Resurrection of the Lord Church
Internet Pornography
| When
I was younger, it was a great thrill to get hold of a copy of Playboy
or Penthouse magazine and look at them with your friends. We kept the
old worn copies we obtained hidden away in secret places to be brought
out when friends came over or when we were alone, to use them as stimulus
for what young men do when they're coming of age. All us guys knew if
our fathers had a secret magazine stash and where they kept it. That is
how most of us older guys were first introduced to pornography. Today young men coming of age are introduced in a more easily accessible and sinister way. Pornography, far more explicit and appalling than anything we had access to as young men is just a few mouse clicks away on the internet. No type of perversion is left to the imagination anymore. If you can think it or imagine it, God forbid, it's there to read or view in the privacy of your own home. I know; I've been there. I wish I could write this to you from a high morale position of one that is never tempted or succumbs to the lusts of the body, but I can't. Just as I confess in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, I confess to you, my brothers and sisters that I too have sinned by viewing pornography on the internet and doing what men do when they view it. And as humiliating as it is to admit it, I'm sure many of you have too. Here are some statistics from www.catholic .com about internet pornography viewing: Today, pornography is the #1 most downloaded and most viewed category of material on the Internet. According to the Internet Filter Review, the worldwide Internet porn business is a $97 billion-a-year industry-and growing. It's no wonder. At last count, there were 4.2 million pornographic Web sites, with 420 million pages of pornographic material. (These numbers grow by the hour-because thousands of new sites come online every week.) 43% of all Internet users view porn sites while they're online. The estimate is that 72 million people visit porn sites each month. According to Media Metrix, more than 70% of men ages 18 to 34 visit a pornographic site each month. 2.8 billion pornographic e-mails are sent every year. Because of the Internet, laws against pornography and obscenity have become virtually impossible to enforce. No longer can local communities effectively control the influx of filth in their midst, as they did in days gone by. Today, it's spread from computer to computer in the blink of an eye. In the old days, a man had to risk being seen walking into an adult bookstore. But not anymore. With the Internet, he doesn't even have to leave his house. And the number of children being exposed to pornography has skyrocketed due to the Internet. According to research conducted by the London School of Economics and Political Science, fully 9 out of 10 children from ages 8 and 16 have seen Internet pornography-usually without even intending to. The Internet Filter Review reports that the average age of a child when he is first exposed to Internet pornography is 11 years old. Of children 15 to 17 years old, 80% have multiple exposures to hard-core Internet pornography. Our churches? Yes. Even our churches. According to a survey conducted by Christianity Today, 51% of pastors say Internet porn is a temptation they struggle with. A survey by Promise Keepers revealed that 53% of the men at their rallies had been involved with pornography during the previous week. And a "Christians and Sex" survey conducted by Leadership Journal in March 2005 discovered that 57% of pastors say that pornography is the most sexually damaging issue in their congregations. According to the National Catholic Register, Fr. Mark Bautista of British Columbia-who has been a pastor of several major parishes-estimates that up to 30% of the men in any given parish are regular viewers of Internet pornography. He said he's noticed a staggering increase in porn use that coincides with the growth of the Internet. It's not just among the men of the parish, but the children, too. He routinely hears porn confessions of boys and girls as young as 13. Christopher West of the Theology of the Body Institute says that at least 80% of Catholic adults have used pornography and that up to 40% of Catholics view porn compulsively. Our
apologist friend Jeff Cavins agrees. In his view, 40% of Catholic men
and teenage boys are regular porn users. It kills marriages because it's a form of unfaithfulness…It turns love into lust…And it often leads to extra-marital affairs and divorce. And
it kills the innocence of children who unintentionally stumble upon
it when they're on the Internet. Second, do whatever you can to rid yourself of occasions of sin. If you have pornographic magazines or videos, throw them all away immediately. Since the Internet has been a problem, at the very least you should install filtering software on your computer. You might even want to consider whether there is any way you can take a break from using the web entirely, or go awhile with minimal web access (perhaps with the images turned off in your browser or with a text-only browser, like Lynx, that does not use images). Another useful strategy is to put holy objects and pictures wherever you had the images. If it is on the Internet, put a crucifix or picture of our Lady on top of the computer, and have a sacred image for your screen saver or computer wallpaper. Third, find a person with whom you can be honest about your habit, and be accountable to him. A priest, family member, youth minister, or good friend should be able to help you win the battle. As the Bible says, "Two are better than one. . . . If they fall, one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up. . . . And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him. A threefold cord is not quickly broken" (Eccles. 4:9-12). The web site www.covenanteyes.com is helpful in this area. Fourth,
take a look at your motivation to overcome the habit. Are you simply
trying to conquer the temptations because the habit is embarrassing,
or because you're afraid you'll be caught? Elevate your motivation so
that you are working to overcome the problem for the sake of love. Do
it for the love of God and to make yourself a worthy person for your
future bride. |
