Sexual Addiction: How
The Pornography Industry Has Destroyed the
Value of
Family
David
Sumner Clark
Southern
New Hampshire University
Bundy, T. (1989). Interview
with James Dobson.
Carnes,
P.J. (2005). Pornography and the internet in today's world.
Enrichment Journal
for Pentecostal
Ministry, 10(4), 23-28.
Craven,
M.S. (2004). Pornography: The deconstruction of human sexuality.
Cultural Apologetic
Fagan,
P. (2009). The effects of pornography on individuals, marriage,
family and community.
Gerstein,
J. (2011). Eric Holder accused of neglecting porn fight.
Hugh
Hefner. (2012). Biography.com.
Retrieved from
Hilton,
D.L. (2010). How pornography drugs and changes your brain.
Kardos,
R. (2012) Interview with David Sumner Clark.
Ley, D.
(2010). The dangers of sex addiction: The danger of sex addiction is
for society, not
Pornography.
(2010). Retrieved from http://www.internetlaw.uslegal.com
Ropelato,
J. (2008). Internet pornography statistics. Internet Filter
Learning Center.
Sex
has evolved into a multi-faceted industry of instant gratification.
The media has
been a
major factor in the steady decline of our moral values in America.
The selling
of sex,
minds and hearts have become damaged and innocence is lost, forever.
While
the
government of the United States looks the other way, more lives are
being robbed
of
purity and replaced with the lies of sex not being an addiction. Over
time this has
crept
its way into the evangelical community. There is no one exempt from
the
contaminating
force that drives the pornography industry. We watch as our children
are
swept away and poisoned by lies of culture, and this must meet its
end.
Thesis:
The pornography industry has been a major factor in the decline of
morals
and values in America. Unless the government begins to enforce
anti-pornography
laws, we will continue in a downward spiral.
Begin with a history of how the porn industry has reached its
multi-level platform.
Explain the opposing side of how pornography is view as an art
form.
3. Discuss how the onset of initial use rapes the mind and brings
damage.
4. Illustrate the behavior patterns associated with addiction.
5. Explain the dynamics in family when sexual addiction takes hold.
6. Discuss how the medical community addresses sexual
addiction.
7. Explain how the evangelical community addresses this issue.
8. Illustrate the hierarchy of pornography to human trafficking.
9. Explain the laws that exist and are not enforced.
10. Show the statistics and financial gain of this industry.
11. Tell a story of personal relevance in regards to the porn
industry.
12. Conclude with information on groups and programs that aid in
recovery.
Sexual Addiction: How The Pornography Industry Has Destroyed the
The
pornography industry has been a major factor in the decline of morals
and values in
America.
Unless the government begins to enforce anti-pornography laws, we
will continue in a
downward
spiral. The abuse of physical intimacy goes as far back as the Old
Testament in the bible. It
makes
mention of adultery, prostitution, and lustful passions leading to
the killing of another. There is
no time
in history that is exempt from crimes of the flesh. Today the United
States is the number one
distributor
of pornography in the world (Kardos, 2012). Around the time of the
early 1800's when the
first
still images were made by the camera, it was not long after that the
photography of the human
body
took place. In the 1920's silent pornographic films were in full
production. In 1953 the first
publication
of Hugh Hefner's Playboy magazine hit the stands with Marilyn Monroe
in the nude for the
center-fold.
Playboy magazine became an instant success. In the 60's the era of
the sexual revolution
came and
changed a lot of minds to how sex is viewed (Hefner, 2012).
As the
time has gone on the market has exploded with pornographic material.
Magazines and
then
adult video, and in the 80's we saw the 900 number come into play.
Our homes were invaded on
late
night TV with advertisements for phone sex encounters. Throughout the
years we have fed our
appetite
of addiction with more creative ways to cash-in on the idea that sex
sells, and business is good.
With the
internet coming on the scene, everything is available, and in many
cases for free. Web sites
that
have pornographic content are ever increasing. There are many who
fall into the isolation of the
internet,
and have become new inmates of the prison of sexual addiction.
Not all
people think that pornographic material is bad, in fact some believe
it to be a form of art,
and
another way of personal expression.
Defining
pornography is about control...it is just another censorship issue.
Throughout
history
the works of many fine artists and writers have been 'banned' or
prohibited. We all
know
the names. Lawrence, Joyce, Mapelthorpe, Sturges, Hamilton, etc. As
with art,
pornography
is also in the eye of the beholder, if you want to see an image as
pornographic,
then
it is pornographic. I have found that, 'pornography' is a word most
often used by those
who
have an irrational fear of sexuality, and how to express it. A fear
that also extends to
excluding
works from association with another misunderstood word: “art.” I
believe that if it is
something
that offends you...don't look at it (or don't read it) (Furon, 2012).
There
is also a viewpoint that sexual addiction is not really a danger to
the individual so much
as
it is to society, and how the values have changed over time.
Sexual
labels and diagnoses are inherently based upon, and inseparable from,
the current
sexual
values of the culture. Prior to the American Psychiatric
Association's vote in the 1970's,
homosexual
behavior was labeled a medical diagnosis. Values changed, and it is
no longer
viewed
this way. Over the past few years, multiple Scandinavian countries
have removed
diagnoses
related to sado-masochistic behaviors, determining that the diagnoses
pathologize
behaviors
that are rarely dysfunctional. In many countries and cultures,
infidelity is seen as a
normal
part of a sexual behavior, in contrast to the current view in
America. Throughout history,
group
sexual behaviors have served as culturally significant social and
religious rites. Today,
outside
small subgroups like swingers, group sex is viewed as a sign of
sexual and moral
These
viewpoints are rather on a more liberal position of pornographic
material and its relation
to
addiction. If infidelity is normal in the sense that it is to be
expected in marriages, then it could be
fair
to say that not only in America, but most of the world has gone
astray from moral behavior.
The
first exposure to explicit material leaves a lasting impression. With
pornographic material
being
viewed it pulls the viewer in, and imprints images on the mind, which
cannot be erased. What
starts
out as a few seconds, then become minutes and hours of exposure to
pornographic content. The
spine
of addiction being fed longer and longer. Kardos states that
“pornography rapes the mind”(2012).
In
todays world of internet pornography, and the content that is
available online, the average age that a
young
person sees pornographic material is roughly around 11 years old
(Craven, 2005) Roughly 90%
of
sexual solicitations of youth are being made online (CovenantEyes,
2012). Now it seems that we
have
invisibility of internet use, as teens can easily erase the viewed
history and hide it from parents.
When
parental blocks are not put in place, it is very easy for
pornographic content to find its way into
your
computer, and even more so, to your child's mind.
In
the case of addiction it is simple and complex. The addict wants
more, but what happens is
that
brian functions and composition actually change during addiction.
Judgement is impaired while the
frontal
lobe actually shrinks in size. The ability to reason things out is
hindered, as cognitive skills are
damaged.
In the case of a drug addict, sexual addiction and drug abuse go
hand-in-hand. Drug abuse
impairs
instantly, and given the type of situation, often leads to people
using each other for sex,
unprotected,
and putting oneself at high risk for sexually transmitted diseases. A
reward is a reward, the
brain
does not know the difference. Whether it comes from a chemical or an
experience, the brain
responds
in the reward center the same.We can easily see where, in a sex
addicts case how infidelity
can
damage a marriage, and bring harm to physical health (Hilton, 2010).
The
family unit is ultimately attacked when pornographic material and
addiction sets in. The
marriage
suffers, and so do the children. Married men who are involved in
pornography are less
satisfied
with their conjugal relations, and have less emotional attachment to
their wives. Wives begin
to
notice this, and frustration and anger set in. Pornographic material
is the pathway to divorce, and is a
huge
factor in family disasters. Pornography viewing leads to an erosion
of interest in good family
relations.
For the individual user of pornography, the user can become
desensitized and bored with the
type
of pornographic material being viewed. The user then wants more, and
may seek to find more
perverse
forms to view. Men who use this harsher material can obtain a high
tolerance for things like
rape,
and sexual aggression. Often times men will begin to view women as
commodities or sex objects.
Child-sex
offenders view pornographic material regularly, and are often
involved in its distribution
The
mental health community does not really address issues regarding
sexual addiction, in fact
the
DSM psychiatric reference book has no specific address to this
condition. Surprising as it may
seem,
and could be debatable, the DSM comes out with “new” disorders
every time there is a new
printing
of the book itself. It is no wonder we are on a decline in morals, if
one of the largest conditions
of
disorders is not even recognized as such. Schizophrenia is the
largest disorder by the DSM IV, so it
is
apparent they may have turned a blind eye to the matter. In todays
medicine we see it and hear it all
the
time on our televisions and radios, how to increase our sexual
appetite. Somehow since the onset of
Viagra,
they have come out with many more products to help treat sexual
dysfunction. While this may
be
acceptable for a married couple experiencing problems out of their
control, these are still drugs that
promote
an appetite for sex (Kardos, 2012).
In
the world of evangelical christians, 67% of men deal with some sort
of sexual addiction, and
many
have not dealt with their problem. 53% of pastors, and 44% of lay
readers have viewed internet
pornographic
material. Many of them say they have prayed about this area in their
lives, but still
haven't
sought out help (Craven, 2005). Addiction is like a virus that can
keep getting worse, as one
may
entertain the idea at first, it then takes its root. Just having
access to the internet, and out of
curiosity
visit a porn site, it will draw the user in to the subject. The bible
has plenty of wisdom
regarding
sexual relations, the most important one being its intentions, and
design for the covenant of
Another
one of the dangers of the pornographic industry is that it has led
down the pathway of
human
trafficking. All over the world there are children being used as sex
slaves. This even happens to
our
young ones right here in the United States. In the hierarchy of the
industry it all begins with the
pornographer.
Money is what drives this industry, at around 20 billion dollars
annually, and that doesn't
even
count all of the under-the-table business that goes on. There are
laws in place against
pornography,
but the laws are not enforced, so in that case the pornographer can
get away with what he
is
doing. “We live in a pornified culture” says Kardos (2012). In
our culture sex sells. There is no such
thing
as child prostitution, but a huge industry prostituting children. In
the trafficking industry young
girls
are lured in by manipulation and coercion, and then lead them down
the road of being sold for sex.
Young
girls can be trafficked out many times in one day. The damage and
horror to them is
unspeakable.
(Kardos, 2012).
In
recent times our own government has looked the other way at this. Our
attorney general Eric
Holder,
has been accused of negligence in his response to the fight against
pornography (Gerstein,
'Attorney
General Holder told the Judiciary Committee last year that this task
force was
the
centerpiece of the strategy to combat adult obscenity,' Sen. Orrin
Hatch (R-Utah) told
POLITICO
in a statement Friday. 'Rather than initiate a single new case since
President Obama
took
office, however, the only development in this area has been the
dismantling of the task
force.
As the toxic waste of obscenity continues to spread and harm everyone
it touches, it
appears
the Obama administration is giving up without a fight.' (Gerstein,
2011).
There
are many laws that are against obscenity, but lawmakers find it hard
to combat the issue
when
it is a multi-billion dollar industry. In fact the pornography
industry makes more revenue than all
the
major sports combined. Basketball, football, baseball, hockey, and
NASCAR, cannot compete with
the
pornographic industry.
The
Supreme Court established that obscenity is not protected by the
First Amendment
in
Roth
v. United States
(1957), declaring obscenity to be 'utterly without redeeming social
importance.'The
Court ruled that child pornography is not a form of expression
protected under
the
constitution in New
York v. Ferber
(1982). It has also upheld a state law prohibiting the
possession
and viewing of child porn in Osborne
v. Ohio
(1990). Seeking to control Internet
porn,
Congress first passed legislation in 1996. The Communications Decency
Act (CDA)
criminalized
the dissemination over computer networks of obscene or indecent
material to
children.
Immediately blocked from enforcement by the courts, it was ruled
unconstitutional
under
the First Amendment in 1997. Seeking to update federal child
pornography law for the
Internet,
Congress passed the Child Pornography Prevention Act (CPPA) of 1996.
Among other
features,
the law criminalized any visual depiction that 'appears to be' child
pornography,
including
so-called virtual porn created by computer. After lower courts struck
down provisions
of
the statute,
the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal. In Ashcroft
v. Free Speech
Coalition,
(2002), the high court agreed with the Ninth Circuit that two key
provisions of the
CPPA
were unconstitutionally over broad (affecting both legal and illegal
speech) under the
First
Amendment. The law was struck down. (“Pornography”)
We
obviously have a long way to go, in order to sort out the legal views
on internet and child
pornography.
It appears that money is the deciding factor, and the root of this
evil.
The
financial gains of this industry is astounding. Every second over
$3000 is spent on
pornography.
Every second over 30,000 users on the internet are viewing
pornography. Every second
over
400 internet users are typing in adult search into search engines,
and every 39 minutes, a new
pornographic
film is made in the United States. There are easily over 100 million
searches for adult
services
on the net. The pornography industry also beats out ABC, CBS, and NBC
in revenues
(Ropelato,
2008). In the christian community over 50% say that pornography is a
problem in the home.
Ask
ourselves this question, where do we stand morally as individuals?
And what kind of examples do
we
want to leave for our children?
In
this struggle for purity in an over sexed culture, I too have had
many challenges, and
discussions
with many people from both sides of the argument. Having the
christian background that I
do,
I have strong convictions about the way that I live, but have failed
many times in many areas. I was
once
talking with a young lady at a musical performance I was doing. While
speaking to her she told
me
she was dancing exotic in order to pay for her school education,
ironically the same major as mine
(psychology
in mental health). In the most loving way I could say was that I hope
she finds a better
way
to pay the school tuition. I also told her that she is special and
she should treat herself as such. I
left
that conversation knowing that I didn't hit her over the head with a
religious battle-cry, but gave
words
of true love and inspiration. This is a better way.
There
are many groups that exist that help men and women in the area of
sexual addiction,
such
as; For Women Only and For Men Only groups. These groups are
confidential, but most of all
they
help thousands of people that have a desire to get their life in
order. They help restore marriages,
and
the brokenness that comes with addiction. Groups such as the Nathan
Project, which is local in
Bedford,
NH is one of those organizations, Pure Desire ministries is another.
The
strongest answer to this is for the individual to not hide, deal with
the problem and find
people
that can be trusted. When a problem is brought to the light, it
slowly looses its controlling power
over
the individual. There is no shame in asking for help. The are
millions of people, both men and
women,
that have struggles with sexual addiction, and are getting help to be
back on a road of healing
and
wholeness, and more importantly forgiveness. These programs work, and
lives are changed,
marriages
are saved, and families have been restored.
In
conclusion, there are many who struggle with pornographic abuse. The
more people
stand
up to say what they are dealing with, more will be willing to join
the fight. When people are
honest
with themselves are are not afraid to talk, more will be set free.
People tend to think they are
alone
in their pain, grief, sorrow, and shame, but this is not so. Each one
of us is human, and how we
choose
to live is important, first to our families, and then to our
community. The things we keep behind
closed
doors is what needs to be addressed. The things we do out of sight of
people, is what we have on
the
inside. When we are alone, what are we doing with our time? Are we
still productive? Or are we
slipping
away in darkness that we want no one to see?
