Pornography easily entraps students. At first the appeal draws one in and before one knows it, the lure of pornography has enticed them and now has them tapped. As you read through this post, ask yourself if you have been trapped by the lure of pornography.

Not too long ago, there was a televised debate between porn star Ron Jeremy and Pastor Craig Gross on ABC's Nightline that was filmed at Yale University. Craig Gross" website can be found here. Below are some of Craig Gross" thoughts that will hopefully get you thinking. (A lot of Craig"s statistics came from the Center of Disease Control). 

First, "porn is not reality--it"s fantasy." In pornographic videos, the girl is acting as if she is truly enjoying the sexual experience. The big debate has always been, "Why call these men and women actors?" In one sense they"re actors because the girl (usually between the ages of 18-22) has to pretend. An internet woman never says no; she doesn"t have needs or emotions. What one views in porn is not a real relationship--it"s fake. It gives women unrealistic expectations of how they need or should look, and act. It does the same for guys.

Second, "porn is not consenting adults having sex for consenting adults to watch." The average age currently for someone viewing porn is eleven, which means there are a lot of children watching porn. Children are not adults and are much more impressionable. To make matters worse, "20-30% of traffic on porn sites comes from those under 18 years of age and the porn companies know this." Additionally 9 out of 10 children have seen pornography online. That means 90% of students under the age of 18 have viewed porn. 

Third, "Pornography is degrading to women." When people are lusting over a woman (or man), they are lusting at the object. They do not care one bit about their dreams or aspirations in life. All they see is an object that will satisfy their immediate desires, and over time they may start treating others like that. Not only that but "porn does not empower women." The porn industry stifles women"s dreams and their futures. And considering 13,500 porn films were made in the last year or so, that is a lot of women"s dreams being crushed.

Fourth, "There is no such thing as please watch porn responsibly." Pornography desensitizes those who view it. Pornography also hurts marriages. The famous thought is that it helps couples in the bedroom"but that is simply not true. The more porn one watches the more he or she wants what"s on the screen.

Take a moment to process these startling stats:

• 2.5 billion emails per day are pornographic
• 25 percent of all search engine requests are pornography-related
• 72 million internet users visit pornography websites per year
• 94 percent of Americans believe a ban on internet pornography should be legal
• Sex is the number one topic searched on the Internet
• At least 20,000 American adults visit internet sex sites at least 11 hours per week
• 9.3 million women access adult websites each month

Married couples may believe it is enhancing their sex lives but porn has the power to drive a wedge between them both. It may seem alluring and exciting at first, but over time one partner may desire more of what is on the screen rather than what is in front of him/her. Porn in the long run may even hurt couples because of unrealistic expectations. The list goes on and on.

Questions to Consider

1. Have you been lured by the affects of pornography? 

• a. Do you have an addiction to pornography? 

2. Of the four points of Craig Gross" argument, which one was the most powerful? Why?

3. What do you think of Jesus" words in the Sermon on the Mount?

• a. Matthew 5:27-30
• i. 27 "You have heard that it was said, "You shall not commit adultery." 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

4. Do you struggle with lust?

• a. Are you guilty of emotional adultery?

Resources

Hope Counseling Center, www.hiu.edu.hcc   

• My Blog: www.bryanAsands.com   
• www.xxxchurch.com