Beginning in the 1970s, Ted Bundy was one of America's most brutal serial killers and rapists. He admitted to 30 homicides between 1974 and 1978. The actual count is unknown and may be much higher.

Bundy's crimes covered seven states. All of his victims were young women. He escaped from jail twice before finally being put to death in a Florida prison electric chair on January 24, 1989. He was 42 years old.

Pornography Was A Factor

The night before his death, Bundy was interviewed by Dr. James Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family. In one segment, Bundy told Dr. Dobson about the effect his pornography addiction had on his life.

"Like most other kinds of addiction," he said, "I would keep looking for more potent, more explicit, more graphic kinds of material. Like an addiction, you keep craving something which is harder, harder, something which gives you a greater sense of excitement. Until you reach the point that pornography only goes so far…"

Bundy added, "I've lived in prison a long time now. I've met a lot of men who were motivated to commit violence just like me. And without exception, every one of them was deeply involved in pornography. Without question, without exception, deeply influenced and consumed by addiction to pornography."

Bundy was well-known for giving conflicting information and often changed his facts about the same story several times. So it cannot be known for sure to what extent pornography impacted his life. But it certainly impacted other lives – those of his victims and their families.

Today, there is even more evidence of a correlation between pornography and more severe sexual crimes.

Sex Crimes Are Often Based In Porn

Studies support that porn does play a major role in sex crimes.

A Michigan State Police report showed that in 41 percent of sexual assault cases, porn was viewed just prior to or during the crime.

A University of New Hampshire study showed that the highest rape rates are in states that have high sales of porn magazines.

Research found that adult porn was connected with each of 1,400 sexual abuse cases in Lousiville, Kentucky. The majority of them were also connected with child porn.

Other studies found that heavy use of the type of porn sold at adult bookstores matched an increased willingness to commit rape or other forced sexual acts.

The FBI said porn is found at 80 percent of the scenes of violent sex crimes, or in the homes of the offender. Police officers say that porn use is one of the most common profile traits of serial murderers and rapists.

"But I'm Not A Serial Killer!"

It is true that not everyone who views pornography will commit such terrible crimes. But that does not mean that your use of porn is harmless.

Frequently those who struggle with pornography describe how they ended up in a situation beyond their control. You may say, "My porn use isn't hurting anyone. Besides, I only look at 'soft porn'." But porn in any form has negative effects on yourself and those around you.

Dr. Tim Jennings is a neuroscientist and author who appears in a cinematic study called the Conquer Series where he describes how porn affects the brain. In the Conquer Series, Jennings explains, "Porn is a problem at any dose, and it doesn't need to be utilized at any dose. It's like I wouldn't tell people: 'Well, as long as you're not addicted to cocaine, cocaine is fine.' No, it's not!"

Excuses Need To Stop

Perhaps you haven't taken a hard look at the real evils that exist within pornography. You didn't realize how it can control you and the damage it can cause.

But no matter how much of a hold porn has on you, that stronghold of Satan can be broken.

God's grace can free you from your porn addiction. His grace and love can cleanse all the shame and guilt you feel.

Then it's time to stop using excuses. You may have used some of these common ones:

"I'm just bored. I don't have anything else to do."

"I've had a hard day. I deserve some time to make myself feel better."

"It's just a way for me to escape from my day-to-day life. What's wrong with a little fantasy?"

There are many more. You're not fooling yourself. You know the reasons go deeper. But it's time to stand up and move towards a new porn-free life.

There Is Help For You

You do not have to fight your porn battle alone. In fact, studies show that most likely there are many other men in your church who also struggle.

A powerful resource to help you break free from porn addiction is the two-volume Conquer Series. Over 750,000 men have gone through this 10-week course in more than 70 countries. Thousands of churches are running the series this fall.

Men like Ted Bundy remind us that pornography addiction is not to be taken lightly. But through God's grace and the teachings of the Conquer Series, you can find freedom.

Find out more about the Conquer Series or join a group at ConquerSeries.com.