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Stopping Pornography from Destroying Lives
TheSacredPage.com ^ | Wednesday, October 20, 2010 | TheSacredPage from National Catholic Register

Posted on 10/23/2010 8:32:58 PM PDT by Salvation

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Stopping Pornography from Destroying Lives

 

There's a great piece in the National Catholic Register on the fight against pornography. The story focuses on Matthew Fradd. Fradd himself was addicted to porn before being freed from his addiction by the grace of God. He is now helping others. . .

OTTAWA, Ontario — After successfully battling an addiction to pornography, Matthew Fradd has dedicated himself to helping others.

“Porn is not just naughty — it’s evil,” said Fradd, a 27-year-old Australian living in Ottawa, Ontario. “It emasculates men, degrades women and destroys marriages.”

Fradd has begun his second year operating his anti-pornography website, ThePornEffect.com . He launched it on Aug. 14, 2009, on the feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe, patron of addicts, using $12,000 in seed money donated to him by a priest-friend.

Fradd’s is a lonely voice going against the culture on the issue, especially considering that nearly 25 million websites (12% of all websites) and 25% of all daily search-engine requests are pornography-related.

In addition, a surprising number of women are regular viewers of pornography. A third of those Americans regularly visiting porn websites are women.

A variety of polls have revealed that those active in Christian churches have difficulties with porn. Promise Keepers, one of the largest Christian men’s conferences in the United States, asked men at their 2008 conferences in anonymous polls if they had viewed porn in the last week; 53% of the nearly 10,000 who responded admitted that they had.

Pornography is hard on marriages, too. In a 2002 survey of 350 members of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, an association of divorce attorneys, for example, 56% said “obsessive interest in pornographic sites” was a factor leading to marital breakups.

Fradd’s site features information about how pornography affects men, women and marriages, inspirational stories of individuals who have become porn-free, information on how to beat porn addictions, videos, and opportunities to offer support to those who want to be free of porn. Fradd launched the site, he explained, because while there are millions of websites that feature pornography, “there’s not a lot out there for men and women who are struggling to be free from porn.”

‘Hooked’ at 8

Fradd, who is from southern Australia, got “hooked” on pornography at the age of 8 when he found some in his grandfather’s shed. By age 12, he was stealing porn from neighborhood stores, and in his teen years, he had acquired a vast collection.

“No one had to tell me it was a bad thing,” he said. “I knew it was shameful. I was hoping I’d grow out of it.”

Here's the rest.
 


TOPICS: Catholic; Current Events; Mainline Protestant; Moral Issues
KEYWORDS: addictions; catholic; catholiclist; moralabsolutes; pornography; testimony
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Hats off to Matthew Fradd!!

What a story and what a minisitry he has undertaken! God bless him!

1 posted on 10/23/2010 8:33:01 PM PDT by Salvation
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To: Salvation

I have no idea about this at all, but it has been shared with me that this is one of the things that repeated might get mentioned in Confession.

Definitely and addiction.

Any thoughts out there?

I’m wondering if the use of pornography is more addictive and widespread that we ever imagined.


2 posted on 10/23/2010 8:42:30 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
Good for Matthew Fradd!

You didn't list this as a Caucus, but as it's a plauge to all mankind, may I as a Mormon, say I completely agree.

If I may add, Elder Jeffery R. Holland, LDS apostle, in an address earlier this year on the subject.

“Place No More for the Enemy of My Soul”

http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=54c6b73f64838210VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

3 posted on 10/23/2010 8:43:20 PM PDT by Ripliancum ("If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man, whether he rage or laugh, there is no rest." Prov.29:9)
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To: Salvation

Placemark.


4 posted on 10/23/2010 8:44:42 PM PDT by little jeremiah (Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.CSLewis)
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To: Salvation

It most likely is. I have had more than a few bouts myself.


5 posted on 10/23/2010 8:44:58 PM PDT by wally_bert (It's sheer elegance in its simplicity! - The Middleman)
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To: Salvation

I’m fairly certain that you can function perfectly normal with the occasional viewing of such matters. The addiction issues aside considering if you become addicted could be an issue. Other issues of course are unrealistic expectations during intercourse and of course the cast of jersey shore...

but i did hear that the most porn is bought in the bible belt...don’t know how accurate that is


6 posted on 10/23/2010 8:46:24 PM PDT by chevydude26
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To: chevydude26

Oh, that’s a strange place for the most porn to be viewed.


7 posted on 10/23/2010 8:50:47 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: chevydude26

Can one have a holiness of mind focused on God and eternal life when addidcted to anything?


8 posted on 10/23/2010 8:52:06 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation

I heard it on Colin Cowherd’s show. But then again i’m fairly certain people don’t really buy porn anymore they just download it from the internet.

It sounds like its probably and old outdated quote or something with flimsy evidence to support it but when said its meant to have the effect of hypocricy...i’ll check the authenticity of the quote


9 posted on 10/23/2010 8:53:21 PM PDT by chevydude26
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To: Salvation

Porn is quite addictive. Breaking away from that addiction is as hard as any hard drug addiction. It can consume someone’s time at the rate of many hours a day, weekends on end. Just like any drug, the person gets desensitized to the images with time, and needs to go to harder and harder porn. However, unlike hard drugs, it is the most under-report of all addictions. Yet, I suspect that it affects more people than all other addictions combined.


10 posted on 10/23/2010 8:54:40 PM PDT by winner3000
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To: Ripliancum

Non-labeled threads are open threads.


11 posted on 10/23/2010 8:55:06 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: winner3000

**it is the most under-report of all addictions. Yet, I suspect that it affects more people than all other addictions combined.**

This is exactly why I posted the thread.


12 posted on 10/23/2010 8:57:12 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation

Internet pornography sells at $3,000 per second. That is over $4,000,000,000 per year. That is more than what the NFL, NBA, MLB and the NHL earn combined in a year.


13 posted on 10/23/2010 9:08:10 PM PDT by InvisibleChurch (Stimulus ~ Response / "...and that's why the color yellow makes me sad, I think.")
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To: Salvation

Good for him.

Porn is extremely addicting and extremely hard to break because you are exposed to it everywhere and are only a click away online.


14 posted on 10/23/2010 9:08:28 PM PDT by skyman
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To: Salvation
This Thread Is Worthless Without Pictures

/s

15 posted on 10/23/2010 9:16:37 PM PDT by ClearCase_guy
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To: InvisibleChurch

that’s an incredible amount of money.


16 posted on 10/23/2010 9:18:57 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation

I don’t want to sound stupid here but what did men do before porn? Is the point that they should be using their imagination rather than actual images of women?


17 posted on 10/23/2010 9:19:53 PM PDT by Yaelle (We need a Comprehensive Congress Reform!)
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To: Salvation

//Can one have a holiness of mind focused on God and eternal life when addidcted to anything//

The Bible says no and I believe it. I am trying to remember the passage but it seems to enrage gays who are in the church. To do so is to make that thing the persons god or golden calf as it were.

Something about the idolater the drunkard the effeminate shall not pass through the gates of heaven.


18 posted on 10/23/2010 9:52:37 PM PDT by valkyry1
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To: Yaelle

Good point. Or better yet, paying attention to their wives.


19 posted on 10/23/2010 9:56:08 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Yaelle

Who knows? Even primitive societies have pornographic images. It is about as old as civilisation itself.


20 posted on 10/23/2010 9:57:41 PM PDT by Army Air Corps (Four fried chickens and a coke)
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