The Harm of Pornography:

Pornography will take you further than you want to go.

It will cost you more than you want to pay.

It will keep you longer than you want to stay.

The porn industry would have you believe that pornography is harmless when in fact it is one of the most devastating and destructive devices ever devised. Below are ten harms of pornography:

1) It derails your walk with God: "You cannot serve two masters." (Matthew 6:24) In serving pornography intimacy with God decays and one's walk becomes cold and distant. It stagnates his heart, steals his power, stunts his growth, squanders is time, sways his conviction and stains his soul. "In a survey of over 500 Christian men at a men's retreat, over 90 percent admitted that they were feeling disconnected from God because lust, porn, or fantasy had gained a foothold in their lives." (pastors.com, Kenny Luck)

2) It distorts God's view of sex: Sex is intended to be shared between a husband and wife. Pornography distorts the mind into believing that any form of sex is acceptable at anytime. It is a major contributor to pre-martial sex and adultery which God strictly forbids. (1 Thessalonians 4:3)

3) It devours peace: Pornography leads to shame and deep guilt that robs one's inner peace and joy.

4) It destroys life: Pornography fuels the heart with such passion that it can lead to acts of violence to satisfy its craving. Confessed serial killer Ted Bundy acknowledged personal responsibility for his sex crimes but stated that they were the results of a child consumed by pornography-fed sexual fantasies. His introduction to "soft-core porn" was at a grocery store while his first experience with "hard-core porn" was in the discarded copies found along the road. Eventually a time arrived in his life when the visual no longer satisfied and he murdered a woman while acting out his sexual fantasy.
It also destroys its user. How does an Eskimo kill a wolf? First, he coats his knife with blood and allows it to freeze. He continues this process several times. In time the knife is hidden beneath layers of frozen blood. Next he buries the knife in the frozen tundra blade up. In time a wolf will smell that blood and begin licking the blade. he licks more and more until the blade is licked clean. Due to the frigid cold the wolf never feels the pain inflicted from the blade and eventually bleeds to death. Pornography works in the same manner. It gives you a taste of the forbidden knowing you will crave more. You continue "licking" at its offerings to satisfy fleshly desires while unbeknowlingly its razor sharp blade is destroying your character, wholesomeness, and life.

5) It depreciates women: Pornography is primarily a man's business. It degrades women into sex objects. Playboy degrades women into the status of mere animals (bunnies) or "playmates" making them a toy for one's personal pleasure while Penthouse depicts women as "pets" with which one is to play. Pornographers present women as "sex things" not the majestic pearl of awesome value God created. Viewers of porn cannot help but develop an unhealthy and highly toxic view of women.

6) It dominates the mind: Pornography masters a person's will. It will only take the effort to abandon it to discover how dominating, controlling it actually is. The chains of pornography are forged with the strongest steel making emancipation from them impossible apart from the power of God.

7) It dupes you: It deceives you into believing what you once thought was abominable is really acceptable. Gradually over time it numbs the senses towards what is deviant until you wake up one day with sympathetic convictions. Everything pornography tells you is a lie.

8) It disrupts marriage: Pornography leads to an unhealthy expectation regarding sex in marriage. It's pictures, movies, and magazines mar normal and healthy expectations.

9) It damages one's reputation: Pornography injures your witness and testimony.

10) It depletes a person's time and energy: Endless hours and energy can be exhausted searching for that "right" picture on the internet or in magazines. It robs one of time and energy that should be spent studying for class, Bible study, or in wholesome activities with family and friends.

In conclusion, this list came from The Pornography Trap by Frank R. Shivers. If you are struggling with pornography please me an appointment to come to my office to see me. Remember pornography will take you further than you want to go. It will cost you more than you want to pay. It will keep you longer than you want to stay.