The Evil of Pornography

Growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, pornography was a stack of adult magazines hidden in a closet or a restricted channel on cable TV or a sleazy, windowless, non-descript building in an out of the way place in town.  Today due to technology, pornography is instantaneously accessible via the internet, smartphones, streaming services and even mainstream media.  Its prevalence and its ease of accessibility are what make pornography so much more destructive than it was just a couple decades ago.  

 
According to The Catechism of the Catholic Church:

“Pornography consists in removing real or simulated sexual acts from the intimacy of the partners, in order to display them deliberately to third parties. It offends against chastity because it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other. It does grave injury to the dignity of its participants (actors, vendors, the public), since each one becomes an object of base pleasure and illicit profit for others. It immerses all who are involved in the illusion of a fantasy world. It is a grave offense. Civil authorities should prevent the production and distribution of pornographic materials.”  (See paragraph 2354.)

 
The 7TH Commandment states “You shall not commit adultery.”  In Matthew 5:27-28, Jesus tells us “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”  Thus pornography promotes the breaking of the 7th Commandment.

 
Pornography is highly destructive to the mental, emotional and spiritual well-being of persons who view it.  Pornography is also highly destructive to the mental, emotional and spiritual well-being of persons who pose for those images or “perform” in those videos.  In its most diabolical and destructive form, pornography involves children.

 
Pornography reduces a human being to a commodity for sexual gratification and financial gain.  Jesus tells us to “love one another as I have loved you” (see John 13:34).  Pornography destroys that love.

 
Because of its ease of accessibility through technology, people are being exposed to pornography and becoming addicted at disturbingly young ages, ie. teens and even pre-teens.  As a result, young people are learning all the wrong things about human relationships and sexuality.

 
Medical studies have shown that pornography actually alters the brain and causes chemical changes in the brain similar to cocaine.  For many porn users, pornography causes an addiction no less destructive than alcoholism or drug addiction.  Once addicted, the person has an extremely difficult time breaking free from that addiction. 

 
In his General Audience of 25 September 2024, Pope Francis addressed the issue of pornography.  He said,

“Modern technology, for example, besides the many positive resources that are to be appreciated, offers also countless means to “give an opportunity to the devil”, and many fall in the trap. Think of online pornography, behind which there is a flourishing market: we all know this. It is the devil at work, there. And this is a very widespread phenomenon, which Christians should beware of and strongly reject. Because any smartphone has access to this brutality, to this language of the devil: online pornography.”

During this Audience, Pope Francis offered commentary on Jesus being tempted in the desert by Satan.  It is a fascinating and worthwhile read with many powerful insights into the struggle between good and evil.  “Awareness of the action of the devil in history should not discourage us,” said Pope Francis.  “The final thought must be, also in this case, of trust and security: “I am with the Lord, be gone”. Christ overcame the devil and gave us the Holy Spirit to make His victory our own.”   See https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2024/documents/20240925-udienza-generale.html  

 
Awareness of the destructive effects of pornography to the human soul is becoming more widespread.   At every Catholic mens conference that I have attended, at least one speaker has talked about pornography.  Lawmakers are also taking more action to restrict pornography and especially to protect children from becoming exposed to it or being exploited by it.  

 
Fortunately, there are many resources available for people to break free from pornography.  

 
In 2000, Ron DeHaas and Collin Rose created CovenantEyes to help those struggling with pornography. Their Christian-based resources include instructional videos, podcasts, and internet filters.  See www.covenanteyes.com    

 
Working with Catholic podcaster Matt Fradd (“Pints with Aquinas”), CovenantEyes offers Strive, a 21-day online program to help men detox from pornography.  See www.strive21.com  

 
CovenantEyes has also resources specifically for women on an affiliated website Arise for Women.  Arise is a 21-day guided course for women to help with pornography similar to its Strive21 program for men.  See https://www.covenanteyes.com/arise/  

 
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has resources and links to other resources for those struggling with pornography.  See https://www.usccb.org/topics/marriage-and-family-life-ministries/help-for-those-struggling  

 
Father Chris Alar of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception has an excellent podcast lesson about breaking negative soul ties.  Viewing pornography and lusting after those in pornography establishes a negative soul tie between the viewer and the person(s) in those images/videos. It is vitally important to break that negative soul tie.  See https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breaking-negative-soul-ties/id1556478689?i=1000660786608  and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkwEFVqpsoQ  

 
So many people, including many of our Christian brothers and sisters, are struggling with pornography and so many others are viewing and participating in pornography without realizing the eternal consequences of their actions.  We need to pray for all of them in Jesus’s name that God will pour down His Holy Spirit and send His Holy Angels to free them from the diabolical trap of pornography and we need to invoke the assistance of Our Blessed Mother and the saints for them.  Through prayer, we can help those struggling with pornography to break free from Satan’s chains and become the persons that God wants us all to be.  To reiterate the words of Pope Francis:  “Christ overcame the devil and gave us the Holy Spirit to make His victory our own.”