made men and women in His image and likeness and blessed them.

Ian Malins, an Australian Bible teacher and author, writes:

“God created us in His image with needs for two kinds of intimacy. He created us first for spiritual intimacy with God our Creator. Then He created us male and female for physical and emotional companionship and intimacy. We were created to enjoy both divine and human intimacy so as to experience a healthy, balanced and fulfilled life.”

It should not surprise us that Satan uses pornography to degrade God’s image and to enslave people in lust and idolatry.

Bound by pornography, husbands find it difficult to enjoy normal relations with their wives. Seduced by the perversion and violence of pornography, husbands have abused their own wives to act out their newly learned behaviour and deviant fantasies.

Youths caught up in pornography often dash their hopes of a pure joyful marriage in the future.

However, far more serious are the eternal consequences.

Jesus warned,

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. … It is better to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell” (Matthew 5:27-29, 30b).

In a spiritual sense, pornography emasculates men and reduces women to a plaything or an object to be exploited.

Dr Barry Chant, an Australian theologian and writer, in his book ‘Living in the Image of God’ writes,

“Pornography is demeaning – especially to women who are often depicted as objects of pleasure, not people created in God’s image. Pleasure is given priority over pleasing. Physical attributes become more prized than the lasting inherent qualities that really make people who they are.”

Pornography redefines sexuality and as a result ruins lives, destroys families, knocks out ministries and weakens society.

Porn Addiction – Dealing With It

Concerning porn addiction, American theologian and author John Piper says:

“new brain research suggests it is as strong as addiction to cocaine and heroin because of its unique combination of stimulant and opiate. Pornography lays down real physiological paths in the brain. All sexual experience tends to migrate to these paths.”

But on a note of hope for those addicted John Piper continues:

“if the seeing of internet nakedness creates new paths in the brain, how much more the seeing of Christ — the spiritual sight of “the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). We are not left to create new brains for ourselves.”

In the Christian movie Fireproof, the hero takes a baseball bat to his computer to deal with his porn addiction in order to rescue his marriage.

We too need to come aggressively against the spiritual stronghold of pornography.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, We come against the satanic stronghold of pornography that degrades men, women and children who are created in Your image. We come before You today to ask Your forgiveness of how we have allowed the poison and pollution of pornography to flood our society. Your Word says, ‘Woe to those who call evil good,’ but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. Through pornography many are falling into the snares of Satan and are going to hell. Oh God, cut off the tentacles of pornography that have put a death hold on our society. In Your mercy rescue us from this deadly peril. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

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Image by Sora Shimazaki on Pexels.