Posted on 09/09/2014 8:56:24 PM PDT by Morgana
In the spring of 2000, Zogby International asked more than a thousand U.S. adults whether they had ever visited a sexually-oriented web site. Only one in five had done so. Among born-again Christians, 18 percent had gone to such sites, just three percentage points less than the general public.
Well, fast forward to today. A group called Proven Men Ministries commissioned the Barna Group to examine current pornography use. You might want to sit down for this—Barna found that 64 percent of American men and 20 percent of women view pornography at least monthly. And for Christian men, that number is 55 percent.
Fourteen years ago, only one out of every three men had ever gone to a pornography site, but now nearly one-third of men under 30 do so on a daily basis. And if you think it can’t get worse, the survey found that 18 percent of men believe they may be addicted to pornography. That’s more than 20 million men in deep trouble.
Friends, take a moment to let this sink in. More than half of Christian men in America routinely expose themselves to sexually explicit lies that shape the way they see sex, love, marriage, and women. I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that this is a crisis for the Church and certainly for our culture. If these numbers are accurate in any sense, and I believe they are, we’ve reached a time of reckoning.
One of the first things to realize is that rampant pornography use can’t be isolated from its larger cultural context. So many of our social ills stem from the fact that society is losing or abandoning the ability to see people as beings made in the image of God.
With crime, victims are treated as obstacles to overcome or things to exploit. Abortion sees people as disposable because he or she is inconvenient. Pornography treats people as objects in service of self-gratification. We’ve become this “use or be used” society.
And so, if we are to reclaim the sacred dignity of every human person amidst this brutish culture, we must turn inward. We’re all tempted to point angry fingers at those sinners “out there” that we think are degrading our culture. But even as Miley Cyrus flaunts herself on stage in front of millions, tens of millions of Christians are secretly watching pornography while their churches stay silent as tombs about the issue.
It may be that we in the church should revisit the story of the self-righteous Pharisee in Luke 18. If these survey results are true, we can no longer stand in the front of the church patting ourselves on the back for not being like those sexual sinners out there. Instead, together we can lower our face before God and say, “Have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Although this survey grieves me, I remain hopeful that through true evangelism and service, and by praying and seeking spiritual renewal in our churches, we have an incredible opportunity to reach out with the Good News of Jesus Christ to the hidden, the lost, and the ashamed. And right now, there are plenty of folks—millions even—waiting along the highways and byways for an invitation to the wedding feast of the Lamb. And invite them we must.
The Bible warns us many times that the sexually immoral will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. People’s eternal lives are at stake, including many who we call brother and sister each week in church.
We can keep pretending this isn’t an issue facing our friends, neighbors, and our very families, or we can do something about it. Click here to learn more about how to get started. We have links to all kinds of resources and organizations that can help.
And, above all, pray for our Christian leaders who must begin to address this issue head on. And let me be clear, it won’t be easy. The topic of pornography is so difficult, embarrassing, and painful for many Christians to talk about. But talk about it we must.
Reprinted with permission from Breakpoint.org.
Thanks for the heads up, FRiend. I'd like to bring up a topic I first broached about four years ago and get comments from those reading this thread.
As my posting history reveals, I'm a proud flag-waving Texan. I love this state and its Christian Conservative values. One thing that makes me cringe when I drive back from Oklahoma or anywhere in the Midwest is that the very first you see when crossing the Red River into the Lone Star state is a big, garishly lit smut shop. It's at mile marker #1 on I-35. It's positioned so that its location is just before the Texas Welcome Center. As an adherent to free market principles, part of me accepts it since it's a legal business and evidently serves a market niche. On the other hand, as a Christian, it appalls me that the first impression that people get of Texas is a sleazy, tacky porn emporium.
I guess to square my two conflicting principles, those of the free enterprise American way along with my disgust with smut, is that people just wise up to the dangers of porn and quit patronizing that joint.
Thoughts from fellow FReepers, most far smarter than I, are anticipated!
“...And for Christian men, that number is 55 percent.”
“Christian”. Lots of people call themselves Christian for many different reasons.
Nice double standard.
Those have become far less frequent within the past few years (and I've been reading FR since September 2001 in spite of my less than stellar born on date). I know they were always meant in good clean fun but, to some extent, yes, they did bother me. I presumed that "hitting" meant the sin of fornication. Like adultery, it's too often taken lightly and dismissed with a mere wave of the hand.
I'm pretty sure the final judgment doesn't include allowances for "free market principles".
IMO there is only one way out of addictions like pornography and it is step by step.
It starts with knowing Jesus Christ. But it doesn't end there. As the article shows, not much difference there as far as addictions like pornography go.
The key is the next step: KNOWING there is NO condemnation if you are God's child (Rom 8:1). The Bible says it, but we don't believe it because our conscience demands justice for sin. We must learn the gospel according to God's Word as revealed in the New Testament. Romans lays out the gospel for us, step by step. We are not under the old covenant of the law but under the new covenant of grace. The clincher is, "For sin has no dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace" (Rom 6:14).
The answer and antidote for sin is not the law, but grace, as Romans 6:14 spells out. We need to understand the new covenant we are now under, where God promises, "Your sins and iniquities I will remember no more" (Hebrews 8:12, 10:17). But our conscience cries out, "Unjust, I have sinned, I am guilty and payment is required."
But we must learn the truth and power of the gospel: Jesus paid it all on the cross. His sacrifice was a perfect one-time sacrifice that made us perfect. Jesus did what the law could never do: fix us.
For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereto perfect...Then said he, Lo, I come to do your will, O God. He takes away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: but this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (Heb 10:1,7-14).
Jesus said, "It is finished." He has done it all and to prove it, he rose from the dead and sat down at the right hand of God, because there is nothing more to be done. We must believe the gospel: that God loves us and is not mad at us. God's righteous wrath and judgment against our sins was exhausted on the body of his beloved son Jesus Christ. Jesus did what no man could ever do and because of his complete sacrifice, we have free access to God the Father and Jesus Christ who love us so deeply. And because we are no longer under the law (Rom 6:14) we are free from sin, guilt and condemnation, not by our righteous but by the GIFT of His righteousness (Rom 5:17). Knowing the truth will truly set you free (John 8:32).
I don’t know that I buy that...
Excellent point and thanks so much.
During the time interval between my previous post and this one, I did some on-line research. Without exception, all of the purveyors of pornography are leftists. Two of the more infamous are Hugh Hefner who has donated large sums to the DemonRAT party and, of course, the despicable smut merchant, Larry Flynt of Hustler is a 'RAT who seeks to discredit Conservatives and Christians. And need I mention Al Goldstein of S**ew magazine? It's self-evident where this foul atheist found political refuge.
Well, that completely settles it in my mind, the smut merchants and homosexualists are just two branches of the same evil root. Zero tolerance for both!
If men spent a fraction of what they spend on porn to support MRAs or cures for prostrate cancer, a lot of the inequalities they complain about would have been eliminated by now.
Did the author examine the methodologies of these two polls to see of they’re really doing an apples-to-apples comparison?
Upfront I want to describe myself as currently sober drunk who’s had some experience earlier in life with booze.
There are the obvious intoxicants that one may think of like alcohol or crack or meth and prescription pain killers and so on.
But is it possible that lust is an intoxicant with the porn being the most powerful kind like whiskey or gin and maybe the women on news shows with their legs and bosoms out are beer?
Millions of men are getting hits while the talking points of the political machines are fed to them.
Drunks live in a fantasy world....its no wonder so many folks think that the Republican Party is riding in on a white horse to save them from Obama......they’re drunk on porn and buzzed from news babes.
1. What's different between 2000 and 2014?..(and don't say 14 years..) It's the internet. Porn is now available everywhere, and it's FREE...and as most home lack filters..or kids can easily bypass/evade them..those who were kids in 2000 are now adults..and they've become habituated to porn.
2. As the left succeeds in eroding values, porn becomes mainstream. Sasha Grey, one of the biggest stars in porn in recent years..famed for doing scenes with 4-5-6 male partners..writes a children's book..gets to read to young students in a school, and gets on NBC's Today
3. Then we have the recent Duke student.."Belle Knox"..who turned to porn to pay her tuition...( or that was the story initially)
4. Among many conservatives, there is a strong libertarian streak..this may explain why some on the right are willing to accept porn..
5. The rise of the use of marijuana and other drugs closely correlates with the growing acceptability of porn. 6. Hip-Hop is completely misogynistic. Youngsters of all races now embrace it. They become conditioned to treating women as "hos" and sluts. Porn is a natural extension.
7.Tattoos..The spread of "ink" among younger people is now widespread..To me, it makes no sense. You're debasing your body..Yet go to any college campus today..and it's widespread, and visible, especially among females. And we all know you cant be a porn star without having lots of tats..
Cole Porter said it best a long time ago: "Anything Goes"
OK..time for more coffee..
Lady Gaga, Paris Hilton...any and all of the Kardashians..
world's gone mad..
And of course..Mixed Martial Arts..our version of the Romans’ gladiator combat...men get off watching women beat the crap out of each other..
8. If you’re a young college man, having actual sex with another student is a legal mine field. The throes of passion are now supposed to be punctuated with legalistic expressions of consent. And if she changes her mind the next day you’ll be railroaded off campus, disgraced, losing your tuition, all with no due process. If I were a young man today, actual dating would seem like way too much work.
Good point....as one who came of age in the 60’s...well..it was far, far different then..
Ridiculous. /s
When a Christian views porn, I'm more interested in the post-event reaction. If he or she feels remorse and repents of the sin, I'd assume that the Christian fell to the temptation of sin as all of us are prone to do at times. Our Lord is a forgiving God. He forgives even those who have repeatedly fallen if the repentance is sincere.
If a "Christian" views porn without the sense of guilt, then there is a problem. Their conscience appears to be seared and he or she should be rightfully concerned about whether or not they are truly a Christian.
A Christian can certainly sin but a Christian should not be able to sin without feeling guilt if the Holy Spirit is active in their life.
Of course, the above is not an endorsement of or a rationalization for viewing porn.
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