C: “I’m addicted to porn. I watch it every day and it’s the only thing that relieves me from life that is extremely stressful. I know that the Church thinks it’s wrong but personally, I think it’s better than having sex with someone else where I could end up pregnant or an STD. Honestly, I just don’t see why porn is so wrong. What do you think?”
A: I think it’s powerful that you identify and see the true problem. You are admitting you have an addiction to pornography. That is the first step in recovery, acknowledging the problem.
I can sympathize with you, as I know what it’s like to have watched pornography every day. At the time, it was the only thing that would relieve me from thing stressors of life. I had been hooked on pornography for 24 years, it was an every day occurrence, usually more than once a day.
I have a couple thoughts to your questions that you raised. When you say, “the Church thinks it’s wrong…” Well, I’d go up higher to say, “God frowns upon pornography.” Of course, using pornography may appear to be the safe thing to do, and you were correct, you can’t get pregnant, you can’t get an STD from view porn, but I would like to encourage you to think beyond that. What is happening to your brain when viewing pornography? When there is an addiction to pornography, using it has altered your brain. So you may not get an STD, but you are playing with fire that will one day burn you or kill you.
How you ask? Pornography lies to you, it will always make false promises. Pornography steals from you, it will also demand more. If you were turned on by heterosexual pornography, eventually that stimuli doesn’t give you the same “high” it once did. So you will now look for riskier things, more taboo. Eventually, the addiction to pornography will have you doing things you never thought you’d ever do, e.g. physically acting out.
Pornography also steals from healthy relationships, it isolates you. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. When involved with viewing pornography, the normal healthy relationships no longer matter, because you are feeding the beast inside you.
Why do I think porn is so wrong? Well for the Christian, it’s lusting after someone that doesn’t belong to us. It doesn’t matter whether you are married or single. The people on the computer screen etc. are people, human beings. They are someone’s mother, father, brother, sister. When viewing pornography, we aren’t looking at them with God’s eyes, we are looking at them with a lustful, selfish motivation. Viewing pornography and masturbation are selfish activities. They do not bring joy to the God. Pornography doesn’t bring joy to any Christian heart.
Pornography, yes is pleasurable, but the temporary satisfaction is so fleeting. The guilt and shame that follow isn’t worth it. Do you think it’s worth it? I remember thousands of times viewing pornography and masturbating, the guilt and shame that would rise immediately afterwards. Not days or weeks after; we’re talking about seconds after climax, instant shame and remorse, knowing that I’ve hurt myself and I hurt God.
My encouragement to you, is to seek God with your heart. If you don’t know God, ask someone about Him. Jesus is the only way out of this addiction. You may not feel the pain, shame, guilt now from your addiction, but trust me, you will. It’s a dead-end road.
Any other road is better than addiction! This recovery is not easy, don’t believe anyone who tells you it’s easy. It’s not. It’s a process. It’s a journey. I pray that you find someone you trust to walk this out with you!