Knowledge Is Power: Get the Facts on Pornography

For, oh I'd say, the last 6 months I've found myself in many-a conversation about the dangers of pornography. I've appreciated it because how do you know what you don't know unless you discuss? There is so much scientific information about addiction—the brain changes that take place, reasons for porn addiction, ways of coping with it, etc.—that we're shooting ourselves in the foot by not increasing our knowledge in something that is so rampant today. There's no hiding from it, ignoring it, hoping it will go away. It won't, so we have to arm ourselves to deal with it in our lives. If you're a friend, sister, wife, mother, or whatever to anyone who has an addiction or might have an addiction to pornography, by increasing your knowledge you can help the people you love be more in control of their lives and know how to avoid any future porn addictions. Not everyone who looks at pornography is addicted, but if they are, it's best if you know how you can help.

So I'm gushing on and on about this because my friend Emilia del Mar posted on her blog a link to more facts about pornography. Click here to read her words and more. Let me know if you have any other questions. I'm still learning, but what I have learned has definitely made me feel more aware and hopeful about the power everyone has to overcome, especially when you let Christ into that equation.

Here are a few examples of how porn can reek havoc (also found in the link above):

-Provide an escape and consume your life so that nothing else matters, even your job or other responsibilities.

-Lead to divorce. Fifty percent of divorces involve one spouse involved in porn.

-Decrease respect for women.

-Decrease desire to marry and have children.

-Increase risk of becoming sexually abusive to others.

-Increase risk of becoming sexually dissatisfied and cheating.

-Encourage unhealthy views about sexuality, such as the belief that sex is nothing more than a recreational activity and that reserving sex for marriage is unrealistic.

-Increase risk of experiencing difficulties in serious, intimate relationships.

(http://www.loveandfidelity.org/blog/?p=334—this is the same article the link about eventually takes you to.)