The Barna Group just released a study regarding pornography and the Christian in the modern world. The following (and very startling) numbers are:
+64% of all self-identified Christian men and 15% of women view pornography at least once a month.
+37% of Christian men and 7% of women view pornography at least several times a week.
+39% of Christian men and 13% of Christian women say their use of pornography is excessive.
+21% and 2% of Christian men and women, respectively, think they are addicted to pornography.
+28% of Christian men and 11% of Christian women say they were exposed to pornography before the age of 12.
To say this is a major problem is to understate it to the extreme. The ever ready and easy accessibility of social media has a dark side. Porn is that darkness—it is its Demon!
There are some simple ways to combat use of, abuse of, and addiction to pornography. These practical and spiritual remedies can be very helpful in resisting this temptation and providing for strong barriers to block and eliminate this struggle and spiritual darkness.
1) Recognize porn for what it is—it is abusive, twisted, and a perversion of God’s beautiful design for the human body, sexuality, and healthy relationships and marriages.
2) When your iPhone or media device turns on, have a religious art or image be your wallpaper.
3) Have a friend or family member block your access with parental controls that make it difficult for you to override.
4) Pray and use the Scriptures to help erase the images burnt into your memory and brain. This is the psychological problem with pornography: it leaves an almost indelible image on your brain that other images can then trigger and cause temptation or desire.
5) Learn and say the Creed, St. Michael prayer and the St. Benedict prayer to help resist temptations.
6) Go to Confession regularly to access God’s love and grace.
7) Have a better image of the human body, sex, and relationships. Don’t use people as objects, but, see them as the children of God they are, as are you!