The Effects
What Pornography Does
Pornography is not a topic that most people want to talk about. But the harsh truth about it is that it needs to be talked about just as much as other sin issues. For believers, it’s easier to confess a sin when it involves over-eating, thinking bad thoughts, or even having a temper tantrum. It might even be less difficult to confess stealing or lying. I would even wager people would be more willing to discuss divorce or any other issue than they would personal sexual sin.
However, turn the subject to pornography and people start feeling uncomfortable. Bring on the gamut of sexual perversions such as homosexuality, extra-marital affairs, fornication, masturbation, lust, prostitution, sex slavery, etc. and people start squirming in their chairs. I’m purposely leaving out some of the more disgusting perverse sins because I think you get the point.
Sexual immorality is a difficult subject to broach among people who still value morals and decency. I say that tongue in cheek because I find that there are many people who claim to value morals but find themselves in immoral situations. And I place myself in that category. It’s sad and we need to turn away from this hypocrisy.
Society as a whole, however, has seemingly embraced sexual immorality as a normal part of life. Not that I want to make this all about homosexuality but recent events in sports has shown praise for certain athletes who would proclaim their sexual freedom and display it in front of the whole world. On the one hand there’s the issue of a man kissing another man. On the other, there’s the deliberate act of wanting to display wanton sexuality thus showing no sense of morals or modesty.
Recent events are only examples of the decline of morals and values that used to guide the collective consciousness of this nation. Years ago, perhaps centuries ago, people used to fear God. Today, people not only do not fear God, they don’t even want to acknowledge His existence.
When I first thought of writing this post, I was going to cite statistics and provide links to various articles showing the effects of pornography and sexual immorality on our culture. To be certain, there are plenty of examples. But I think it would be a tiresome exercise. I believe that despite the arguments and objections, people understand the decline in morals. Some may actually celebrate it.
It’s the Christian community that concerns me. Don’t get me wrong. I think the secular world is in a rapid decline in the cesspool of despair. But it’s the church that needs to clean house and gets its own affairs in order. If a hospital is going to tend to the sick, it needs to have workers that are healthy and understands medicine. The same idea applies to the church. But it’s the need for godly men and women to live authentically according to the gospel of Jesus Christ and be the vessels that God would use to bring the life saving message to a dying world.
It’s time that the church understands the issues that are plaguing the body and making it sick. They need to quit being uncomfortable to talk about the issues that are systematically hurting the family. We need leaders that are willing to lead the fight against the stain of immorality that’s affecting the church.
I’m not saying I have all the answers but one of the greatest examples in the Bible is in Ephesians where the Apostle Paul talks about bringing sin issues into the light. There needs to be an honest assessment of the problem and it needs to be talked about. It needs to be exposed.
Leaders within the church are not immune to this problem. In fact, there are plenty of books and articles that would indicate that sexual immorality is rampant even within the leadership of the church itself. As there are plenty of examples of men in the Bible who dealt with these issues of immorality, the church is finding itself again having to confront them today. And the answer lies within our recognition of the problem and our desperate cry for Jesus to bring healing and restoration back to the church and our families. Revival is needed and the kind that brings men to their knees. Only then will the effects of pornography and sexual immorality be turned around.
