Andy's Blog

Porn is nothing new, but since the advent of the internet, it seems to have built huge momentum. For the rest of the week, we are going to look at pornography from all angles, including some many of you probably have never considered.

I should make a serious digression point here. I am stating for the record that I am a hypocrite when it comes to this issue. As you will see over the course of the week, I will take a very strong moral stance on pornography. However, I struggle very hard with this issue. In the past 15 months I have viewed pornography 7 times. Now some of you (probably women) think that is a disgusting amount. Others of you (probably men) think that I am bragging that I have only done it 7 times. The truth is probably somewhere in between. But all of what I am about to say should be with the understanding that I too struggle with this issue. I know I have done wrong, but that still doesn't change the absolute truth of this issue. C.S. Lewis says "you can't judge a coat by the person who wears it," and I am saying, "that you can't judge an issue by the person who practices it." But I digress.

I came across a study recently that says 50% of Christian men and 20% of Christian women use porn (that number is actually 34% according to another study). When all women are considered this number jumps to 53% (and believe it or not I could not find a statistic on the percentage of men viewing porn, probably because it is 99%). 25% of all internet searches are for porn. 77% of online visitors to adult content sites are male. Their average age is 41 and they have an annual income of $60,000. 46% are married.

Now I am going to tell you something that I don't think anyone will ever say. It may mean I am wrong - however, I think until we honestly face up to the issue we are never going to be able to deal with it, so it needs to be said. I think the reason porn is such a strong factor in our society is because for many it is better than sex. I know, most of you want to ring my neck for saying that. And given the fact that I am still ("technically") a virgin, should be all the more reason to believe I don't know what I am talking about, right? But before you discount me, maybe we should be asking the question why are otherwise perfect marriages wrecked by porn usage? Why are men and women literally throwing away their lives, their families, their relationships for this. So maybe, just maybe, for the next five days, give me the benefit of the doubt. If you think I am wrong, that's cool, but for five days just go along with it.

I will defend that stance more tomorrow (but this blog is getting seriously long). I will say this before I end this post, just because something may be better doesn't mean it is necessarily good for you (or society). Think of the ultimate cheeseburger. This is no McDonalds cheeseburger. This is no cheeseburger you have ever had in your life. This cheeseburger is so fatty, so delicious, so unbelievably life changing that the instant you finish digesting this cheeseburger you will certainly die of a heart attack. The reason: because you took eating outside the boundaries the heart was designed to handle. Now for those first 10 minutes it was probably the best thing that you have ever had, but that doesn't mean it was the best thing for you, nor does it mean the mass consumption of these cheeseburgers by society would be good for culture. That is the way I am going to approach porn for the next five days: it is the ultimate cheeseburger that will kill you.

Upcoming:
Wed: Reasons For Porn's Growth
Thus: What If My Partner Doesn't Care
Fri: What God Has To Say
Sat: Methods That Help

References:
Puremorality.org
Christianpost.com

Trueu.org

Blazinggrace.org