So this is a VERY touchy subject but I am curious as to what are men's thoughts about it.
Pornography.
Statistics show that 70% of men from age 18-34 visit a pornographic site in a typical month.
10% of adults admit to having an Internet sexual addiction. 28% of that were women.
29% of born again adults in the US believe it is morally ACCEPTABLE to view movies with explicit sexual behavior.
57% of pastors say that addiction to pornography is the most sexually damaging issue to the congregation.
47% of families say that pornography is a problem in their home.
The internet was a significant factor in 2 out of 3 divorces.
Average age of first internet exposure to pornography:11 years old.
50% of Christian men in churches are addicted to pornography.
Curious as to men's thoughts on this since it is found more often to be men struggling with addictions to pornography opposed to women. Not to say that women can't be addicted because they can also before anyone jumps me on that. It is just more prevalent in men, men are more visual stimulated than females are.
It is degrading to the viewer in so many unimaginable ways. Yeck !
Any nudity in any entertainment venue is bad for society- and especially the family.
Now, since guy's have a pre-programmed retinal image for attraction (like a bird and a certain flower shape it is naturally drawn to), he will look at females. That can be innocent as he admires God's created beauty. Or it can become bad as he lingers and thoughts begin to fill his mind.
But this applies to fully dressed females- no nudity.
And ladies, please dress modestly. It is usually more attractive and sensual anyway, than some sexual display. Give Christian (and the unsaved) men a break!
pornagraphy is so exremely evil on so many different levels its not even funny,It is degrading to women,it is the exact opposite of gods intention for mankinds sexual behavior,the internet ,in and of itself is neutral,its mans sinful nature that uses it forthe perversion of his sexual appetites,in some ways,the internet has become a mirror,or a window,into just how in need of a savior we are!I too hate pornagraphy and wish it were illegal,no telling how many lives it has ruined! In Christ Steven
FIRSTLY, IN RELATION TO YOUR STATISTICS, I�M NOT SURPRISED , I MYSELF WAS ONCE ADDICTED TO PORNOGRAPHY. I THANK THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB FOR DELIVERING ME OUT OF SOMETHING WHICH WAS SPIRALLING OUT OF CONTROL.
�29% of born again adults in the US believe it is morally ACCEPTABLE to view movies with explicit sexual behaviour�
REGARDING THE ABOVE QUOTE, IM NOT NO JUDGE BUT MY PERCEPTION AND CONCLUSION OF THIS COMES FROM THE WORD OF GOD. IN MY VIEW, DESPITE COMING FROM AN INTERNET SOURCE, PORNOGRAPHY IS LUST. WE ARE TOLD IN MANY AREAS WITHIN THE WORD THAT LOOKING AT A WOMAN AND THINKING OF SEXUAL THOUGHTS IS ALREADY ADULTERY (LUST), BUT TO LOOK AT THE WOMAN PERFORMING SEXUAL ACTS IS MUCH WORSE AND IS LIKE JUMPING INTO A LAKE OF FIRE.
MATTHEW 5:28
But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart
COLOSSIANS 3:5
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry
GALATIANS 5:16
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh
1 JOHN 2:16
For all that is in the world�the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions�is not from the Father but is from the world.
AS WE ALL KNOW, THE FLESH IS WEAK, KNOWING THIS SHOULD NOT ALLOW/PERMIT US TO FEED SOME OF OUR EVIL DESIRES (WORLDY DESIRES), WE OUGHT TO PRAY AGAINST SUCH THINGS RATHER THAN FEED IT.
I SERIOUSLY THANK GOD THAT SINCE I REMOVED MYSELF FROM THIS ADDICTION, I HAVE NEVER LOOKED BACK.
IF THERE ARE ANY CURRENT SUFFERERS OF THIS ADDICTION, I URGE YOU TO CONTINUE TO PRAY BUT AT THE SAME TIME, CONFESS YOUR SINS ONE TO ANOTHER, �If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. � (1 JOHN 1:19)
I FOUND THAT, ONCE I HAD CONFESSED MY SINS TO FRIENDS, MY RECOVERY FROM THIS ADDICTION REALLY GOT GOING, RATHER THAN SUFFERING IN SILENCE, IT IS OF EXTREME IMPORTANCE THAT WE SHARE STRUGGLES WITH OUR BRETHREN, �For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." (MATTHEW 18:20)
MAY THE LORD GOD DELIVER PORN ADDICTS, IN JESUS MIGHTY NAME.
You can't be a christian and look at pornography, period! For a man to even gaze at a woman with lust is to commit adultry in their heart, more less gaze at naked women and what not. The Holy Spirit will not dwell in you either. How can you even have a relationship with god. Your communication with the father would be cut off, until you relinquished the sin that is in your life. It is just wrong on so many different levels.
dear folks, its bad enuff that it effects the ones watching it so much.. but truely sad that it most always effects others around them.. the families..
I agree with kristiankidd, I too struggled with an internet porn addiction. And like him, once I brought it to my brethren in our men's prayer group, I was able to overcome it. One thing that really helped me and that I still use even being on my own is an internet filter company. The one I use is called True Vine Online. It is very effective, I can't even get things likr youtube or myspace. To get access to something you have to call them up and have them change it on their end. It costs $25 every 3 mo. or $75 yr. To me it is worth it not to have it in my face constantly.
These Thoughts Are Not Complete, But They May Be Helpful.
To spiritually make love to our wives. What a beautiful thing! To understand their physical bodies in light of their spiritual reality! What significance might a woman�s bre asts have spiritually? How can we truly come to see our wives in this way? How can we come to love our wives in spirit and in truth? The way they deserve to be seen as bearers of the image of God.:hearts:
Anyone is able to love someone in the physical, focusing only on the physical reality of the person they are with, while the person they are focusing on remains in a state of spiritual death and decay. But if the "flesh counts for nothing", and yet Jesus calls us to love one another, then is He calling us to love one another in what does not count (the flesh)?
When we come together with our wives, are we to only be focusing on that in our wives and enjoying that in our wives that counts for nothing? That, which will not last, but is going to eventually perish (the flesh)? Absolutely not. It is appropriate to enjoy the physical aspects of our wives, but the emphasis needs to be placed on Christ within them. HE needs to be the focus of our affections. Otherwise we set ourselves up to be able to enjoy the physical aspects of anyone and anything whether Christ is a part of those things or not. We set our wives up as well to respond favorably to this type of affection. Which can come from anyone.
How many mothers focus only on the physical aspects of their children in the name of love and do exceptional jobs of raising perfectly healthy children who are spiritually starving to death and in a state of spiritual decay? How many husbands focus only on the physical aspects of their wives in the name of love and do exceptional jobs of leading a perfectly healthy woman who is spiritually starving to death and in a state of spiritual decay?
When most Mothers raise their children they are focused only on the physical state of their children instead of their children�s spiritual reality. When most couples engage in physical intimacy they are focused only on the physical state of their intimacy (themselves) instead of each other�s spiritual reality (Christ within each of them). When people view pornography, they too are focused on the physical and not on Christ in themselves or in the people or persons they are viewing. And whenever anyone focuses only on the physical, they are able to enjoy the person they are focusing on regardless of that person�s spiritual condition (reality). They are able to �in the name of love� show no concern whatsoever (true love) for the starving spiritual condition of the person they are essentially using. We do not mean to do this to ourselves or to others. Adam and Eve did not mean to do this to each other either. But nonetheless, in both cases it is what it is. And somehow we are disconnected from the truth (reality) of what we are to be focused on.
Are we attracted to physically dead, decaying people? Not at all. Have you seen a coke advertisement using a rotting corpse lately? Probably not. How can we become reconnected to the �meaning� that is truly there? Spiritual reality. Remembering that the flesh counts for nothing.
It was Jehovah God that the Israelites were to enjoy in the richness of the Promise Land (spiritual). Not just the Promise Land itself (the physical). But because the Israelites failed to see this, they failed completely.
If attraction, arousal and intimacy were seen for what they are, for what they must be, for someone�s spiritual condition, and we weren�t so focused on what counts for nothing (the flesh), then it would not be so easy to be tempted by pornography. Adultery would be seen for what it is. Countless television shows would loose their appeal and be canceled, and on and on and on.
We are viewing each other with eyes that will one day rot and decay. We are not viewing the reality of what is around us, which can only be seen with our minds. And because of this, we are being deceived. Appearance seldom equals reality. Just because someone is nice or physically appealing does not mean that they�re good.
Why would someone want to have children with a dead person? Why would someone want a dead person to kiss them, make love to them, raise and teach their children? Can spiritually dead people make God feel good? Are they able to please God? Should spiritually dead people be able to make us feel good? In movies, music, as friends and even family. Who were Christ's mothers, brothers and sisters? Which reality was HE focused on? Remember, that it is His image that we bear.
Well, I'll not say I'm innocent, back when I was in 20's and it first appeared on the internet, I looked at some. But I soon got over that. Just not my style.
If you look at my myspace page, A bunch of the people on my freinds list are all involved in out reach missions to people in the porn AND prostitution industries. I pray for them, and they keey me updated. They are doing very bold and amzing things to reach out to people who are in the porn industry, and are working very hard to get the government to legislate things that will drasticly limit general access to porn. I, personally, am not called to said ministry, but I appeciate the folks doing it and support them.
If you are having trouble with porn, i recommend you look up the tripple X church on google, they have alot of help to offer.
That's not an area I struggle with, thank you lord, but I know many who do.
*You can't be a christian and look at pornography, period!*
mmm mmm, christians are capable of just about anything, if they don't guard themselves and have hardened hearts.
I've been a christian longer then you've been alive, I've seen it all.
!st John 2:6 *whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did*
But we also have romans 7 for when reality hits.
I give a rip about watching naked people, not my thing. But just becarefull when you think you stand, lest you fall. Have compassion, not judgementalism. The one thing that I dislike more then anything about christians is the superior/elitist/i've got it all together and you can't touch me nay nay nay nay nay attitiude.
I've seen christian musicians that I knew fall away, pastors, elders, good freinds, beware. just beware that attitiude.
