Called to Authentic Love
Like all evils, the culture of pornography usage thrives off of shame and secrecy. But God came to bring our sins into the light and cast them away from our hearts: He came to set us free. When we bring sin into the light, when we call it what it is, we are able to combat it with the grace of God.
When it comes to pornography, though, people who truly want to combat or to prevent this evil don’t know where to start. This page is meant to provide resources which give guidance and encouragement in doing just that.
Developing a culture without pornography is a necessary step toward establishing healthy, authentic relationships within our lives, our families, and our community. These resources will help you to take part in the building of that culture!
In today’s world, unfortunately, our young people need to be prepared to deal with pornography. The online world is complicated and full of evils, often stumbled across unintentionally at first. In fact, the average age of exposure to pornography for men is 12 years old, and the trend is ever downwards. But it is not just the online culture that is harmful: 90% of teenagers in the United States admit to being at least tolerant if not encouraging of pornography in conversations with their peers. In the same age group, the majority will rank not recycling as worse than pornography usage. Over 25% of teenagers receive explicit images by text. This evil is real and it is pervasive, especially among young people.
In short, keeping up a taboo will not protect children from this evil: on the contrary, it is likely to aggravate a serious difficulty in their lives. The question is not whether or not children will encounter pornography, but rather how will it be presented to them. Children need to know, at an age-appropriate level, that this evil exists, that there are ways to deal with it, and that they need not be ashamed to bring their questions, concerns, and struggles to their parents.
The link above provides resources for parents to learn about this issue so that they can make informed decisions on technology use and so that they can set up proper defenses. There are also resources which make it easier for parents to educate their children on this at an age-appropriate level.
Seeking Integrity:
Resources for those Affected by Pornography
Our faith assures us that Christ has won the victory for us over sin. The grace of His Passion, Death, and Resurrection is available to us and is more than able to conquer and to break the sins which have rooted themselves in our souls. For those affected by pornography, either in their own life or in the life of somebody they love, God’s grace is a source of hope: recovery and healing are possible. The resources found on the link above can help you to move in this direction.
