Porn is bad

So I spent a good part of last Sunday talking about this topic, which led to several more hours of research and discussion on the topic. At first, I think I was a bit weirded out that this topic would come up in the middle of a random conversation...but I thought...perhaps it's such a problem because no one likes to talk about it. No one thinks about it. It's one of those dirty little secrets that everyone knows about but are too embarrassed to confront. Hence I'll write about it. Fun.

I'll steal some stats off Porn Nation (C4C hosted them at UW, two years back, if it sounds familiar to anyone).
- By second year university, over 87% of the people has had exposure to hardcore pornographic material. I suppose it is a gross overstatement that everyone exposed to such contents will become addicted or scared in some form or way. But 87% is alot.
- Sexuality is a large component of media and advertisement. It portrays a certain body image as "desirable" and everything else is "ugly"...this naturally leads to bad self-image (especially in girls), causing a psychological condition known as anorexia nervosa, or some other form of eating disorder. Stats claim 25% of campus girls have eating disorders.

I stumbled on this site, which I've taken some points from. Porn is highly destructive. Here's some reasons why...

1. Porn is a method of escape. It is easily accessible, with no chance of rejection. Point and click, and done. You even get variety. Don't like what you see? Next picture. Real girls are too hard to get. You have to risk personal pride to walk up to the girl. Talk to her. Spend time to get to know her. Risk more pride and possible rejection to ask her out. Deal with your own issues. Deal with hers. Deal with the issues between the two of you. Etc. Honestly, which one is easier? The porn. But you've already lost the battle, if you think that. Indeed, it damages how guys can relate to girls:

• If it is indeed easier to "interact" with porn, why would anyone bother with real girls? Guys may begin to avoid them -> become even more socially awkward and harder to interact with girls -> more withdrawal into porn
• Porn doesn't exactly cast girls in the most positive of lights. Although I was laughing at the idea that people may base their concept of standards and normalness on Hollywood (and other entertainment industry stuff...including porn), I realize that not everyone realizes that. The best illustration I can draw this one eps of Friends...
  

2. Girls are objects, less human than guys are. Totally invalid. Lets take it to Scripture...

The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

- Genesis 2.18

Seriously. Adam looked at all the animals in existence. None of them was good enough. They say dogs are man's best friend. Nope, not good enough to be helper. Nor the elephant. Nor the dolphin. Nor the cheetah. None of them are good enough. Did God screw up? Imagine you're there...in the Garden, where Adam literally chills with God. Adam hid from God after hearing Him walk in the garden. Adam was, in every sense of the word, in the presence of God. He never said anything about being lonely. It was God who first mentioned that Adam should have "a helper". Note what Matthew Henry has to say about the creation of Eve...

"That the woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved."

- Matthew Henry

Thus, from the beginning, God had intended man and woman to stand in equal footing, neither greater than the other. This means that women objectification was not intended. If you've heard the 722 series on Love and Marriage, you would've heard that the man's headship over the family does not mean he is greater than his wife. It simply points out that he has a different role...that it is his responsibility to ensure the family is focused...because it will be the man that will be held accountable.

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man...

- Romans 5.12

Notice that it doesn't say "one woman"...even though it was Eve who first took the fruit. Adam, as head of the family, had to take responsibility. But anyways. This is beyond the scope of this article. Go watch 722.

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

- Genesis 2.24

God made man in His own image. Would He really give anything less than the best for the man? An mere object hardly seems to be the best.

3. Value being in physical appearance. I'm going to make the assumption that porn is loaded with girls who are absurdly beautiful, with 20 inch waists, weighing 80 pounds (I don't watch TV, I don't know what societal definition of beauty is these days -_-, but given that I've had at least 3 girls this term comment to me that they feel like they're too fat, even though they definitely weight less than I do...). I believe that stuff like modeling shows damages girls' self-esteem and self-image. If ... [insert actress A] and [porn star B] are the standards of "beauty", would girls not feel pressured to match those images? Unrealistic expectations...

Paul, in Ephesians 6, told us to equip the armour of God. It is often noted that there is no back armour in his descriptions. Thus, we are expected to stand and fight many of our trials. Yet for this topic, Paul has only one thing to say:

Flee from sexual immorality.

- 1 Corinthians 6.18