Is pornography harmful

As we've seen, the internet has made pornography easily accessible to adults and children. Should you be worried? Is Pornography Really Harmful?

Many believe that casual exposure to pornography is harmless. However, the facts show the opposite. Consider the case of a couple who appeared to have an ideal marriage. They were financially secure and loved to travel. Her friends saw her as close, loving, and devoted in many ways.

However, problems arose when her husband started watching pornography. In a letter to a popular counselor, his worried wife wrote of his concern: “When [my husband] was spending a lot of time in front of the computer in the middle of the night and early in the morning, he told me it was 'research'. I ran up to him one morning and caught him watching [porn]. . . He said it was just a matter of curiosity. When I took a closer look at what I saw, I got sick. He was embarrassed and promised to stop and I thought he really meant it. He was always honored to be a man of his word ”.

Like this man, many engage in pornography out of curiosity. In an effort not to be discovered, they connect late at night or early in the morning. When caught they often try to cover up what they are doing by lying like this man did. Can anyone reasonably claim that a "hobby" that lets "a man of his word" sneak up in the middle of the night and lie to his loved ones is harmless?

This practice can cause serious personal and family problems. Some admitted that watching pornography prevented them from developing close relationships with other people. You don't want people to give up their passion for pornography. People tend to fantasize when they watch porn, and imagination does not prepare a person to have strong relationships or to deal with life in the real world. Can a hobby that keeps people away from those who care most about them really be harmless?

In some cases, people viewing or reading pornographic material find it difficult to have normal sex with their partner. To understand why, consider God's original purpose for married people. He lovingly endowed husbands and wives with the ability to joyfully express their love for one another through honorable sex. Proverbs 5:18, 19 show that they have been made pleasant: “Rejoice in the woman of your youth. . . Get intoxicated by your own breasts all the time. May you be constantly amazed by his love. ""

Remember that love must be the foundation for sex. Does the person watching pornography cultivate a warm bond of love and intimacy? No, in most cases you satisfy your own sexual desires yourself. A married man watching pornography may begin to see his partner as a mere object, someone who exists only for his pleasure. This is far from the dignity and honor that the Creator wanted men to bestow on women. (1 Peter 3: 7) Can a practice that affects the most intimate aspects of marriage be considered desirable?

In addition, what has been viewed as an occasional indulgence can lead to long-term addiction. One writer notes, "Just as addicts need stronger drugs to go 'crazy', porn users need to have a more intense experience to experience the same euphoric feelings as before."

Apparently this happened to the husband mentioned earlier in this article. One night, a few months after he promised to stop watching porn, his wife came home and found him on the computer. She could tell from her behavior that something was wrong. "[He] looked very nervous and angry," she wrote. “I looked at the computer and of course saw some incredibly obscene things. He said he was sincere when he promised to stop, but there was nothing he could do about it. ""

With the harm pornography can cause and its wide availability, you have every reason to be concerned. How can you protect yourself and your children?