So what's so bad about pornography?

I spent 20 or so years pursuing pornography in its various forms. In the years since I was set free in 1998, God has been helping me see and understand his perspective on pornography. I created this page to share that perspective and answer the question, "What is so bad about pornography?" Overall, porn affects every viewer negatively, regardless of religious belief, creed, gender or age. Here is my list of reasons that explain why.

1) Pornography feeds lust of the eyes and lust of the flesh, which are never satisfied. It leaves the viewer craving more and more in order to achieve the same "sexual high." It easily enslaves people to their own cravings and opens the door to other forms of evil, like anger, abuse, violence, hatred, lying, envy, compulsiveness and selfishness. The power behind porn is revealed when the porn addict tries to stop their habit - it is virtually impossible without help.

2) Pornography sexualizes the viewer's mindset. It warps and perverts their perspective such that sex is unnaturally elevated in their thoughts. Porn's images are stamped into viewer's brain with the aid of hormones released during sexual arousal. Even if a person decides to stop looking at porn, the past images can remain for years or even a lifetime.

3) Pornography promotes destructive practices and can lead to progressive addiction. For example, porn sites routinely link viewers to depictions of every type of sexual perversion imaginable, such as child porn, homosexuality, bestiality, necrophilia (sexual interest in corpses), masochism (pleasure from abuse or suffering), rape and sadism (gratification from inflicting physical or mental pain on others). The viewer's exposure to such themes naturally increases the likelihood that they may attempt to act out what they've viewed. This can lead to sexual crimes, a la the late Ted Bundy and Gary Ridgway (The Green River Killer) .

4) Pornography intensifies an individual's drive to serve oneself, rather than serve others. For example, masturbation, which typically accompanies looking at pornography reinforces a self-centered sexual orientation (i.e. lust), which can detract from a person's ability to give and receive love.

5) Pornography addiction can lead to debt. The convenience of credit card transactions on the internet encourages covert spending without limit. Additionally, pornographers flood common internet areas with enticing banner ads ("teasers") and spam email, which bait potential viewers with free porn. Once lured by the free porn to the site, the viewers must then pay to see more. Porn can also cause huge financial losses for employers with employees who waste company time searching for porn, downloading, viewing and covering their tracks on company computers. Employees who get caught accessing porn and are subsequently get fired will experience potentially significant losses, most likely leading to debt.

6) By viewing and/or purchasing porn, viewers are supporting the porn industry and facilitating its growth. By viewing porn, the viewer is also contributing to the sexual exploitation of whoever or whatever is in the images he or she is viewing.

7) Looking at porn can damage the viewer's family relationships, not to mention increasing the chance of his or her spouse and children finding the material. Porn may also inspire the viewer to explore incest, which is a common porn theme. Other things porn may inspire in the viewer (which could in turn affect the family) include sexual frustration, lying, abuse, affairs, debt, violent behavior and irrational thinking. (see Testimonials on how porn destroys lives)

8) Looking at porn at work could damage the viewer's reputation, decrease his or her productivity and lead to job loss. It could also inspire unhealthy and/or inappropriate relationships with co-workers.

9) Looking at porn can damage the viewer's current or future marriage sex life. Porn viewers may find that it's difficult to enjoy true intimacy with their spouse when they're fantasizing about somebody else! Additionally, porn builds an unrealistic perception of sexual relations. Porn sex is a portrayal or an act made for the viewer's enjoyment. It takes what God intended as a private expression of love between a husband and wife and prostitutes it for entertainment. When a person has been looking at sexual pictures of other people for entertainment, he or she will have a downgraded value of sex. This in turn will detract from their appreciation and value of sex with their spouse.

We often hear from women whose husbands have fed on porn to the point of preferring porn over having actual sex with their spouses. Over the years since the internet began, the proliferation of porn has exponentially increased. Men and Women are looking at porn now more than ever - it is no longer just a guy thing! One man wrote to us explaining how his wife's porn addiction has affected their marriage sex life: "Many of the affects are the same [as what wives of porn addicts feel], including feelings of inadequacy and fear that I am not capable of fulfilling my wifeís needs. I am also afraid that she doesnít really want me sexually. It affects my health profoundly and I am suffering daily with fear and battling depression. I am living in fear that she will cheat on me and she has trouble telling me that she wonít. When I have an episode were I canít get an erection she say many hurtful things and threatens to get satisfied elsewhere. This in turn increases the frequency of the performance anxiety. ...Sex is a intensely mental state and if fear or doubt is involved, arousal is impossible... she refuses to believe that, because it is coming from me and I am just blaming my problem on her. She says that I am not attracted to her and maybe she needs to find someone who is. This is not the case. I am attracted to her, but mentally I am in turmoil and not able to focus on anything but doubt."

10) Looking at porn will increase the viewer's tendency to lie, because he or she will have a natural desire to keep it secret to avoid criticism, embarrassment, shame and/or having to surrender their habit.

11) Looking at porn can lead a person into masturbation addiction.

12) Looking at porn brings serious spiritual consequences (see consequences page). For example, it opens the doorway to spiritual oppression and confusion in the viewer's life. The power behind pornography is inherently evil. It seeks to control and dominate the viewer's life, while allowing other forms of evil to gain influence in that person. Once a person starts looking at the porn, their eyes become the gateway for the evil power to enter them. As it gains influence, the evil can numb the viewer's ability discern right and wrong. As traditional moral values are blurred, confusion sets in.

13) Looking at porn helps you start to believe the lies it promotes. Example lies include:

Sexual freedom = happiness

Perverted sex (homosexual sex, incest, BDSM, etc) is more enjoyable than "normal" heterosexual sex

There are no consequences to sexual promiscuity

Sexual expression is a right, not a God-given or God-defined gift

You can live a healthy life with the porn images floating around in your mind

Porn doesn't harm anyone

Sex is something to be done primarily for self gratification

The porn stars are the happiest people on earth

Adults can view porn without any lasting side effects

Porn will help your sex life

Porn is just a harmless thing that everybody looks at

More lies...