Today I’m discussing the two types of pornography addicts we typically see in the Church, those who know it’s a sin and are trying to overcome it, and those who don’t see the harm in it. Click here to view part one.
To those of you who don’t think there’s anything wrong with pornography, you have been misled by the father of lies. There is absolutely everything wrong with pornography. Let’s break it down.
We know that Our Father’s great plan of happiness centers on the family unit. We have been taught that we are an eternal family, that in the celestial kingdom, we will live as family units and that as we learn to interact with each other here on earth, we are preparing for our forever families in the eternities to come. It is essential to God’s plan that we marry and have children, inasmuch as we are able, and that we hold the family in the deepest regard.
Human sexuality is one of the most powerful forces on this earth. That drive brings men and women together and seals their relationships. When a man and woman have been married and they come together in a physical bond as well as a spiritual bond, they truly do become one. That power is put into play when they conceive a child, when they work hand in hand with God to bring one of His precious, pure spirits into the world.
When a person indulges in pornography, they are taking something absolutely sacred and precious and reducing it to nothing more than lustful, carnal entertainment. They are perverting a choice gift our Heavenly Father has given us and showing their disrespect for the divine laws upon which this world was created. They are making a mockery out of the family.
“But it’s only affecting me,” you might say. “My spouse doesn’t even have to know. It’s not about him/her, anyway.” That is another lie fed to you by the adversary. When you choose to do something that so completely shuts you off from the Spirit, it affects everyone in your life, even if they never know the cause. Your spouse will know there’s something wrong. Your children will sense there’s something wrong. Contention in your home will rise. You will be less sensitive to the needs of those around you. And when your spouse does find out, and you know it will happen because it always does, you’ll break his/her heart. Something that should be reserved only for those times you spend together has been dirtied. And you can’t justify it by saying, “But it’s not like I’m having an affair.” You have done just that, in your mind. We have been taught to reserve our sexual relations to those that we have with our husbands and wives. If you’re having sexual thoughts and feelings and your spouse isn’t involved, you’re cheating on your spouse.
In addition, it’s been proven that those who indulge in pornography soon find that they need greater and greater stimulus in order to feel satisfied, and this puts your spouse in a terrible position. If you’re asking your spouse to do things they feel uncomfortable with in order to maintain your own level of satisfaction, you are perverting your relationship with your spouse and in fact, prostituting them to your own desires. Your spouse, who may be trying very hard to live a life of purity, is now being asked to give up his/her own moral code in order to keep you happy.
The way to repentance has been shown us through the love and mercy of our Savior. You can turn from this practice and set your life right. You can be made clean again. You can slowly cleanse your mind from the images you’ve filled it with. But you must realize that you need to change before any of this can take place. It’s hurting your family. It’s hurting your relationship with God. You are endangering your standing in the Church. You are in very fact endangering your eternal standing with God. Please seek the counsel of your bishop and work diligently toward setting this area of your life to rights. It is never too late, but you can’t start too soon.
Related Blogs:
Pornography Addiction: Can It Happen?
Guarding Against Negative Media Influences